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Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 3 Chapter 4 Part 7

She immediately put the dishes on two trays and tries to lead them towards the dining room.

However, since Edinburgh was without her trusty glasses, she did not have a good sense of perspective and depth. She thought she was coming towards someone who was in the distance, but truth to be told, that particular maid was right next to her, and she almost ended up bumping right into her. And that was not a lone incident. She had at least several close calls like that in close succession.

Still, Edinburgh continued to walk cautiously, and she managed to somehow safely arrive in front of the wooden door that were connecting the kitchen to the dining room,

「Wawawah!」

Surprised by the maid who suddenly came up right behind her, Edinburgh shook the tray she was holding in both of her hands.

The plates on the tray rattled dangerously loud.

Edinburgh was then on the verge of losing her balance and falling down while letting go of the tray.

And then,as soon as she somehow managed to regain both her balance and composure, a number of other maids came in from the large dining room this time around.

「Wawawawawawawah!!!」

At this rate, they were going to bump into her for sure.

Thinking like that, Edinburgh took a deep breath.

「Wah! Wah! Waaaaaahhhh!」

When she let out an almost blood-curdling scream like that, the maids, wondering what was going on, dodged left and right in front of the door all at once, dodging Edinburgh in the process.

For some reason, this scene looked as if the sea of maids was split apart.

But thanks to that Edinburgh, who was once again right about to fall down, managed to ultimately regain her balance and get right back on her feet.

Thinking that she managed to avoid a catastrophe by the skin of her teeth, Edinburgh managed to carry the plate to the dining room without any further issues.

「Haa… Haa… But, as expected, it’s impossible to repeat this process over and over again……」

Her physical strength was exhausted in an unexpected way just from this one tour from the kitchen to the dining room.

「To think that this kind of day will continue for another thirteen days…… Is this what hell looks like……?」

It would seem that Edinburgh would have no other choice but to consult with Belfast and ask her to assign her a job that she could do even with a very poor eyesight. And just as she was thinking about that matter.

「…………… Ah! There you are! Heey~! Here! Miss Maid!

「Huh?」

Edinburgh turned her head towards the voice that suddenly called out to her from the direction of the hallway.

Then she noticed that it was none other than Akashi who was standing in front of the dining room’s door.

When she rushed to where Akashi was standing, Edinburgh could also see that Bel-chan was also there for some reason.

「Don’t tell me that those new glasses for me are already finished?」

When Edinburgh asked her that with hope in her words, Akashi shook her head to the sides.

「Don’t ask for the impossible. I just learned about it from Bel-chan here, so there is no way that this was to happen.」

「Haha, no, of course there was no way that could have been it.」

Having said that, Edinburgh, who was clinging to that slight amount of hope here, dropped her shoulders in apparent resignation.

「On the contrary, I have some rather bad news for you, nya. It looks like I won’t be able to get a hold on a new pair of glasses for you in quite a while, nya.
Noniya

「……… Huh?」

For a moment out there Edinburgh thought that she misheard Akashi’s words, but when she heard Akashi’s next words, that possibility was quickly dismissed.

「It seems that there was a problem with the factory that I always order the goods from, but on the other hand, I managed to get my hands on some other crucial equipment as well.」

「Well, okay then…… But what does that have to do with me? And more importantly, when will my glasses be able to ——」

Akashi groaned there, and then she crossed his arms with a difficult expression on his face.

「Unfortunately…… that remains utterly undecided for the time being.」

Hearing that, Edinburgh became so soul-crushed that her eyes became devoid of any light of life.

This would make it not only difficult for Edinburgh’s day to day duties as a maid, but would also make it impossible for her to attend the ball in the first place!

「Well, I guess that it would theoretically be possible to prepare some spare glasses for you, as a matter of last resort here.」

「I-In that case, why didn’t you say that sooner!?」

Edinburgh grabbed Akashi by the shoulders and started to shake her vigorously.

「U-Unfortunately, I don’t have a correct frame mold for the time being, so I have come here to take the measurements of your head, if you would be willing to cooperate.」

Grabbing Edinburgh’s shoulders, Akashi held a tape measure and pulled on it, revealing its contents.

Edinburgh obediently followed her instructions and had her head measured properly.

Afterwards, Akashi decided to elaborate on the story of the unobtainable glasses for a little bit. She told Edinburgh that approximately two months ago she had ordered some silver that could be used for lenses and spectacle frames as well.

The lenses and silver were meant to be used for other purposes, but apparently the surplus could be used to make at least one pair of glasses if need be.

However, it would take about ten days for both of those materials to arrive, and until then Edinburgh would be forced to go on about her day to day activities without a pair of glasses.

When Akashi took her measurements and took her leave, the preparations for the meal were all but finished. Edinburgh left the kitchen and went outside for a bit.

Then, when she was sure that she was all alone, while staying near the door, she crouched with his back pressed against the dormitory’s wall.

She couldn’t help it but to look forward to wearing the dress for the first time at the ball she had always dreamt about. But she never thought that something like this would happen.

「—- Nee-san, I knew you would be in a place like this.」

When Edinburgh looked up, she saw Belfast standing right above her with the back door to the dormitory being wide open.

「I heard the story from Bel-chan.」

「…… I see.」

Those were the only words that Edinburgh managed to squeeze out of her mouth.

「Because of my clumsiness…… Everything is ruined.」

As Edinburgh held his knees and hid her face in her skirt, her voice naturally trembled.

「At this rate, even if I practice really hard, I won’t be able to dance properly before the ball……I’m sure I will embarrass Her Majesty. I just know it.」

「Nee-san, here you go again, always degrading yourself like that. And you always think that you are going to fail at something without even trying to do that thing in the first place.」

Hearing Belfast say that, Edinburgh couldn’t believe her ears.

But Belfast was different from her. She just looked at the textbook once, and she was able to dance properly. Her talent was too different from Edinburgh, who couldn’t possibly dance well even if it was going to save her life.

「…… Anyway, I just can’t do it. There is no way.」

Edinburgh said so, almost crying at this point.

「Then, are you going to just give up?」

Belfast asked her completely out of the blue like that.

「Nee-san, seeing you looking so happy about something, it also made me feel happy for you ——」

「……I’m sorry, Bel. Now, could you perhaps leave me alone for a while? I could use some of that time.」

When Edinburgh said that, she could hear the sound of Belfast slowly moving away from her.

「…… Very well. As you wish.」

Her voice sounded completely different from her usual voice.

Belfast, who was usually so calm and did not show much of her affection, had a deeper tone of voice than Edinburgh had ever heard before.

Then, without even having time to leave an awkward atmosphere in this place, the door slammed shut behind her.

She apparently went back to the kitchen in a hurry.

Edinburgh, who remained on the spot with her face down, muttered softly.

「Bel does not know…… how someone like me feels. There is no way she knows.」

How it is to be someone who only makes constant blunders and fails at everything she does. And just how depressing that makes you feel.

There is no way that her sister, who can do anything by nature and without putting much effort into it, can understand the pain she was feeling.