3 bar menu

Azur Lane: Episode of Belfast Volume 4 Chapter 3 Part 1

CHAPTER 3: The Curtain Rises

And just like that, the time left until the beginning of the School Festival was more or less ten days.

In line with that realization, the Royal Navy’s dormitory was becoming more and more restless and excited, and once the already finished Elizabeth’s script managed to be distributed to all parties that were involved with it, the preparations for the School Festival could finally begin in earnest.

However, the same could not be said so easily about the overall schedule. Because all the teams struggled with how to allocate their time properly in order to finish their assigned tasks , and each member of each team worked as hard as they could on a daily basis to make up for that.

「But even so, I thought that Cygnet-san was going to protest about being assigned that role for a little while longer than that.」

In the afternoon, on their way back to the kitchen from the audit at the Casting Team, Curacoa opened her mouth to share her thoughts with Belfast.

「Yes, that’s right. I was worried out there for a moment, but I am relieved that she managed to accept the role and come to terms with it so fast.」

As per Hood’s recommendation, Belfast was going to play the part of Rei-san, and Cygnet was to play the role of Boo-san. Which was honestly a rather surprising choice.

When Belfast happened to read through Elizabeth’s script for the very first time, she thought that Boo-san was a whole lot like her older sister Edinburgh, and that she would get recommended for that role as well.

However, as she would gradually read on, Belfast would come to realize that things were actually different and more and more discrepancies would pop up here and there.

If anything, Boo-san had a way more shy and reserved personality than Edinburgh, and if that was to be the case, it was true that Cygnet was the closest to that particular image out of the entire cast.

「The only thing left to do now is to memorize the script before the day of the actual performance and keep on practicing it until we learn it all by heart.」

「Yes, that’s right. But it’s just that……」

What was really worrisome to Belfast here, was the actual appointment of Cygnet.

In the first place, the only reason as to why Cygnet was a part of the Casting Team was because she had been roped into it by her fellow C Class Destroyer friends, Crescent and Comet, but as the way of appointing the members of the cast through lottery, she was the only C Class Destroyer who was left at the end of the day.

That fact alone would have been more than enough for a cause to worry about her, but now what was added was the extra pressure from Cygnet being appointed the leading role in the stage play as well.

「Even during the line matching and rehearsals, it seems as though she’s forgetting the lines that she had supposedly already memorized.」

While talking like that and sharing her thoughts with one another, Belfast and Curacoa returned to the kitchen.

When they opened the back door to the kitchen, the various members of the Iris Libre were already busy preparing lunch inside, hustling and bustling all over the place.

While Belfast and the other maids were working on their respective duties for the stage play preparations, as well as performing the audits, it was arranged that the duty of lunch preparations would temporarily be shifted to the Iris Libre shipgirls.

「But even so, something smells really nice in here~.」

Curacoa said that while being lured further inside of the kitchen by the wonderful smell that was wafting through it, and then both her and Belfast noticed the beautiful dishes that the Iris Libre shipgirls made, resting on top of the cooking tables. But not only were those dishes smelling really good, they were also neatly organized on the plates.

「This here is the white fish sauté, and this here is consommé soup, isn’t it?」

As the Iris Libre’s shipgirls continued to cook and prepare for lunch in a way that would not disturb anyone else doing their respective work, the other Maid Corps members started to return from their audits one after another.

Once everyone had gathered inside of the kitchen, Belfast resumed their usual debriefing meeting.

「Well then, I would like to hear the status report for each group, please.」

First of all, every single day Belfast would listen to the progress of each team and check whether or not their overall progress was falling behind schedule.

At the same time, the Stamp Table that would set the achievement targets for each individual team would be updated in accordance with the new status reports, and the auditors would directly tell their teams whether or not things were proceeding smoothly, or if they needed to hurry up with whatever it was that they were doing.

There were no particular problems with any of the teams on that particular day, and the minimum quota set for today has been achieved without any major problems, and the Costume Team was particularly outstanding with the job that they were doing. Not only was their general goal more or less already achieved, but their progress was way faster than that of any other group.

「Everyone is doing a truly outstanding job so far.」

That was all that Sheffield, who was in charge of the Costume Team audits, quietly told to the rest of the Maid Corps.

「Illustrious, Victorious, Unicorn and Fiji are the core of the entire team, and they are all well-versed in the art of fashion and clothes-making. What’s more, Centaur is also helping them out, so I don’t really think there will be any big delay in the future. That, and there is also……」If there is, it is…」

In the middle of Sheffield speaking, the door to the kitchen was suddenly pushed open with a great impact.

「Newcastle! Sheffield! I’m here to get our card stamped.」

With such an energetic voice, the Southampton Class Light Cruiser and the namesake of its entire class, Southampton, came to the kitchen.

Sheffield, who was so rudely interrupted by her, looked at Southampton with the kind of expression that must have surely been her version of irritation or annoyance..

「……I do believe that I have already stamped your card earlier today.」

「Yeah, that’s true, but I managed to achieve something new again, so here.」

With that being said, Southampton showed to Sheffield the place on the stamp card that read: “get all the fabric for the costumes you need” as its goal.

「Why suddenly fabric procurement out of all things? According to the schedule table, it should have arrived as early as tomorrow with the transport ship supplies.」

When Newcastle opened her mouth and said so,

「—— It’s because I have just returned to the Home Port a little while ago.」

Everyone’s attention was so focused at what was currently going on here that no one even noticed when a new person happened to enter the kitchen. And that someone happened to be none other than the third Aircraft Carrier of the Illustrious Class, Formidable.

「Good day to you all, members of the Maid Corps.」

Formidable greeted everyone while smiling brightly.

「I heard that you were supposed to be on a long-term military consignment? How come you managed to come back so fast?」

When Sheffield asked her that question, Formidable smiled even brighter as she started to twirl one of her signature twintails on her finger in a playful gesture.
Because it’s exciting and exciting,

「Well, hearing that there was a School Festival coming closer and closer, I just had to make sure that I will get that work done as soon as possible in order to be able to come back in time, wouldn’t you agree? And I see that my timing could not have been better. Once my own tasks are going to be done, I shall support you all.」

「Support?」

After swallowing hard for a moment out there, Sheffield immediately followed up on what Formidable had said.

「I have heard everything about the necessary fabric from Victorious-nee-san, so I happened to bring it with me while being on my way back to the Home Port. I have also made sure to let my sisters know that I am going to join the Costume Making Team upon coming back home.」

Then, Ignoring Sheffield’s previous words, Formidable pointed to the stamp table where Southampton was currently standing.

「Now then, think you could give me a hand with that, Sheffield?」

「Well, I guess it cannot be helped……」

Saying that, Sheffield put the stamp on the card, although she did that somewhat vehemently.

Beside Sheffield, Newcastle let out a chuckle as she spoke to Southampton with a smile on her face.