Ooi

You can sense someone watching you.

As an officer, you're somewhat aware of the dangers around you. For the past few weeks, you've couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, whether you're inspecting riggings, having tea with Yamato, or even working in your own room. Something feels off. You've told Nagato and Katori about this, but Nagato just nodded deeply and sighed, saying, "As warriors, we're constantly exposed to danger… Has Admiral's skill finally grown enough to perceive this?" Katori solemnly promised to strengthen your security and investigate potential dangers. However, several days later, Katori reported that there's no trace of anyone transmitting signals, no signs of being followed, no secret filming or recording, and even the ship girls who usually have their eyes on you were behaving themselves.

Kongou offered to be your personal bodyguard, but Katori refused.

The mobilization of ten cruisers and destroyers yielded nothing. Katori could only conclude that the admiral's insecurity stemmed from the reduced workload, the lack of tasks, and the discomfort of not being disturbed by shipgirls. You had reservations about this verdict but could only accept it; your feelings were ultimately unfounded and couldn't be used to disrupt the naval base's operations.

Today was another ordinary day. You worked with the assistance of Kashima and Oyodo, and Kitakami came for a stroll again. Katori had taken a special leave after working overtime for several days. Although both had experience as secretaries, Oyodo and Katori specialized in different areas. You could clearly sense that Oyodo was better at handling practical matters and coordinating with the ship girls, but Katori excelled in clerical, accounting, and naval administration. Overall, neither was superior, but having worked together with the Katori sisters for a long time, you still needed time to adjust to the current personnel changes, and you left work a little late today. After seeing Oyodo and Kashima off, you returned to your office to pack your things. You sit down in your office chair, stretch, and feel a sense of satisfaction at completing your day's work. Your anxiety seems to have subsided. You casually pick up the water glass on your desk and take a sip. The slightly bitter, lukewarm water wets your chin. Was the glass really that full?

Gulp The liquid has already passed down your throat.

You sit back in your chair. The evening glow paints the admiral's office with strange purple-red hues, mostly shrouded in shadow. The room is quiet; the darkness and silence seem to stretch to the ends of the earth.

The room is cool, almost cold, yet you feel yourself sweating profusely. A large bead of cold sweat slides down your forehead.

You step out of the office. Not a single ship girl is in the fiery red corridor. Even someone as composed as you should start to sense danger. You drop your belongings and start running, your footsteps muffled on the thick carpet. For the first time, you hope to see Kongou or Shigure rushing towards you, but all you feel is your own presence and the shadowy figure behind you. You suddenly realize your steps are unsteady, your pace seems to have slowed. The corridor in front of the command room isn't far to walk, yet you can't see the exit. You don't know when you've slumped against the glass window, still forcing yourself to move forward. You exert all your strength, but you guess you probably can't even outrun a coastal defense ship now. You bump into the glass, then the wall on the other side, staggering several times, and actually falling once. Musashi, Yamato… Nagato, Mutsu, Kongou, Hiei… Kirishima, Haruna… You want to call for help, considering who you can trust, but your mind is a mess. You think you've called out the names of everyone from the battleships to the aircraft carriers, yet it's like you haven't said anyone at all. You think you can hear footsteps behind you, but you don't turn around. Your steps are chaotic and hurried, while the other side's are slow and light; you don't even know if it's just your imagination. Perhaps you're having a nightmare and have fallen asleep at your desk. Oyodo will gently wake you, and Kashima will hand you a cup of rich black coffee: "Fufu, so inefficient just because ne-san is not here. Admiral really can't do without us."

You slam into the corridor door, finally able to get out. Gasping for breath, you grab the doorknob and push down, simultaneously pushing the fire door outwards with your body, but it won't budge. Is it locked? Your key should work. You grope with your left hand, but the key isn't in your pocket. You left it in the Admiral's office—no, it wasn't in your drawer from the moment you went to check the corridor. But this should be the inside of the door. Yes, the lock is on your side; the door isn't locked at all. So, is the door blocked? Welded shut? You try to ram it with your body—one time, no reaction; two times, no effect. The footsteps behind you stop.

Pfft. A muffled thud, perhaps the sound of brains churning, and you feel as if the blood in your brain has been knocked out of your head. Darkness leaps into your vision, yet you feel a blissful, intoxicating sensation. Your shoulder throbs, the world suddenly turns upside down, and you don't know when you fell to the ground. In your blurry red vision, you can see a black figure—a strange woman, dressed in earth-toned clothes, with a flat, square head. She has no face.*

She slowly approaches you and strikes you again.

You then fall into nothingness.

It's Ooi. You should have known. As your consciousness gradually returns, you see her bustling about in a small room, a large paper bag with two round holes carelessly discarded on the table. You don't know how you were brought to this strange place while you were unconscious. The small room is dilapidated, windowless, and the air is murky. Only a small incandescent light bulb illuminates your head, making it feel hot. You shifted your body, your hands bound behind your back and your ankles tied to the chair beneath you. Ooi glanced at you, noticed you were awake, and walked towards you with a smile.

"Oh dear, Admiral, you're awake? You could have slept a little longer; the preparations here will take a while." She smiled sweetly, bending down to face you.

"But it's good you're awake," she said, carrying a cardboard box, its contents clattering. "After all, we have to get things sorted out before anyone else finds out."

"It took me quite a bit of effort to bypass Katori-nee's search," Ooi muttered to herself, placing the box on the table in front of you and rummaging through it. She picks up a fire poker, examins it, and then puts it back in the box. “Then I thought, Katori-nee knows the law best, she wouldn't do anything illegal. If I can just fool her for a few days, Admiral will be at my mercy.”

“Let’s talk business, Admiral.” She smiles, stands in front of you, looking down at you, her wide eyes devoid of any smile.

“I need you to answer… a few questions.”

You remain silent. She walked to your side, bent down, and glared at you, her eyes bloodshot, questioning you word by word in your ear: “Admiral, lately, you seem to be getting quite close to Kitakami-sama…?”

See? It was the very question.

“…Answer me!” Her face contorted as she hissed in your ear. You felt a sharp pain in your scalp. She grabbed your hair and shook you violently, the chair swaying off the ground. You see a lot of hair fall down in front of you. You think a vengeful ghost was standing beside you, so why would a young girl make herself look like this?

Seeing your lack of reaction, Ooi, panting, stepped back from you. “…Fine…that bastard who dared to approach my beloved Kitakami-sama with ill intentions, speaking human language is clearly useless…” Her voice trembled as she reached into the cardboard box again, pulling out a dirty rag and a light bulb. You immediately smelled engine oil. Ooi closes her eyes, then smiles brightly again. “I need you to answer me what your intentions were in approaching Kitakami-sama, and I need you to swear that you will never again approach her, never appear in my or her sight. For this, I have made many preparations.”

She walked towards you, and you glimpsed several sticks, pliers, razors, and other implements in the cardboard box. You felt a chill run down your spine, but she simply ignored you, standing beside you, raising her hand to do something. Instantly, the small room plunged into darkness, then returned to light a few seconds later. She returned to you, holding a different, old light bulb through a rag. “If you won’t swear, we can strengthen it step by step. As long as no one can disturb me and Kitakami-sama in the end, I don’t care about the outcome. I just hope you hurry; I need time to dispose of the body."

"Now, let’s start with the basics.” She picked up the light bulb and showed it to you. It had been burning hot above your head just moments before, still slightly red-hot. “You know, Admiral? A light bulb gets a little hot after it’s been burning for a while, you know?”

She bends down and glares at you again. The demonic mask-like expression returns to her face: “What are your intentions in approaching my beloved Kitakami-sama…?”

*你可以感覺到有人在看著你。*

*作為一位軍官，你多少也是對身邊的危險有些覺察能力。這幾周以來，你總是擺脫不了被窺視的感覺，不管是視察儀裝檢修的時候、和大和喝茶的時候，或甚至是在自己房間辦公的時候，你總覺得氛圍有些不對勁。你分別向長門和香取訴說這種感覺，但長門只是煞有其事地深深點頭，感嘆似的說到:*「身為武人的我們，無時無刻不暴露在危險中啊……提督的修為終於也成長到足以察覺這點了嗎?」*香取則鄭重其事地表示會替你加強保安護衛，同時追查潛在的危險。然而數天過去，香取回報，你身邊未見任何發報蹤跡、沒有被尾隨的跡象、沒有偷拍或錄音，甚至就連平常對你虎視眈眈的艦娘們都很安分。*

*金剛表示可以擔當你的貼身護衛，但是被香取否決了。*

*動員的十艘巡洋艦和驅逐都一無所獲，香取只能做出結論，提督的不安全感來自於工作量減少的無所事事和缺乏被騷擾的不適應，你對這樣的判決頗有微詞，但也只能接受，你的感覺畢竟無憑無據，不能為此驚動鎮守府的運作。*
*今天也是一如平常的一天，你在鹿島和大淀的協助下工作，北上又跑來溜達了。連日加班後香取特休放假去了，雖然同樣有祕書工作的經驗，但大淀和香取專精於不同領域，你能鮮明體會到大淀更善於實務事務的處理與和艦娘們的協調，但文書、會計和海軍對外的行政能力是香取較出色。總體來說兩人並無優劣之分，但長期與香取姊妹三人辦公的你，面對當前的人事異動仍需要時間磨合，今天的下班時間也稍晚了點。你送大淀和鹿島離開後，回辦公室收拾東西。你先在辦公椅上坐下，伸了伸懶腰，將一天工作完成的感覺很痛快，你似乎也不再感到不安了。你隨手拿起桌上的水杯喝了一口，微苦的溫水打濕你的下巴，剛剛水有這麼滿嗎?*
*咕嘟一聲，液體已經穿過你的喉嚨。*
*你坐回椅子上，傍晚的紅霞將提督室染上又紫又紅的奇異色彩，大半籠罩在陰影之中。房間裡靜悄悄的，黑暗和寂靜似乎延伸到天涯海角。*
*房間裡很涼爽，幾乎有點冷，你卻感覺到自己滿頭大汗，一滴斗大的冷汗滑落你的額頭。*
*你走出辦公室，火紅的走廊上一位艦娘也沒有。處變不驚如你也該開始感到危險了。你丟下私人物品開始奔跑，腳步聲在厚地毯上悶悶的。你第一次希望看到金剛或時雨朝你飛撲而來，但你感受到的只有自己的存在以及背後的魅影。你忽然意識到自己的腳步搖搖晃晃，步伐似乎變慢了。指揮室前走廊用走的也沒有多少距離，你現在卻看不到出口，你不知何時已經癱在一旁的玻璃窗上，還是強撐著身體向前移動。你使出全力，但你猜你現在大概連海防艦也跑不贏。你一下子撞到玻璃，一下子撞到另一邊的牆壁，數度踉蹌，也真的跌倒了一次。武藏，大和……長門、陸奧、金剛、比叡……霧島、榛名……你想和人求救，盤算可以信任的人選，卻發現腦袋一片混亂，你覺得你好像把戰艦到空母全員的名字叫了一遍，又好像誰也沒說出來。你覺得你好像開始能聽到背後傳來的腳步聲了，但你沒有回頭。你的腳步又亂又急，另一邊又緩又輕，你甚至不知道那是不是你的心理作用。或許你正作著噩夢，在辦公桌睡著了，大淀馬上就會溫柔地叫醒你，而鹿島會為你遞上一杯香濃的黑咖啡:*「呵呵，不過是姊姊不在工作就這麼沒效率，提督果然沒有我們不行呢。」
*你撞到走廊的門上，你終於能出去了。你大口喘氣，一把抓住門把往下壓，同時用身體將防火門往外推，門卻紋風不動，大門上鎖了?你的鑰匙應該能開門，你用左手摸索，鑰匙卻不在你口袋裡，你把鑰匙留在提督室裡了，不，打從一開始你到走廊察看前，你的抽屜裡，鑰匙就不在原位。但這裡應該是門的內側，沒錯，門鎖在你這邊，門根本沒上鎖，那麼，門是被抵住了?被焊死了?你想要用身體衝撞，一下，沒反應，兩下，沒效果，你身後的腳步聲停了下來。*
*噗。一聲悶響，也許是腦漿滾攪的聲音，你覺得大腦的血液似乎被敲離了頭顱，黑暗跳上了你的視野，你卻感到一股像是被灌醉般飄飄然的幸福感。你的肩膀隱隱作痛，世界頓時倒了過來，你不知何時倒地了。模糊的紅色視野中，你能看到黑色的身影，那是個奇怪的女人，一身土色的衣服，頭頂平平的、方方的。她沒有臉。*
*她緩緩走近你，又朝你打了一記。*
*你於是陷入虛無之中。*



*是大井。*
*你早該知道的。隨著你意識逐漸清醒，你看到她在小房間裡忙進忙出的身影，一個打了兩個圓洞的大紙袋被隨意棄置在桌上。你不知道你昏迷的時候怎麼被帶到這個奇怪的地方的，這個小房間破破舊舊，沒有窗戶，空氣混濁不清，你頭上只有一盞小白熾燈泡照明，烘得你頭頂發燙。你動了動身體，雙手被反綁在背後，腳踝也被綁在身下的椅子上。大井瞥了一眼，發現你醒了，笑咪咪地向你走來。*

「哎呀，提督你醒了嗎？你可以再睡一下的，我這裡的準備還需要一點時間。」*她甜甜的笑著，彎下腰來面對你。*
「不過你醒了也正好，」*她搬著一個紙箱過來，裡頭的東西哐當作響。*「畢竟必須在其他人發現之前把事情搞定呢。」
「要繞過香取姐的搜查費了我好一番功夫，」*大井兀自說著，把紙箱放到你面前的桌子上，在裡頭翻找。她拿出一隻攪火棍端詳，又放回箱子裡。*「後來我想到，香取姐最懂法律了嘛，不會做出違規的事的。我只要瞞過她的法眼幾天，提督就任我宰割了。」

「讓我們來談正事吧，提督。」*她笑了笑，站到你面前，向下俯瞰著你，圓睜的雙眼裡沒有絲毫的笑意。*「我需要你回答我……幾個問題。」

*你默不作答。她走到你旁邊，彎下腰瞪視，雙眼裡布滿血絲，在你耳邊一字一句的質問:*「提督你最近，好像和北上大人很親近啊……?」

看吧?果然是這問題。

**「……回答我!」***她的面容扭曲，在你耳邊嘶吼。你感到頭皮一陣劇痛，她抓住你的頭髮左右搖晃，椅子也一起離地甩動，你看到眼前有不少頭髮落下來。你以為身邊站了厲鬼，為什麼一個妙齡少女可以讓自己看起來像這樣啊?*


*見你沒有反應，大井喘著氣，從你身邊退開。*「……也罷……膽敢不安好心靠近我心愛北上大人的賤種，說人話果然是行不通的……」*她的聲音顫抖著，再次把手伸進紙箱裡，拿出一條髒抹布和一顆燈泡。*
*你頓時聞到機油的味道。大井閉上眼睛，然後重新露出燦爛的笑容。*「我需要你回答我，你接近北上大人是有何居心，還需要你發誓，再也不會靠近她一步，出現在我和她的視野裡。為此，我做了很多準備。」
*她走向你，你瞥見那個紙箱裡有諸多棍棒、鐵鉗、剃刀那樣的器具，你不禁感到背脊一涼，她卻只是忽略你，站在你身邊，抬手做著什麼。瞬間，狹小的房間陷入黑暗，數秒後，再次光明。*
*她回到你前面，手裡隔著抹布，握著一顆和剛才不同的老舊燈泡。*「要是你不肯發誓，我們可以一階段一階段加強。只要最後沒人可以打擾我和北上大人，結果如何我無所謂。只是希望你快一點，我還需要時間處理屍體。現在，我們先從基礎的來吧?」
*她拿起燈泡，向你展示。那顆燈泡到剛剛都還在你頭頂發燙，還微微紅熱著。*「你知道吧，提督?燈泡亮久了，就會變得有一~點燙哦?」

*她又彎下腰來瞪你。鬼面具般的表情又爬回她臉上:*「你接近我最愛的北上大人……是有何居心?」