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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 2 Chapter 4 Part 1

CHAPTER 4: An Irreplaceable Place

The time was now mid-March, that time of the year where spring started to settle in, but you could still feel some traces of winter left ——

Two shipgirls were currently sailing over the blue seas that were spreading in every direction around them, as far as the eye could see.

One of them, the Light Cruiser Belfast, suddenly noticed a shadow that was being cast over her head and she started to gradually slow down.

Slowly losing her momentum, she finally came to a stop and stared at the sky that was starting to get really dark and cloudy, even though it was so clear just a moment ago.

「…… It’s getting really cloudy really fast.」

Even though the two shipgirls were on their way back home from a military consignment, both of them were extremely unhappy. Considering the time it took them to get there, it looked like it would be a long time before they would be able to get back to their beloved Home Port.

Feeling that their surroundings were getting dark and gloomy and a stormy weather was about to come rapidly, Belfast called out to the other shipgirl who was cruising slightly ahead of her.

「Dorsetshire! I’m afraid that the seas up ahead are going to get really rough from now on! In the worst case scenario, please keep in mind that we might even get moored somewhere!」

Hearing her voice, the Second Ship of the Norfolk-class ship, a Heavy Cruiser Dorsetshire, who was sailing up ahead turned her head back and looked at Belfast.

A moment later, she also slowed down and after losing her momentum for a bit she came to a full stop as well.

「I don’t mind getting soaked in the little rain, you know!」

Still, the position where Dorsetshire came to a stop was far away from where Belfast was.

Reluctantly, Belfast put both of her hands on her mouth, creating a small tube with them, and called out to her comrade. Normally she would never do something quite like this, but at this distance separating the two of them Belfast seriously doubt that Dorsetshire would be even able to hear her if she spoke normally.

「If the storm hits us out of the blue, the waves might swallow us up before we even know it! Since we are on our way back home, shouldn’t we prioritize safety over recklessly rushing up ahead?」

Slowly picking up speed again, Belfast moved forward little by little, shortening the distance and approaching Dorsetshire.

「But if that’s the case and we decide to take it slow and steady, it will be no good as well!」

「And why do you even think that?」

「Because…… That’s because…… That’s because I……!」

Belfast did not miss the clenched fist of Dorsetshire, a pretty desperate gesture that she did over there. Just when she was wondering if something serious was going on on her end, Dorsetshire took a deep breath and said out loud:

「I…… I…… I don’t want to cause my dear sister unnecessary worry! She must be anxiously awaiting my return back home……!」

After exhaling all the air from her chest, she exclaimed like that with an embarrassed look on her face.

「……Come again?」

For a moment out there, Belfast wondered if she might have actually misheard her.

「My dear sister is waiting for me back home! When I told her when I was supposed to return to the port this morning, she told me that she would come to the pier and wait for me at that precise time so ——」

Unfortunately, it looked like Belfast did not misheard her comrade’s words.

Stopping right next to Dorsetshire, Belfast opened her mouth, choosing her next words as carefully as it was possible.

「…… If Norfolk-san really is awaiting your return to the Home Port, then we especially ought to not be in any kind of a haste, risking ourselves getting injured on our way. And I know that if I were in her position, I would have hoped for my sister to do a good job on the mission AND come back home in one piece, alive and well!」

Dorsetshire let out a groan, hearing words that she could not really hope to argue with.

「But…… But! What if Nee-san is going to get angry with me for making her wait like that!? I would never be able to pull myself back together if something like that was to happen!」

「Personally, I don’t really think that Norfolk-san is the kind of person who would get angry over a trivial matter like that, but……」

「No! That’s not the problem here! It’s about me! I would never be able to live with the shame of having my sister go through something like this!」

Dorsetshire then covered her face with both of her hands in the ultimate gesture of despair. And seeing her become like that, Belfast……

「Well now, this is…… This is really troublesome, I must say.」

Belfast could only drop her shoulders in a gesture of giving up as she muttered those words to herself.

Today was exactly the second week since she was assigned for a commissioned military mission together with Dorsetshire.

At the end of February, both Kent and Suffolk were dispatched to a distant military consignment. Belfast and the others decided that it should be the Head Maid that would join in on this particular commission while everyone else were to stay behind.

As a side note, this was the first time that Belfast has been paired up with Dorsetshire for commission work like that……

And throughout the duration of this particular commission that the two of them were obliged to accomplish, Belfast managed to learn that Dorsetshire “loves” her dear sister, Norfolk. Maybe even a little bit too much.

In fact, the phrase “I love you” was truly inappropriate in her particular case. If anything, the word “worship” would be the closest one to the truth, but not entirely able to describe the amount of her affection.

At first, Belfast was quite puzzled because of that fact, since Dorsetshire rarely showed such an attitude in any normal conversation, but after witnessing it a couple of times throughout the last two weeks, Belfast was pretty confident that she was able to deal with her companion’s “devotion” and “affection”. At least to a certain extent.

—— But for her to actually suffer one of those “affection outbreaks” of hers at such an unfortunate time, just my luck……

Thinking something alongside those lines, Belfast chose his next words even more carefully than before.

「…… Dorsetshire-san. If anything were to happen to you while we are together on this mission, I don’t know how I would be able to face Norfolk-san once we would be back. They say that the best thing to do when you are in a hurry is to slow down, so let’s go slow and steady about this. Is that alright with you? What do you say?」

Dorsetshire remained silent as she looked up at Belfast.

And once again, her expression was utterly unsatisfactory.

For a moment out there Belfast thought that her words might have not been persuasive enough to reach her, but,

「Well, I mean…… I don’t want to be a bother to my dear sister, so……」

She nodded her head in agreement, although really reluctantly.

But for the time being, it would seem that the two of them managed to reach and understanding.

「Shall we go, then?」

Belfast was relieved to see that that particular matter managed to get resolved without any further problems, and the two of them resumed their course towards the Home Port.

「By the way, you have a sister yourself as well, right, Belfast? Edinburgh, I believe was her name?」

Since Belfast has been leading the way once again, Dorsetshire has stopped talking about her sister for a change, but now she suddenly started talking about Belfast’s sister. It was certainly surprising, but because of that the calm atmosphere of a normal conversation managed to return to them once more.

「Yes, you got that right.」

「Frankly, what do you think of Edinburgh? As your sister, that is?」

With her fluffy hair blowing in the sea breeze, Dorsetshire asked her a question like that.

「No matter what I would say here, that question is really troublesome for me.」

Belfast smiled in an ambiguous way, and then Dorsetshire hurried with a follow up for the question that she asked.

「I have been working with you for the past two weeks, Belfast, and I must say that to be perfectly honest with you, I have never met someone who does their job as perfectly as you do. That’s why I thought, ‘You’re the perfect sister that someone can ask for.’ How does an older sister like Edinburgh appear in your eyes, I wonder?」