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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 2 Chapter 4 Part 5

—— But when…… when was it?

Finally, Belfast was no longer able to support her body to stand straight, and she could also feel that her consciousness was starting to gradually slip away. Then next thing she knew was that her knees were already on the floor. But even so, the only thought that was inside of her head was this: I should hurry it up and go and prepare breakfast for everyone.

「—— Belfast!」

Suddenly, the Head Maid could hear a voice calling to her from the back of the corridor.

Without even having time to wonder who it was, the owner of the voice immediately rushed over to her and called out her name over and over again.

「Belfast. Belfast, can you hear me, Belfast?」

「That voice…… Is that you, Sheffi?」

Trying to get up from her knees, Belfast could see Sheffield’s face right in front of her eyes.

She crouched down and wrapped Belfast’s arm around her own shoulders in an attempt to get her back up on her feet.

「Yes, that’s right. But what are you doing in a place like this —— 」

It was then that Sheffield peered right into Belfast’s face.

「……! You are burning up! What the hell happened to you?」

Belfast, who borrowed Sheffield’s shoulder in order to stand up, thought of one thing that was still pretty clear inside of her dizzy head.

「Yesterday…… We came through the storm on our way back home and we came back home to the port being completely drenched…… So maybe that’s why.」

「Coming straight through the storm like that…… Talk about thoughtless and reckless behavior, seriously. And from you of all people.」

Sheffield said those words in amazement, carrying Belfast on her shoulder and slowly walking down the hallway little by little.

「You are so hot that I can tell just by standing right next to you. It looks like you are unable to even stand straight for the time being, so I’m taking you to bed right away.」

「But…… I have to…… get ready for breakfast,」

Breathing heavily, Belfast said that, and Sheffield immediately shook her head in refusal.

「Don’t you worry about that, Edinburgh can take care of it in your stead. I’m sure that she is still sleeping in her bed, anyway. I will put you to bed and wake you up as soon as something comes up ——」

「Nee-san…… She’s not in her bed… I don’t know where she’s gone……」

When Belfast said those words, Sheffield came to a sudden stop.

She looked as if she was considering something or wondering about something for a moment out there, and then she just said quietly.

「—— Then in that case, both Newcastle and I will prepare breakfast in your stead.」

「Sheffi……」

She suddenly realized that something was clearly wrong here and raised her voice to raise an objection, but then Sheffield started walking again as if nothing had happened.

Then Sheffield carried Belfast right back to her room.

When she opened the door and went inside, Bel-chan, who had just woken up, was in the middle of changing into her maid outfit. Seeing Belfast coming back while leaning on Sheffield’s shoulder, Bel-chan’s eyes widened in surprise.

「……Belfast-nee-sama!? What’s wrong!? What happened!?」

「I think that she must have caught a cold, so I brought her back so that she could rest properly.」

Sheffield announced that in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

「Think you can stand properly on your own?」

「Yes, thank you……」

Belfast nodded her head and lifted her arm from Sheffield’s shoulder.

「For the time being, just go back to bed and try to get some proper sleep. I will bring you some food sometime later.」

After saying that, Sheffield turned to Bel-chan next.

「As for you, you are to stay here for the duration of the day and take care of Belfast. Can you do that?」

「Understood!」

When Bel-chan answered Sheffield while clenching her tiny fists in front of her chest, Sheffield quickly turned on her heels and looked about ready to leave.

「Well then I will excuse myself for now and be on my way.」

The door to the room slammed shut behind her and Sheffield disappeared just like that.

While holding her throbbing head in her hands, Belfast said to Bel-chan.

「Excuse me, Bel-chan, but…… can you bring me my pajamas? I would like to get changed as soon as possible.」

Right after she was told that, Bel-chan headed towards the closet in the corner of the room.

In the meantime, Belfast began to take off her maid clothes from his shoulders. When she took off her apron and took off her corset, Bel-chan brought her the pajamas that she asked her for and slowly changed into her sleepwear.

And then it was time for her to climb the ladder of the bunk bed.

「Ah, watch out, Nee-sama! That’s dangerous!」

Bel-chan then hurriedly supported Belfast’s staggering body as she tried to climb her way up onto her bed.

If she had done anything wrong right now, or if Bel-chan was not here at the current moment, the Head Maid would most probably slam her back against the room’s floor in a matter of seconds..

「Are you okay, Nee-sama?」

Bel-chan looked into her face with a worried expression present on her face.

「I’m really sorry about that, Bel-chan……I just felt a little bit dizzy, that’s all.」

When Belfast tried to extend her hand towards the ladder of the bunk bed again, Bel-chan’s hand squeezed really for some reason. When she suddenly wondered what happened,

「…… Then how about I stay right here? It should be way safer, wouldn’t you agree?」

Saying that, Belfast let go of her grip on the bunk bed’s ladder and stepped away from it, pointing her finger towards the lower part of the bed right after that, the ground bed in which Edinburgh would usually sleep.

「Yes, that is a very good idea. I am sure that even if you were to use her bed for today, Edinburgh-nee-sama surely won’t mind that in the least.」

「Yes, you might be right about that, Bel-chan…… But in any case, we should change the sheets, just to be on the safe side.」

Belfast was just about to go out in order to get herself some fresh bed sheets, when Bel-chan again grabbed her by the hand and stopped her in her tracks.

「Please be seated while I take care of you for the day, Nee-sama.」

「…… Oh my, you are so reliable, Bel-chan.」

Belfast gave the little maid a weak smile, and Bel-chan said with a serious expression still present on her face:.

「For today, I shall spend the entire day looking after you, Nee-sama. No matter if it’s changing the sheets, wiping your body or feeding you. Because that’s the duty of a maid.」

* * *

—— Now that she has been entrusted with looking after Belfast for the duration of the day, Bel-chan was going to do her very best in order to accomplish that task.

Bel-chan then proceeded to change the bed sheets of the lower bunk bed in an enthusiastic way, and Belfast just sat in a chair while she was waiting for Bel-chan to finish her task.

Seeing the perfect figure of her beloved Belfast-nee-sama, the perfect Head Maid whose white cheeks were all red and puffy now, and her eyes vacant instead of their usual gentle look, Bel-chan, who was perplexed by seeing her future self looking like that, remembered what her job was right now and she put those feelings aside.

When she was looking at her while thinking that she seemed to be in pain, their gazes overlapped there for a single moment.

「…… Bel-chan?」

Seeing Belfast tilt her head while presumably trying to ask her what happened, Bel-chan shook her hands in a panic.

「……N-nothing! It’s nothing!」

Before she knew it, her hands had stopped and Belfast started coughing again, so Bel-chan hurriedly finished making the bed.

「There! All ready!」

Hearing Bel-chan’s proud words, Belfast rose to her feet. She moved towards the bed and sat on the futon, and Belfast said while touching her forehead.

「Bel-chan…… Can you bring me something cold with which I could cool my head? And also…… something to drink? I’m really thirsty right now.」

「Something to cool your head and a drink. Right away, Nee-sama!」

After running out of the room, Bel-chan hurriedly headed for the kitchen.

She arrived in the kitchen to find Sheffield alone in there while cooking something with an open fire.

It seems that no one else has come to the kitchen yet.

「Do you happen to have something cool in here, Sheffield-san? And something to drink as well?」

When Bel-chan called out to her, Sheffield stood up from her crouched position and headed for the cupboard.

「If I remember correctly, there must have been an ice pack somewhere around here.」

Taking an ice bag out of the cupboard, she handed it to Bel-chan, with a whole lot of ice inside.