super ktkm and ooi adventures 10

We had just returned from dinner, and Kitakami immediately slumps onto her bunk after pulling off her clothes.  As I'm picking up her clothes to put in the laundry bin I pose a question to her.

	“Hey, do you want to maybe d-”
	“No. I don't want to do anything right now.”

That was shut down quickly. That's fine though, everyone deserves their own time. I was going to vist Shiranui tonight anyway.  I leave the room quietly, it's hard to tell when she's angry or not lately. Maybe I don't really know her at all.

-

Shiranui greets me with a few warm words and the faintest of smiles before inviting me inside. She begins to heat up some water for tea.   We don't really ever invite anyone in.

Who's fault is that? I know I can often be defensive around Kitakami... so it's my fault? [Ooi.] Kitakami isn't... mean to everyone, there's always like [Ooi-san].  Suddenly there's a sensation on my shoulder.

	“Ooi.  Are you alright? You're staring off.”
	“I-I'm sorry. There's just a few things troubling me.”
	“I'm not sure how much assistance I may be, but I would listen to what you have to say. Unless of course, it's something you wish to keep private.”

Can I really talk about this to someone else? Would it be alright?

	“I understand... I won't bring it up in the future.”
	“No! That... I... It's Kitakami-san of course.  I try and get her to do things with me and other people, but she's always so... obtuse.  Am I just being selfish?”
	“Interpersonal relationships are not my forte, and I don't have a lot of information about your situation... Have you asked Kitakami what she wants to do?”
	“She always blows that question off, or doesn't want to do much of anything.”
	“Hmm.. Unfortunate.  I think that if you keep trying to do different things with her she will find something that you can enjoy together, as long as you don't come off as overly pushy.”

That makes sense. There's plenty of things we've never done. It's far too early to give up.

	“Okay. Thank you Shiranui.”
	“My pleasure.  Do not hesitate to ask again in the future.”

While Shiranui is preparing tea and some snacks I'm drawn again to her pictures around the room.  It seems like maybe she has a few more? I notice a group of smaller photos that stand out from the rest. They're mostly pictures of infantry.  Dirty, bandaged, dead looks in their eyes.

	“It's important to remember the casualties of war.  The people and not the machines that take part in it.”

I jump as Shiranui's voice comes from right behind me. She's really good at sneaking up on people. I wonder if she notices that.  She continues on.

	“It's easy to glorify the machines. State of the art, gleaming and impressive pieces of equipment,  built by your own nation. A symbol you can put your feelings behind, and because of that the humans that operate and die in those machines can often be forgotten.”

	“But.. which ones are we?”

Shiranui's answer doesn't come right away.

	“That's for each of us to decide, I think.”

- -

Shiranui continued her lesson on American history from where we left off.  It's calming just to listen to her voice, without any trace of hidden malice or frustration.


	“... And that's a good place to end it for today.”
	“It was pretty interesting, Shiranui. Crossing all the way to the Pacific certainly sounded dangerous. And all those untamed rivers.”
	“Indeed.  Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, or maybe.. how do they say it... what's on the low down?”
	“... Huh?”
	“You know, scuttlebutt, hearsay, the grapevine, something you heard from a little bird, rumors,  the e-4 maf-”
	“Oh, oh! I get it.  ….  wait.   I didn't imagine this would be something that interested you, Shiranui.”
	“Information is key to victory, even false information can be used effectively.”
	“You make it sound easy... eh, I don't really have anything.”

Shiranui takes a sip before replying to me.

	“Well. I've heard that they're making Naka a destroyer leader.”

That girl? Really? I wouldn't trust her with anything but dancing and putting on a pretty face.

	“Shiranui... you don't really believe that.”
	“I feel as though it is possible.  I've also heard Maikaze and Nowaki are prime canidates to join her.”
	“Still, something like that almost seems irresponsible.”
	“We'll see. I have something else to show you.”

Shiranui brings her laptop over to the table and spins it around so it's facing me.

	“These are from last night.”

Sure enough, there's who must be Shoukaku, dressed up in some vaguely familiar outfit, like something from one of Yuubari's games, together with a well built man, climbing into a small helicopter.

	“Who's that with Shoukaku?”
	“The American admiral of course, they had quite the adventure the other day.  Apparently Zuikaku didn't find out what happened until today.”
	“Do you think she'll be angry?”
	“Probably, but it will pass quickly enough.”


- - - -

We pass the rest of the night talking about small things here and there. Tomorrow is the the party that I was sort of randomly invited to a couple of days ago.  I hope Kitakami is up for it.  The lights are already out when I enter our room, I make sure to make as little noise as possible before getting my bunk.