The people who were supposed to have parted ways
I put away the medals as instructed by Big sister Maki, and listened to what she had to say.
Although the order got a bit reversed, Big sister Maki explained everything to me in sequence.
First, about those girls – they will be mainly handling administrative procedures under me as the acting captain regarding the maintenance of that ship [Shunmin].
After that, it seems undecided, but she also mentioned they may end up managing the operations of that ship from the ground.
Around the same time some staff were also assigned from the general affairs department to the aerospace frigate that had entered the dock – I think its provisional name was [Butcher] – and I heard they even formed a new section over there.
Even though they’re ships of the same Coast Guard, it’s not fun that there’s such an obvious difference in treatment, probably due to the size difference. But there seemed to be circumstances behind it for the higher-ups, so I decided not to get too involved right away.
I may wish for an honorable death in battle, but I’d rather avoid troublesome matters.
The subordinates I suddenly gained after being given command of a destroyer were office workers.
And moreover, it was my life’s first senior colleague who’s practically family to me, Big sister Maki. What an interesting twist of fate.
………
Wait, that last phrase doesn’t sound too cool?
[What an interesting twist of fate], yeah that rolls off the tongue nicely.
I’m getting better at coming up with cool lines like that.
At this rate, maybe I can pull off a grim parting line later.
Something like [I go with my ship. Farewell.]
Yeah, I should add a line like that as a candidate for my final words.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
While I was thinking about such things during Big sister Maki’s explanation, she firmly scolded me.
This part is a bit uncool.
I need to work on it a little more.
“Geez, were you even listening? If the maintenance isn’t done properly or in time, it’ll tarnish your achievements Nao. I’ve even heard there’s a possibility of demotion.”
“But Big sister Maki, from what you said, it just sounds like they’re giving me a budget and office staff, then leaving me to handle it myself.”
“Since this is a workplace, don’t call me [Big sister Maki]. Call me Chief Petty Officer Bruce.”
“Eh, Big sister Maki is a Chief Petty Officer now? That’s amazing. It’s only been about four years since you graduated school. You’re five years older than me, and if you went to a university, you’d have studied one more year than me in the four-year program.”
“Yes, that’s right. I got promoted when I received this assignment. It’s the fastest among my peers since joining the Coast Guard four years ago. But I can’t quite keep up with you, Lieutenant Nao.”
“I see. Well, congratulations on the promotion. But since we’re both Bruce, it might confuse people, and I’ll find it hard to say too. So from now on at work, I’ll call you Chief Petty Officer Maki. Is that okay, Chief Petty Officer Maki?”
“Sure, then I shall call you Acting Captain Nao.”
“That works. Speaking of the earlier topic though, what’s the deal? Are we just supposed to [handle] the maintenance of that ship ourselves? Is this kind of thing common around here?”
“Not at all. It’s the first time for me too. To be honest, I’m a bit troubled myself. I don’t know anything about ship maintenance, and I’ve only been instructed to follow the acting captain’s orders.”
While Big sister Maki and I were conversing, one of her subordinates brought over a phone.
“Excuse me, Chief. There’s a call from the department head.”
Big sister Maki took the phone from her subordinate and talked for a while.
After ending the call, she turned to me and said:
“Acting Captain. Some of the crew for that ship have been decided. The head of general affairs has requested that you interview them right away.”
“Understood. Where do I need to go?”
“Conference Room C on the 11th floor.”
“Huh? That’s…”
“Yes, it’s your former subordinates. All of your former subordinates are being assigned to that ship.”
Well, how predictable. Seems they’re just lumping all the troublesome matters together for us.
This clearly shows how we’re being treated here.
………Wait, then does that mean Big sister Maki’s group is also getting dragged into this because of me…….
“I don’t know what you’re concerned about, but it’s alright. I’m just doing my job, not worrying about promotions or anything like that. More than anything, I’m happy to be working with the acting captain.”
“I’d have been happier if you said that in your usual tone, but thanks. We can’t keep them waiting too long either. More importantly, they hate being bored the most, so let’s go right away.”
I headed to Conference Room C on the 11th floor, with Big sister Maki and her subordinates in tow.
When we entered, the head of general affairs had already left, and only they were there.
“Captain, we’re together again. Rejoice!”
“Maria, watch what you say. You need to choose your words better. And I’m not the captain anymore.”
“Ah, you’re right. Acting Captain, I look forward to working with you again.”
An unchanged bunch as always.
However, as much as I can’t talk, I do wonder if it’ll really be okay with them.
The enlisted ranks might be uneasy, but my biggest concern is Maria and Kate becoming officers.
Moreover, as my subordinates.
I’m honestly just feeling uneasy.
Seeming to sense my unease, Sis Meyrica gave the usual formal greeting.
“While we may have various thoughts, the orders we’ve all received are to work under the acting captain’s command. For the time being, there are no specific instructions about our roles on the ship. We’ve been assigned to the [Shunmin] under the general affairs department. Our posting is to the aerospace destroyer [Shunmin] attached to general affairs. We look forward to working with you.”
///
scene transition
///
“I suppose the only saving grace is that Sis Meyrica is still here to keep them from running wild. In any case, tough times lie ahead, but I’m counting on you.”
“So about moving forward, all we’ve been told is to follow the acting captain’s instructions. What are your orders?”
“The order I received is to maintain that ship. I suppose we should start by returning to that ship. Chief Petty Officer, can you make arrangements for all of us to go back there?”
“You mean all of us, including my team?”
“Sorry, I’m not too clear on how the office staff will be handled.”
“Acting Captain.”
“What is it, Sergeant…or was it Corporal Kasumi?”
“No, I’m a Staff Sergeant now. But more importantly, how about we have the office staff come to the [Shunmin] too?”
“Kasumi, that’s a great idea. If they see the current situation, we may get advice from their perspective too. More importantly, we probably won’t get scolded for spending the budget freely.”
“Putting aside Maria’s reasoning, I agree with Staff Sergeant Kasumi’s idea. Fortunately, we’ll have ample space on that ship with just our group until it goes into the dock. So we should be able to work over there for a while too. What do you think, Chief Petty Officer Maki?”
“If you can take us along, I would appreciate it. However, I still have work here, so we can’t all go together. If it’s alright to join two or three days later, then please take us along.”
“Ah, then it’s no problem. Those two slackers will be joining later anyway, so they might as well come with you.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“Those two have officer training after this. So they’ll be left behind, which means you two can come with them. The ship is probably being moved to a more convenient location than before, so it’ll be easier.”
“Understood. When will you and the others be departing, Acting Captain?”
“I can leave right away, but what about you, Sis Meyrica?”
“I have no other plans, so I don’t mind. More than anything, we have a deadline for this work, so I’d rather not waste time. I’ll go
“Well, in that case, I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Eh? Are we being left behind?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re there to study. Come back after you’ve studied properly. You won’t be able to do any real work for at least three months anyway.”
“No, no, those three months are the time we can freely tinker with that ship. We can’t afford to waste even a single day. Those three months are precious to me~~”
“Ah, I see. But you know, it’s the rule, so study hard. Now, follow me. We’re going back to the ship.”
“” “Yes!” “”
“Aww, come on…”
In the end, we headed towards the spaceship destroyer [Shunmin] using the same route as before.
Even without Maria, the same conversation was repeated.
“” “Let me go sightsee~~~!” “”
“It’s useless, give up.”
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
Thanks.