The Betrayed Commander and The Abandoned Tsundere (Azur Lane: Origins 1)

Chapter 25: Emotions

Sora had been lying in the same bed, being very bored, for several days before he was discharged. He spent some time just wandering around the base when he received a call from the Admiral. 'Sora, please come to my office as soon as you can.' The commander decided to not rush over to the Admiral's office but causally walk instead.

The commander opened the door and made his way to the desk at the back of the room. 'What do you need me for?'

The Admiral smiled. 'You can come in now.'

Sora turned around as he heard the door open. There, standing in the doorway, was Admiral Hipper. The commander was about to run over and hug her but he noticed something. Her face was blank, completely devoid of emotions. She just looked at him. Silently. Sora then registered the massive scars all over her limbs.

'What's wrong with her?'

'While the operation to save her life was a success, she fell into a coma almost straight after it was complete. She woke up yesterday and the doctors ran some checks and scans. They found that something had supressed the part of her brain that feels emotions. It's still there; it just isn't doing anything. Apparently, nostalgia can be used to jumpstart that part of her brain. That's what your job is.'

There was only one thing Sora could think of to make Admiral Hipper feel nostalgic. When the two of them arrived back at the Outpost, it was getting dark. This was perfect, as it allowed the commander to get to work.

Roughly half an hour, several smashed mugs, a couple of burns, a few large chocolate powder and milk spills as well as one Belfast later, Sora was ready. He found Hipper slouched in one of the chairs in the common room. The commander grabbed her arm and pulled her up. 'Come on, follow me.'

After stopping at the cafeteria to pick up a couple of mugs, Sora led Hipper to, you guessed it, the clearing in the forest on top of the cliff. He sat on the bench and motioned for Hipper to join him. He handed her a mug of hot chocolate just as the sun began to dip below the horizon.

Sora waited until Admiral Hipper took a sip of her hot chocolate. He could tell that as soon as she did, she felt extremely nostalgic. The commander took a sip of his hot chocolate, distracting himself from Hipper regaining the ability to feel emotions. Sora smiled at her. 'Welcome back.'

'Thanks.' Admiral Hipper couldn't really say much more than that.

The two of them sat in silence and drank their hot chocolate as they watched the sunset. Hipper put her mug on the bit of bench next to her. 'We really managed to stuff up picking a flower, didn't we?'

'Yeah. I didn't know it was possible to pick a flower that badly.' Sora paused. 'The scars on your arms and legs. Are they permanent?'

'No. When I woke up, the doctor told me the scars will fade within about a year. Why? Do I look weird now?'

'You look fine. Cool, even. I was just wondering. I'm glad this whole ordeal is over now. We really caused the Admiral a lot of stress. We must've kept him awake at night.'

'How do you know?'

'I saw it when I spoke to him before you walked into his office. There were fairly large bags under his eyes, which looked bloodshot. When he spoke, I could hear the tiredness and dreariness in his voice.'