ALL NOVEL Welcome to the Academy
As I wandered through the sprawling city, there seemed to be no end of streets. In any normal place, I would have gotten lost; out here, it was impossible to navigate. My gaze moved frantically from building to building, hoping for something that resembled a landmark or anything I had seen. How was I supposed to find my way to the Naval Academy in a place like this?
Just when I thought I was to wander through the city forever, a girl who was probably below the legal drinking age came to me, smiling. Her voice was so soft and high-pitched; it was almost soothing.
"Hey, you look lost. Do you want me to help you find your way?" She sounded light and casual.
I nodded and let relief wash over me. "I'm looking for my new Naval Academy, but. I don't know its name," I said with bashfulness.
She raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Oh! I think I've heard about you! There's been talk of a new battleship joining the academy. You must be Ami, right?"
I blinked, then shook my head. "Actually, I'm Fusō. This is my first time here… in this world, I mean."
We had laughed with each other then, that tension dissolving, as we walked together down the sidewalk. As we walked, she introduced herself. "I'm Isokaze, by the way. I'm a destroyer." Her enthusiasm was infectious.
That's when a thought hit me: do I look like this because I'm a battleship? Do the ships all have different appearances for each class? I pushed the questions aside as we arrived at the dorms. Surprisingly enough, the entrance was thoroughly modern, yet seemed to make a nod to tradition in how it was designed.
A small robot cat greeted us from across the counter; in a flat yet polite tone, he took my luggage and led me down the hall. In another instant, I was standing before my room. I opened the door and was immediately shocked.
There was intricately designed wallpaper and thick, plush carpets of a very regal feeling. In fact, it was almost too luxurious to be considered a dorm room. Heavy curtains shut out any sun that might have tried to enter, and pulling them back, the view was spectacular: for miles below, stretched training grounds where girls in uniform were all chatting and laughing with each other.
"I can't believe this is real," I whispered to myself.
To my astonishment, it was Isokaze. "Looks like we are in this together!" she said, grinning. "Don't stress too much. I'll show you around before training starts tomorrow."
I smiled back, feeling a wave of relief. "Thanks, Isokaze.
We walked down to the academy's café for dinner, ordering the simplest orange chicken with rice meal. We ate; Isokaze looked at me curiously. "So, where are you from?"
I really had no reason to lie, so I explained, "I'm. not from this world. I died in an accident, and somehow, I ended up here.
Isokaze stared at me for a second before bursting into a fit of laughter. I couldn't help it, chuckling too, though somehow it felt strange. She wasn't taking it seriously, and that was alright. That was better this way.
After dinner, we did a walk around the main training area. The academy had everything: open gym with facilities, showers, classrooms; and while passing groups of girls, Isokaze pointed out that they probably were talking about the rumor about me being the new battleship. I tried not to think too much about it.
By the time we returned to the dormitory, I was plum tuckered out. I fell onto the bed, saying, "Goodnight, Isokaze," right before I launched myself into the Land of Nod.
6:30 AM – The Next Day
I was woken by the shrill sound of Isokaze's alarm, and groggily rolled out of bed, getting dressed for the day. Today would be my first full day of classes and training. We got a quick breakfast-bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches that we ate on the go-and headed out so Isokaze could give me a quick tour of the academy grounds before class.
The library was especially remarkable, lined with bookshelves up to the ceiling, stacked with books filled with endless information. Even a big swimming pool and several training grounds were scattered around.
"Don't mind being in another class today," Isokaze said to me as we were about to part ways. "Everyone here is super nice.
I nodded and waved good-bye. The instant I had entered the classroom, all eyes had turned to me. The instructor at his desk looked up and smiled.
"Ah welcome, Fusō," he said in a steady, unwavering voice that was commanding, nonetheless. He then turned toward the rest of the class. "Everyone, this is our new student, battleship Fusō.
Murmurs of welcome, and I gave a slight bow, not knowing what to say. "Uh, hi, I'm just. a battleship, hope I can be of use to everyone here," I stammered with an awkward smile, before scurrying to my seat.
The teacher launched into the lesson-basics in navigation, reading, and math. It was all a little too reminiscent of elementary school, but I knew these things were crucial here.
After what seemed like hours, we finally broke. I was about to zone out when a girl with short, black hair sat beside me. Her dark eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Aa, your hair color is so nice, it looks just like the ocean."
I smiled at this compliment. "Thanks."
"So, you're the new battleship everyone's been talking about?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yeah, that's me."
"It's nice to meet you! I'm Myōkō, a heavy cruiser," she said, extending her hand.
Fusō," I replied as I shook her hand. We smiled at each other but could say no more because the instructor summoned us into the lockers to dress for our first practical training session.
Practical Training – Transformation
We went down to the docks, this gigantic place with a sea running right out to the horizon. The instructor handed us each our "ship's core": a glowing device which would bring our powers live. We had two main options open to us: hybrid transformation or spawning of our full ship forms if we had enough space.
Well, I chose the hybrid form, as I just didn't want to burden myself right on my first day. In a few moments, the core was online and the transformation began. My skin felt open to the air-a weird sensation, as I realized just how much of me was now battleship structure. The superstructure jutted out behind me, anti-aircraft guns near my waist, my main cannons mounted along my arms and neck.
It was not as heavy as it looked, even with the menacing appearance. Initially, the movement was a little cumbersome, as my legs could not get the feel of it, and I stumbled trying to navigate through the obstacle course.
But my classmates encouraged me, and with each try, I got a bit better. By the end, I was sweating, my muscles burning, but I felt I had accomplished something. The drill lasted two hours, and I hardly kept pace with the rest, but at least I didn't collapse.
Aim Training
The next was aiming training. We were taken to a big, open area where holographic targets started popping up. Each of these represented an enemy ship, and we were supposed to hit them using our main guns. First, I came in, reeking with nerves. Taking a deep breath, I shouted the order.
"Main Gun #1, FIRE!
The shot rang out, and to my surprise it hit the target dead on. My classmates cheered; I wondered, was this really normal here? I kept firing, hitting each target with precision. Sure enough, my name shot up the leaderboard, but the real challenge, I knew, would come after lunch.
We had a quick sandwich-ham and cheese, but decent enough-and back to the training grounds for the second aim practice. The second time around, targets moved, and they were targets not easily hit.
"Don't get discouraged!" the instructor yelled. "It's your first time! You'll get better.
With those words, we moved onward. I missed a lot of shots, but I didn't give up. Tomorrow, we'd be doing torpedo and anti-aircraft drills, but for now, I was just happy the day was over.
When I reached the dorm, Isokaze greeted me with a hug. "How was your first full day?" she asked.
"Exhausting, but fun," I said with a grin. "Still got a lot to learn, though.
"You'll get the hang of it," she said, trying to reassure me. "Anyway, I am off to finish some drills. Get some rest!"
She left, and I promptly collapsed into bed, the weight of today's training finally hitting me. I'd survived my first real day at the academy, but there were far greater challenges ahead.