Project Mk.2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xak7kzFVuwU - A quiet night within the naval base, with the majority of it's sections, by now, empty. The living quarters were, to some extent, still active as some of the girls present were still up and about, causing commotion and most certainly disrupting the rest of those who needed it. Alas, Ashigara still had work to do, it seems. 

Houshou's sake den was finally closing it's doors, now that Jun'you had finished up the last few beverages. It wasn't uncommon for her to wind up being the last customer, even if the light aircraft carrier had planned to close early so that she may clean up for the morning. And still, Houshou worked tirelessly when it came to keeping the place tidy, even if it meant taking precious time off of her sleep. 

The drydock was finally sealed away, with all the equipment put in it's place beforehand. It felt almost eerie that it wasn't bustling activity, considering it's importance and just how much time was spent inside of it on a daily basis, be it preparing, testing or researching new technologies and improving old ones. 

Soon enough, the district lights dimmed before fading away, which is exactly the time Sendai used to sneak out of her quarters, be it through door or window in order to visit the coastline and enjoy the sight of the moon, clear in the sky. Were it simple sightseeing or time of reflection for her, nobody knew. Simple that it was her favorite time of the 24-hour cycle and it reflected upon her ability in battle.

Past these sections of the base is where the traditional architecture made itself present, elavating a spot of land with a hard, stone wall, behind which were a number of archery dojos where the aircraft carriers practiced their craft:

Spoiler:

The path inbetween the various buildings led to the Tenshu castle at the back, where the Commander spent the majority of his time, be it on or off duty. The two blossom trees outside, along with the rest of the greenery, were most certainly looked after and made for a scenic entryway to the impressive structure.

Spoiler:

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6cuf6R-z4

And while the majority of the lights in this certain section of the base were, likewise, turned off, one of the dojos remained lit up. One could say that practicing during night would help one improve their senses, and permit them the ability to fight with ease in any given circumstance - which is why the 1st Company Aircraft Carrier Kaga was still hard at work, even when her sister ship had decided to call it a night and take her rest. 
Her targets were purposefully concealed by darkness. She took up a stance, akin to what was present in the old archery manuals. One leg out just slightly, with her back straightened out, hand back with a light hold upon the yumi bow. She drew a standard arrow and, going by the Chosokabe saying: "Empty your thoughts and only then will you strike true." she pulled back and fired. The arrow whistled through the air, puncturing the practice target. While the arrow was not spot on, it came close. And still, such an error could cost one the battle. She reached into her quiver and drew yet another arrow, taking up the stance once more. The night was long. There was time to practice.

The Admiral in question remained secluded within that relic of a home, sitting silently at his rather elaborate desk. It was a gift from a superior from several years ago due to his exemplary command. Nowadays there were fewer and fewer examples of that sort of heroic, courageous behavior. Constant warring with the relentless, bloodthirsty Abyssals had left things as petty as a certain rivalry between two carriers in tatters.

 However, from this bleak landscape there came a few flashes of hope. Certain overtly happy members of his fleet managed to hold a few events to raise morale for their Admiral, leaving him to the paperwork and the more difficult decisions. He didn't always have to sit in his plush chair for hours on end, often deep into the night, to work out strategies and ration out dwindling resources amongst his ships. In fact, he used to have a rather steady relationship with a citizen from a neighboring city, although he had come back from what was supposed to be a date earlier than usual and never spoke of her again. This certainly caught the attention of a number of his subordinates, but his extreme change in demeanor often warded them off.

 He remained completely still, staring at the maps of the surrounding islands and enemy positions reported by scouts. Thankfully, this was a break in the usual naval blitzkrieg that the enemy had adopted, leaving perhaps a month or so of nothing more than uneasiness rather than fear. However, it would seem that something was clouding his mind at the moment. Soon enough, a long cone of light shone from the front of the castle as he exited, his dress shoes making a soft, "clack" as he headed out for a walk. Something as simple as this was rare in their current predicament, but he managed to make time for it almost every night - Though, this night he would take a detour, noticing yet another sharp, yellow glow piercing the soft moonlight and heading for the source. He slowed as he approached the range, attempting to enter silently to observe the carrier within during practice.

 Once inside, he simply stood there, as if mimicking a statue, not all that surprised that it was Kaga up this late. She had been one of the few to remain stalwart against the looming threat, often idolized by her younger, ditzier sister. She often returned with the most trophies, earning quite a few distinguished honors for her service. He decided not to bother her, studying just how she managed to hone herself to the point that she had began to return with minimal damage compared to the others, yet twice the amount of hits and kills.

Her practice went on for another 15 minutes, atleast until she reached into the quiver to find that she was entirely out of ammunition. Kaga broke off the stance and turned around to notice her unexpected visitor at the back of the dojo. She flinched, narrowing her eyes towards him curiously, then approached until she was a close distance away and hinged forward, bowing towards him. 

Were this a more formal scenario, in public, she would take up the proper stance for a salute, however within the traditional dojos a bow was most optimal. Once she stood back upright, she tilted her head slightly, and raised the question: "Is there anything I can do for you, commander?" The archer awaited his answer patiently, remaining before him. Her uniform lacked the standard equipment - the armor was missing, the flight deck was leant up against one of the wooden support beams and she wore a standard pair of sandals. 

She instead wore a simple garb, much like the ones within the archery practice manuals:

Spoiler:

While it offered zero protection, it was practical and it did not obstruct movement, not to mention it wasted no resources to produce. A favorable attire for when times are pressing and the quality of battle equipment needed to be top notch, due to it's expensive nature.

In keeping with the code of conduct, he simply saluted her, paying no mind to the more traditional, slightly more relaxed setting. He responded quickly and curtly, not wanting to waste time with any sort of flowery language, "No, Kaga. I'm simply taking a short break from my usual desk work." He looked her over, his eyes returning to linger on her own, returning her gaze. The silence hung over the two for a half minute or so before he spoke again, offering a rare praise, even with how prestigious Kaga was. "Your aim is... Near-perfect." Before continuing on as he usually did, always managing to tack on even more responsibility after boosting one's ego, "You'll lead a class tomorrow. I want you to train them until they either reach your level or fall asleep here in the dojo."

With that rather stern set of orders for a harsh regimen during tomorrow's training, he saluted again, waited for her reply in the form of a bow, then finally turned around and exited the building. He continued on with his stroll, covering almost the entire base before returning to his castle, setting his pristine, peaked cap upon his desk and sitting down again to get right back to work.

The Admiral was startled into the waking world by the harsh bugle call that resounded throughout the entire base. His usually dim, brown eyes were only made to look darker by the shadows surrounding either eye. He had only managed to squeeze in three hours of sleep this time, and he knew it couldn't get much worse than this. He presses on as always, forcing himself up, shedding his clothing in his room and entering his shower. Before even beginning to bathe, he would rest his muddled head against the sterile tile wall to clear away the drowsiness.

 After a brief hiatus to clean himself off, he emerges to prepare his dress uniform. Once all pieces are retrieved and the ribbons, medals, and patches are removed, he lays it upon an ironing board to get to work, pressing out even the most minuscule wrinkle. The entire process ate up around an hour of his day, leaving him with even less time to slog through the day's tasks.

 The man emerged as he had every day before that, surveying the area before stepping down calmly, heading straight for the ranges. Once there, he would enter just as he had the night before, settling down on one of the benches to await the arrival of his carrier divisions. They began to trickle in one-by-one, with Kaga being one of, if not, the first to arrive. He immediately called out to her to acquire her full attention, saluting her, repeating his orders yet again, then sending her away to fulfill her duty. One could certainly liken the stony woman to the ocean which she waged war upon. She filled whatever role she was commanded to take up, just as water conformed to its container, if not overfilling or bursting through it. She could easily adjust to any conditions, whether it be uneventful peacetimes or a seemingly endless onslaught, just as the seas reacted to the gentle pull of the moon above or the forceful whippings of a monsoon above. All and all, she was among the greatest in his fleet, standing alongside the likes of Musashi, another equally powerful battleship.

 He remained at the archery practice for only an hour or so, scanning over his carriers, more often watching Kaga work with each individual, often for lengthy periods of time. As much as he wanted to stay and admire her dutiful nature, he had other pressing matters to attend to. Eventually, he got up without so much as a, "good-bye" to his favorite of the bunch, leaving and heading out for a ridiculously lengthy meeting discussing the possibility of a ceasefire agreement with the Abyssals, to which he vehemently supported. The fleet was left with the second-in-command in charge, who simply monitored them to ensure they weren't slacking off in any way possible.

Indeed, Kaga seemed somewhat preoccupied herself to even notice his appearance, atleast from the get go. She did return the formalities once he did get her attention, however she was quick to carry out her orders and begin preparing everything for the flow of archery-enthusiasts, among which were Zuihou and Souryuu, being the first to arrive. One could only assume that Akagi was either asleep or having her morning meal(s). 

Through the course of the morning, it seemed that everything was going as intended. The archery dojo was rather crowded and yet it was not loud at all. The concentration seemed to take priority over any tidbits of gossip that went on in other sections of the naval base. 

Naturally, the drydock was hard at work once more, with the noises of industrial work loud and clear. After all, battleship equipment was in high demand and crafting it was no easy task, to be sure. Still, things appeared much more calm than usual. The rest of the base was active, but not in the typical battle-ready nature. Rather, it was bustling in everyday activity that was, for once, unrelated to strict organisation and thorough procedures. Some of the girls were simply walking about, having finished their morning training, while the destroyers were out to sea for a spot of target practice. Overall, things seemed to be coming along nicely thus far. The commander was undisturbed, save for what his own business brought along and the various salutes he got while he moved about the base.

After the tedium that was negotiating with the rest of the high-ranking NCO's, the fleet's Admiral re-emerged. He returned as quickly as he could to take care of some remodeling and equipment changes that needed to take place, one of which was a certain support carrier. Taigei had been one of the small group of ships to attempt some form of relationships after his previous had been silently broken off, obviously being the ones to sense such a thing without any actual confirmation. The small, yet, "well-rounded" girl was rather timid compared to the other bachelorettes, doing simple things such as making food for him rather than outright flirting with her commander. He, of course, didn't mind this behavior, and he often rewarded her by fulfilling one of her wishes, which were just as mild as her apparent affections for him. Something as simple as a hug was enough to repay Taigei, as she had never quite felt the need to ask for something like, say, a kiss on the cheek.

Nevertheless, none of that really mattered in the current situation, other than the fact that he was ever so slightly swayed by her cooking to remodel her. Her equipment and armor were severely outdated compared to the others, and as such was slightly detrimental to the combat effectiveness of their carrier groups.

After checking in with the adorable, future housewife-to-be, he moved on to check on the status of his destroyers, then his battleships. Each type reported their on problems and successes, though all was nominal compared to the more intense moments in this war. Unfortunately, he picked up a certain battleship before he managed to make his way towards the carriers again. Kongou tagged along a ways behind her prey, often doing this sort of stalking any time she was free, which hadn't been very often as of late.

He makes it back to the range without incident, though the girl continued following close behind. However, once he disappeared within the building she gave up her attempts, waiting silently outside to strike once he finished up his business. Yet again, he checked in with the leader of this group: Kaga, closing his fingers around her shoulder to catch her attention until she turned, then releasing her and speaking, "How is everyone doing so far, Kaga-san? Any stragglers? Perhaps those that are even better than you - Even though I doubt that." Yet again, he praised her, although in a more subtle way this time as his stern gaze goes over all the females firing arrow after arrow at the targets.

The lineup was perfect - everyone had taken up the stance she had the night prior, and the lot of them were scoring hits. Granted, this was not the night time setting Kaga herself was in so they had clear vision of their targets, but the fact of the matter is that there was improvement. While Kaga herself was not taking part, instead, having opened up the archery range for the use of anyone else, she was performing the more important part of instructing whenever someone performed an error or broke their stance.

It could be said that she no longer needed practice within regular conditions. She was very much exemplary during the night, it'd be a miracle if she were to miss her target during the day. Still, focused as she was on observation, she did not expect to have somebody sneaking up on her. She did turn once she felt the touch, arcing an eyebrow, but quickly relaxing herself once she realized exactly who it was. After all, he gave her the orders. A minor nod of her head to signify respect.

"They are doing their best. What surprises me is why we have not undergone this kind of group training before. After all, this seems like a very efficient way to get everyone on the same level, so to speak. I do intend to have them practice during night as well, however I will likely dismiss them in the following hour so that they may have their afternoon sleep and be ready for night battle practice." She announced calmly, glancing towards the lot upon the firing range.

He seems somewhat pleased with this answer, dipping his own head slightly to show approval. "Good. During that rest period I want to see you in my office." He speaks in the same low, measured tone, remaining in place afterwards to continue observing their training for a time. After only twenty minutes of supervision does he leave, heading out only to be immediately tackled by the waiting battleship. Of course, he attempts to shake Kongou off as quickly as he can, though he obviously has quite a bit of difficulty doing so, squirming beneath her before eventually pushing up. He makes sure not to shove too hard, though, as he wouldn't want to hurt the girl.

After brushing himself off, he heads back to the small Tenshu castle with Kongou in tow, the eager girl tagging along with him, even following him inside. He pays her no mind as she searches his home, simply setting his peaked cap down and returning to his work without a single word of protest. Another forty minutes pass by while he signs off on supply logs and requests, as well as special requests for certain equipment, the Admiral not seeming to be paying any attention to the time.

Sooner or later, the aircraft carrier makes her way out of the Dojo, still donning the same style of clothing that she did when he last arrived. Admittedly on her way there, a bit of anxiety crept along her back. It felt almost strange, the way he had suddenly began to pay attention to her, seemingly, out of the blue. The visit to the office had peaked her curiosity, if anything. While it did not show upon her pokerfaced demeanor, it was most definitely present in her mind.

She looked upon the forward entrance of the Tenshu, standing before it. A few steps further and her hands were set upon the handles for the gates, afterwhich she made her way inside at last. Her eyes wandered curiously around the interior, even if she had had the fortune of witnessing it before on various official occassions. However, this felt somewhat different indeed. If she is not met by a particular returnee from Britain, Kaga would make her way straight towards the upper level.

Kaga would reach his private office without incident, as Kongou was too busy rooting around in his room to care about the visitor. Once she had entered, he glanced up slowly, then looked back down at his papers before gesturing to a nearby chair, elegantly carved just as everything else. "Pull up a seat if you'd like. This isn't going to take long." He speaks quickly, as per usual wasting little time or effort on any sort of dramatic monologue. Once she either sat down or remained standing, he continued speaking, setting his pen down before moving himself in the opposite direction. He spoke just as concisely as before, "Kaga, you've proven yourself time and time again as a strong, trustworthy ship. As such, I am promoting you to the position of my secretary. You'll still be expected to perform the occasional sortie and participate in battle, but your main focus will be carrying out tasks and watching over the rest of the fleet." He pauses for a moment, taking his hat and setting it upon his short, brown hair again, obviously intending to go somewhere afterwards, "However, if you don't want the promotion, that's perfectly fine. I expect your answer once I return."

With that he heads out after a quick salute, leaving the two women alone in his home, shutting the door silently before heading straight for his next meeting with a higher-up to discuss the possibility of larger armaments on Musashi. The duo of superiors take several hours to mull over the topic before Kaga's is released. Once out, he returns just as quickly to his office, stepping in after the twenty minute drive, though this time through a light drizzle, which would quickly turn into a downpour.

He made his way upstairs, passing by an ecstatic Kongou, that of which had discovered his mini-fridge hidden downstairs. He simply focused on meeting up with Kaga again, checking around the place for her. She obviously hadn't wanted to stay so long, and as such he puts out an announcement over the loudspeaker system calling her in, waiting patiently at his desk.

By miracle did she not run into the battlecruiser once again on her way out. Kaga had made her way out within an hour or so of waiting. She had expected him to return sooner for... some reason, however the thought struck her that he might have considered this to be a difficult decision for her when it was quite the opposite.

Kaga played the scenario over in her head a few times since his departure, a minor smile having made itself apparent on her otherwise distant face. The time spent in the office even had her giving off a chuckle with a somewhat humour scene of her, for once, donning a modern uniform, as opposed to her traditional garb. Something about that image seemed very humourous to the archer, even if she dismissed it soon enough, with -the importance of the matter- having flooded in soon enough. This was no easy task, to be sure. She already had her hands full with her own practice, teaching the rest and now this extra bit of work would essentially leave her with no time for herself.

But what more could she have wanted? This was as great as it could get when serving under somebody - a promotion to their most trusted companion, one that was to speak on his behalf, to be the first to look over his orders, to -spend time within his sanctuary-. Truly, the answer was obvious. She wanted to, and there was no doubt about it, even as she went wandering outside.

His return, however, had her on her toes. She never left the upper section of the base, instead choosing to simply seat herself down beneath a cherry tree and observe the skies whilst awaiting his arrival. Should the downpoor not have halted her approach in running up to him, she most certainly would have done so.

Instead, Kaga returned inside of the Dojo, took hold of an umbrella and immediately changed her clothes to her regular attire with the matching white and blue. Give or take another 5 minutes, he would hear a knock on his office, following her entrance with the umbrella left somewhere outside. With her hair still moist from beforehand, Kaga sat herself down, careful to only stain her clothes than his furniture. She inhaled, before she announced: "But of course, Commander. Fact of the matter is I needed only 5 minutes to make up my mind." That same, vastly uncharacteristic smile made it's way upon her face as she humored the situation, before she returned to her usual self.

He was obviously pleased by her answer and even moreso by the short burst of a smile that flashed across her pretty features. An even rarer grin of his own spanned from cheekbone to cheekbone, her commander standing up and saluting her with that smile still lingering. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Kaga. I'll expect you to begin your work as my secretary tomorrow. I'll have the uniform ready for you, unless you'd like to keep your current one." He responds happily, the smile slowly dimming down, obviously not wanting to appear creepy or anything of that sort.

"Now, don't you have training, Kaga? Or am I mistaken?" He speaks curiously, not wanting to make the situation awkward by having her stand around after her promotion, "I mean, you're welcome to stay. I have no problem with it." He clarifies, seeming rather open due to the private nature of his office, settling down into his chair and motioning for his new companion to do the same, "I don't care if you're wet. You must relax, Kaga." He insists, setting his cap down in the same spot as always before letting out a sigh of relief as he finally gets some time away from all the running around the base, having conducted the final bit of business.

Kaga herself stood upright and, as opposed to her usual bow, raised her hand for a salute. There was a fair degree of pride that radiated from her as she delivered this strong gesture. "I will and I would like a uniform, if only for my 'office duties' here. I merely request that you tell me a standard time so that I may shift my schedule around it." She kindly requested for her working hours before giving some thought to the proposition.

"I wouldn't say that I am particularily occupied right now. The group is dismissed for the next 4 hours, so that they may get some quality rest for the night to come. I can accompany you now." She stated, her eyes shooting a glance in the direction of the chair. Afterwhich Kaga carefully sat herself down, hands gently folded over her lap, looking up to him with a degree of expectation. One could say she was excited.

His smile widened slightly as she seemed rather elated to be promoted to such a position. He slides his papers and maps aside, still grinning to himself, "Wonderful. Now, as for a schedule, it will remain the same. The only difference being that you report here first thing in the morning and have a second choice of dining facilities." He explains the rather simple changes, going silent afterwards as he slides his chair over to pick up the phone. "It's around the time I'd be taking my dinner. Would you like something? I mean... It's just takeout, but I have no time to prepare anything else." He pauses for a moment, slightly nervous that this would disappoint Kaga, "I hope that's alright with you."

"That seems simple enough." She replied plainly. It wasn't that she expected the promotion to be anything grand, that'd have her constantly moving about in order to fulfill some particular task - infact, it was working behind a desk and delivering an important message or two, for the most part. For a moment, she felt a little bit bewildered by her surprisingly wild expectations of a desk job. Her face contorted mildly, almost unnoticably.

"As for your suggestion, I would hate to burden you. If you'd rather have it to yourself then let me not interrupt you. After all, the good news was enough as it is, hm?" She inquired in a silly manner, then looked away momentarily. Sharing the moment would have been nice, however she did not want to feel like she was intruding upon his privacy, thus she held off on taking up his offer, atleast for now.

"It certainly is. There will be the occasional days that are a bit more stressful and hectic, but that doesn't come too often, even with the war." He explains calmly, hesitating on the phone for a moment before continuing, "Any company is welcome. I've only ever ate alone while on-duty. You're more than welcome to stay." One corner of his mouth tugs upwards just a bit for barely a moment before dialing his usual takeout restaurant.

After completing the order with the addition of her preferred meal, he sets the phone back onto its base, then gets up and places his cap upon his head. "I'll be back in ten minutes. It's not too far." He seems to have forgotten that he had quite literally just promoted her to being his secretary, instead taking it upon himself to retrieve their lunch. He leaves before she can correct or stop him, returning after the promised time with two bags, one containing the larger portion while the other contains utensils, sides, and other such things, setting the pair upon the desk and beckoning Kaga forwards.

"Come, now." He speaks eagerly, seeming rather excited that he had someone to share his time with, beginning to unpack the meal as he spoke, "I... Well, unless you have somewhere else to be. Do you, Kaga? Am I disrupting your plans?" He inquires cautiously, crumpling the bags up and stuffing them into the rest of the trash beside his desk, settling down slowly.

Although his departure took her by surprise, she did not get up to question him. A part of her assumed that he'd rather her not feel like a slave, even if she already had every intention of readying his meals in the morning. That said, she was not even sure what kind of food the man enjoyed having, so this -would- be a learning experience for her. Thus she awaited patiently, remaining seated, seeing as he confirmed that her presence would not bother him.

During the time, she merely looked over his makeshift office atop the castle. She had wondered what she could do in order to improve it. To begin with, keeping a fine balance between the traditional furniture and anything that'd ease work would be in order. Right now, it appeared fine enough as it was, however she leave a mental note that she'd have to study it more thoroughly whenever she could in order to see exactly what she could do, that wouldn't inconvenience either of them.

Upon his return, she simply leant forward from her seat, raising an eyebrow curiously, inspecting the two bags that he just delivered. "I was going to offer carrying out the task myself, but then again, I figured, you likely didn't consider it too big a-- Oh, no, I do not. Later, yes, but for now, I am available." She nodded her head and shot a glance towards the unpacked food. "Is this what you're typically having at this point of the day?"

"Ah, good, good." He seems rather pleased that she was able to stay, quickly separating identical portions of his rather hastily-bought meal, one meant for her and the other for himself, obviously. His reply to her inquiry comes a little later, as he seems just a bit ashamed of his inability to cook properly, "Yes, Kaga. I don't get much time to prepare something more... Becoming of my position. I'm constantly bombarded with ridiculous amounts of work." He explains himself simply, finishing up by setting the utensils out before taking his seat with a relaxed sigh. Soon after, he leaned forward, picking up the pair of chopsticks before glancing over at her, giving a little wave of his hand, "No need to wait for me." He states plainly before beginning to dig into one of the takeout boxes, attempting to pace himself as best he could to appear somewhat dignified in front of his subordinate.

Sometime in the middle of their simple, shared meal, he stops for a few seconds to speak, "So, how do you think the others will react to all of this? I certainly hope I don't cause any trouble for you with such a sudden promotion." He seems slightly concerned for her, obviously realizing the issue of one of his girls being placed above others, though it was necessary for the fleet as a whole.

She answered plainly after swallowing, setting her chopsticks down in order to reply politely, rather than stuff herself with more food and become incomprehensible, like a certain sister of her's: "I sincerely doubt that this shall rouse any unrest. After all, they understand that times are pressing, I am capable and qualified and you need an assistant, hence I do not think this will come as any surprise. However I do wonder if I should give Kongou-san access to your domain when she demands it. Surely the fact I am in this position will have her coming to me sooner or later, when you are away."
She humored the idea in her head before reaching out towards her utensils once again and digging into her meal. Much like every other carrier, she had exquisite appetite but it showed less than Akagi. She seemed atleast a bit more collected in her way of devouring food. At any rate, it'd help the Admiral form a better opinion of himself when it came to eating - he couldn't possibly beat this class of ships.

He only nods in silent agreement, focusing entirely on his food until she brings up the battleship, at which point he looks up, shaking his head side-to-side slightly. "No, no. She shouldn't be in here at all without my permission, Kaga." He speaks firmly, obviously not all that appreciative of the ship's habits. "I've no clue why she even follows me as she does. It's rather... Disturbing. Ward her off whenever you can." He returns to his meal, eyes closed as he finishes off the last few bits of food.

After their lunch, he does nothing but sit there, leaning back slightly in his chair to relax. He said nothing, only glancing over at her ever so often to ensure she didn't appear too uncomfortable. Soon enough, he straightened up, letting out a sigh, "How was it? I certainly hope that was all to your liking, Kaga. I wouldn't want to disappoint." He inquires in a lower tone, leaning over his desk slightly, his elbows resting on the edge of the cherry wood desktop.

This came as a surprise to Kaga. After all, she had assumed that, if anything, the Admiral and Kongou-san had something going on, be it personal or otherwise. If anything, she thought it to be a simple friendship that permitted her entryway into his home, but it did not appear to be so. "Strange. Have you not talked with her about it before? I do not mean to tell you how to go about things but letting people wander about your workplace without any permission could be hazardous. Especially considering how, mmm..." She had something in mind that she had to erase before speaking. "Unpracticed Kongou-san is in the way she moves about?" Clumsy came to mind but that would have been rather rude...

"And yes, whoever cooked this fine meal did not disappoint." The minor smirk made it's appearance once more. The witticism did not escape her, however the remark was not ill-mannered in any way - more so her taking the opportunity to display, that any rumors of her being extensively distant were untrue.

"I certainly have spoken to her about it, but she only persists." He sighs quietly, kneading the bridge of his nose, "Do your best to ward her off whenever she comes around. She might actually listen to you." He repeats himself quickly, leaning forwards to begin cleaning off his desk, dumping the paper boxes into the trash can. Her remark only brought a slight smirk to his face, simply going along with her, "Thank you very much, Kaga. I'm renowned for my skill." That slight grin quickly forms into an amused smirk as he claims the takeout as his own doing. Afterwards, however, he only double-checks the area around his mouth before standing up and heading into his room, "You are dismissed, Kaga. Thank you for sharing a meal with me. I don't often have many willing visitors." He gives a slight, gracious bow before heading into his private quarters, a faint rumbling coming from within the walls as water is piped into his shower.

And with that the woman took her leave. Her eyes wandered about on her way out, scanning the perimeter for the pesky, fast battleship that seemed to cause her commander such headaches with no fortune. Either she had adopted a surprising amount of camouflage skill for her class or she had departed, and Kaga was willing to bet more on the latter in this situation. In any case, she made her way past the various dojos. A run-in with Houshou-san as she was returning from work and making her way to the tenshu. Whatever her business was, she didn't expect this aircraft carrier of all people to stir trouble.

Following this, Kaga merely made her way to her own quarters in the traditional sleeping complex near the dojos. The light aircraft carriers had, by now, hit the hay and she could overhear Akagi rumbling in bed. Not long after did she slip out of her clothes and put on a more appropriate sleeping gown, before joining her on the top bunk. "What an eventful day, Akagi-san." She muttered quietly to herself, before she placed her arms over her chest and drifted off to sleep.

As for the commander...
<Insert conversation with Houshou.>

Yet another night would pass rather uneventfully for the admiral, as he was, for once, left alone to his work. He finds himself lying face-down on his desk in the morning, a light, tired sigh escaping his mouth as he gets up and heads to his room to freshen up. After a nice, lengthy shower and a slow, home-made (and rather mediocre) meal to go along with it, the man heads out for a random round of inspections.

He would give little warning before coming inside, simply calling out for the inhabitants of that specific room to cover up. He hit the battleships first, snooping around the room thoroughly for any illicit materials before heading back out as if nothing happened. By the time he reached the carriers, he had a trash bag full of lewd magazines and photos, having stopped by Kongou's room. He drops the bag by the door before knocking on Kaga and Akagi's room, heading in only seconds after giving his alert. He followed his normal route around the room, flipping the still-slumbering Akagi over to check underneath her and her pillow.