3 bar menu

Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 3 Chapter 2 Part 8

「Huh…… I shee…… Sho thash show it ish, huh……」

While Suffolk let out an incomprehensible groan like that, Belfast ran up to her and started to check her the maid’s body all over, looking for any signs of apparent injuries. And once she was able to determine that fortunately Suffolk did not suffer any kind of serious injuries, the Head Maid summoned Kent to her side.

「We need to take her somewhere to a more secure location, so that she can lie down and rest. I will hold her by the head, and you, Kent-san, can you take her by the legs?」

「Y-Yes! Right away!」

And so, the maid and the Head Maid lifted Suffolk up at the same time, and looked around to see if there was any place nearby where they could lie her down in a hurry.

「Belfast-san, over here.」

Guided by Aurora’s voice, the two maids carried Suffolk in their arms and found a bench in the garden nearby, about ten meters away from the flower bed.

「Now, let us gently lay her down. Yes, just like that. Slowly and gently.」

Following Belfast’s instructions, Kent laid Suffolk on the bench and put her head on her lap.

「Now then, Kent. Can you go to the kitchen for me and grab some ice from there?」

「Y-Yes! I will bring it back right away!」

「Also, I’m really sorry for both Nee-san and Bel-chan, since I have left them in the kitchen on their own, but could you tell them to start serving breakfast without me?」

「OK! Roger that! I will pass the message on, no problem!」

After that, Kent ran away towards the kitchen in a panic.

While both Belfast and Aurora were waiting for Kent to return from the kitchen, she was back sooner than they would have expected.

「Haah, haah, haah…… H-Here, Head Maid. I got it.」

Belfast then put an ice pack on Suffolk’s forehead, thinking that Kent must have been running as hard as he could both towards the kitchen and right back for her to be so out of breath like that.

「……Are you okay, Kent-san? You don’t look too good.」

Aurora peeked in anxiously at hard-breathing Kent.

「Y-Yes, I am sorry for worrying you like that. But more importantly, what about our other duties for today? Is there anything else that needs doing?」

「No, that was all for today. I was supposed to teach the two of you the basics for today, so I was going to wrap things up at that today. So you don’t need to worry about that ———」

It was then that Suffolk’s forehead frowned quite a bit and she seemed to have regained her consciousness.

「Suffolk!!」

Kent was the first one to come forth and look right into Suffolk’s face. As she brought her face closer to Suffolk’s, who was still resting her head on top of Belfast’s lap, she let out a tearful voice filled with emotions.

「Geez Suffolk, you huge idiot!? Just how stupid can you be!? Do you have any idea just how worried we all were about you!? Don’t you ever dare to pull off a stunt like that ever again!」

「Yes, that’s right. It’s exactly as Kent-san says. Please, never do such a stupid and irresponsible thing again.」

Belfast also said so in a slightly harsher than usual tone, following up on what Kent said. It might have been slightly unfair towards Suffolk, but it was also so that she would be able to understand just how reckless the thing that she did was, and that she would never want to do something like that again. But contrary to the both maids’ expectations, Suffolk’s reaction was really bleak, it could even be called a reaction at all. For she just mutely patted her face and then Belfast’s lap where she was resting on, not saying anything at all.

「…… Hm? …… Suffolk?」

Something was clearly wrong here.

While both Kent and Belfast thought that, Suffolk slowly sat up and looked around her in confusion.

「Where am I……? What is this place……?」

When she set her gaze on Belfast again, she asked while tilting her head.

「Where is this place……? It’s the courtyard, of course. Can’t you see all the flower beds and trees all around you?」

When Belfast was pointing her finger towards the different flower beds, but then the Head Maid froze in place while looking at Suffolk.

Ever since she managed to regain her consciousness, every single move and action that Suffolk took seemed to be really clumsy and slow.

「…… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.」

It was then that Suffolk announced that in plain and honest words.

And after she was done saying that, she turned around and looked at both Aurora and Kent who were watching her with eyes filled with dread and concern.

「No, seriously, where is this place? And who are you people……?」

Then she looked down for a moment and asks that question with a look of utter fear and caution visible in her eyes.

* * *

When all of the children in the dormitory had finished their breakfast and the maids had finished cleaning up and washing the dishes,

「…… No matter how you try to look at it, it looks like amnesia to me.」

After staring into Suffolk’s face, Sheffield announced her diagnosis while everyone else let out a sigh of relief.

「Amnesia? How can you know that for sure?」

When Edinburgh asked her about that, Sheffield began to explain while shifting towards her usual routine of window-cleaning with a completely disinterested expression on her face.

「I can pretty much tell when Suffolk is lying or is trying to deceive someone about something, but she does not seem to be acting right about now. So, because of that we can assume that it’s the truth that she cannot remember anything at the current moment.」

「Is that really something you can understand just by looking at someone?」

With a wry smile, Edinburgh then turned around and spoke to Suffolk.

「Hey Suffolk. Can’t you remember me? Like, at all?」

「…… I am really sorry, but no.」

Suffolk said with an apologetic look on her face and raising her eyebrows, looking really sorry for something that was beyond her control.

「This is really serious. What should we do now, Bel!?」

In response to her sister’s question, Belfast also folded her arms on her chest and started to think about it deeply.

「Earlier on, I asked Suffolk to hold a tray for a glass of waiter placed on it, but it was as if it was her first time doing so. It seems that she also forgot how to perform her duties, aside from who everyone around her is.」

Forgetting her friends was one thing, but actually forgetting everything work-related and how to gracefully perform her duties, that was a problem on an entirely different level. At this rate, there was no way that Suffolk would be able to perform active duty.

「Everyone, do you have a moment?」

Suddenly, Newcastle called out to everyone from behind their backs. She had been reading a thick file on the large desk she would normally use for cooking, and she slowly stood up and began to explain what was written inside of the file.

「A part of this file contains information about past “shipgirls” and the various affliction that they have suffered.」

According to the file, shipgirls could suffer mental or physical abnormalities due to taking damage to the keel in one way or another. But that being said……

「Most probably…… yes, that’s right. I suspect that in Suffolk’s case, it’s just a temporary effect of hitting her head too hard when she fell from that step ladder and hit the ground.」

「A temporary amnesia……」

Kent whispered to herself in disbelief.

「So, it is possible that Suffolk’s memory will return after a while on its own, but I cannot say exactly when that is going to happen.」

「Looks like we’ll have to wait and see for a while.」

That’s what Belfast concluded after hearing Newcastle’s words.

Over the next few days, they began teaching the former maid general maid duties and tasks. The one in charge of that process were mostly Belfast and Newcastle, as the Former Head Maid. But they were teaching Suffolk not only about her maid duties, but also her basic manners of conduct as a shipgirl in general..

Suffolk was awkward at first at doing both kinds of tasks, but as she gradually got used to her job, she became more efficient at it than she used to be.

「Suffolk, please carry the finished dishes in order to the dining room.」

「Yes. Understood.」

「……Have you finished cleaning the stairs on the second floor?」

「They are all sparklingly clean!」