Nearly a week had passed since Dante reunited with Lady and Trish.
Lady and Trish had been learning about fleet girls and Abyssals, sometimes observing training sessions at the base's practice grounds. Trish, ever the knowledge seeker, spent days devouring documents in the base's archives. Back in their world, she'd wandered far and wide to satisfy her curiosity, and this was no different.
Lady, meanwhile, bonded with Akatsuki and other fashion-savvy fleet girls, chatting about makeup and clothes or hitting the town. But she had to leave her weapons behind—Dante, as Admiral, had special permission to carry arms, but Lady and Trish, kept secret from the outside world, had no such clearance. Carrying weapons in public would cause trouble. They'd heard demons prowled this world too, so Lady was reluctant to go unarmed, but Dante convinced her to comply.
The biggest topic among Lady, Trish, and the older fleet girls? Dante. Over drinks, their gripes about him fueled lively conversations. In no time, Lady and Trish settled into life at the base.
Devil May Cry Naval Base, Command Office
In the command office, Dante, Trish, and Lady discussed what came next.
"So, we're the secret weapon because no one knows we're here," Trish said, arms crossed.
"That's the deal," Dante confirmed.
"But we know nothing about the enemy," Lady pointed out. "The important stuff's still a blank, right?"
"That's where you two come in," Dante said. "I need you to dig up intel."
Both shot back objections. Thrown into an unfamiliar world with no contacts, blindly hunting information was a waste of time and a lousy plan.
"No worries," Dante said. "I've got someone setting things up."
"Who?" Lady asked, skeptical.
"Some big-shot navy grandpa," Dante replied.
"Can we trust him?" Trish asked, eyes narrowing.
"He's solid, no question," Dante assured.
He'd asked the Marshal to arrange for Lady and Trish to gather intel discreetly. The Marshal was handling it in secret, and they were waiting on his preparations.
"Until then, keep a low profile," Dante warned.
"Yeah, yeah, we've heard it a million times," Trish said, waving him off.
Ooyodo knocked. "May I come in?"
The discussion had wrapped up, so Dante nodded. Ooyodo entered, handing each of them a strip of paper.
"What's this?" Dante asked, eyeing it.
"Tanzaku," Ooyodo said. "Write your wishes on them."
"Tanzaku?" Dante repeated, puzzled.
"I'll explain," Ooyodo said.
Dante, uninterested in Japanese traditions, tilted his head. Living a rough life hunting demons, it was no surprise he was clueless. Ooyodo explained Tanabata to the trio.
"Wishes, huh…" Dante muttered, stumped.
"Money, obviously," Lady said. "Or maybe eternal youth?"
"It's tough when you're put on the spot," Trish mused.
"You have until tonight to submit them," Ooyodo said.
Lady scribbled hers quickly, but Dante and Trish agonized over theirs until the deadline.
That night, a few fleet girls, dressed in yukata, came to fetch them.
"Admiral, let's go!" Kongou called, bouncing with excitement.
"Go where?" Dante asked.
"Didn't we tell you?" Houshou said, surprised.
Dante, Lady, and Trish exchanged confused glances. The fleet girls explained: a nearby port town was holding a Tanabata festival. The town had relied on the base for odd jobs in the past and was thrilled when it reopened. As thanks, they'd invited the base to the festival.
"You guys go ahead," Dante said.
"Not this again," Houshou sighed.
Dante, Lady, and Trish, used to shady underworld work, weren't keen on joining a civilian festival. It felt out of place.
"It's family time," Houshou said firmly.
"Didn't I hear that before?" Dante muttered.
"They really see you as family," Lady said, smirking.
"And you two as well," Houshou added.
"What?!" Lady and Trish said in unison, stunned.
Lady had chuckled at the fleet girls treating Dante like family, but being included themselves caught them off guard. They exchanged a look.
"That's how they are," Dante said with a shrug.
"Might be nice for a change," Trish said.
"But what are we, then?" Lady asked.
"Nosy aunties, probably," Dante teased.
"Trish?" Lady growled.
"Excuse me? At least call us cool big sisters!" Lady snapped.
"Keep your jokes to shooting bullets at faces," Dante shot back.
"Bring it on, outside!" Lady challenged.
"Was heading there anyway," Dante said.
Somehow, a fight nearly broke out over going to a festival. The fleet girls jumped in to stop it.
"Hold on, no fighting!" Souryuu pleaded.
"Admiral, don't say unnecessary things," Kaga scolded.
"Learn already," Murakumo muttered.
"Goddamn useless Admiral," Akebono grumbled.
"Lady, Trish, please change," Ooyodo said.
The fleet girls had prepared yukata for Lady and Trish, knowing Dante would refuse one. The two struggled with the unfamiliar garments, needing help from the fleet girls. Expecting to head straight to the festival, they were instead led to the courtyard.
Courtyard
Other fleet girls, also in yukata, had gathered in the courtyard, their tanzaku already hung on bamboo branches. Dante, Lady, and Trish followed suit, tying theirs up. Curious, the fleet girls peeked at Dante's wishes:
"All-you-can-eat pizza"
"A quiet nap"
"Fight tougher opponents"
"Not wrong, but…" Ryuujou said, trailing off.
"Don't you do those already?" Choukai asked.
"Is three wishes allowed?" Kumano wondered.
"Is that… okay?" Suzuya questioned.
"'Fight tougher opponents'? What kind of war tribe is this guy?" Goya teased.
The fleet girls nitpicked, and Dante pushed back.
"When you hunt demons like we do, you start craving a real challenge," he said.
In their world, strong demons were rare. Constantly fighting low-tier ones left him hungry for worthy foes.
"Really?" Shigure asked.
"It happens," Trish agreed.
With that, they all headed to the festival.
On the way, they chatted as they walked.
"Meeting only once a year but staying devoted is so romantic," Aoba said dreamily.
"Talk about long-distance patience," Dante quipped.
"Will we see the Milky Way?" Fumizuki asked.
"Dunno, can't see stars now," Satsuki said.
"The Milky Way… that's what they call Tenkawa here," Trish said, showing off her knowledge.
"Naka-chan's number-one fan, the military police guy, couldn't come. Such a shame," Naka said.
"Duty calls," Ooyodo replied.
The military policeman, Naka's biggest fan, had stayed behind for base security, likely crying as he waved them off, now either consoled or chewed out by his colleagues.
They reached the festival grounds.
"We'll regroup here later," Houshou said.
Free time began. Houshou, Ooyodo, and Mamiya went to greet the townsfolk. Lady and Trish were dragged into the crowd by fleet girls. Dante started to wander, but Kaga grabbed his collar.
"What?" he asked.
"You're with us," Akagi said firmly.
"Free time, my ass," Dante muttered.
Houshou had tasked Akagi, Kaga, Kongou, Hiei, and Kirishima with keeping an eye on Dante, so he was stuck with them.
They barely moved from their starting point.
"Akagi, you're not eating everything, are you?" Dante asked.
"…Yes," Akagi admitted.
"Admiral, we want to see other stalls!" Kongou whined.
"Akagi, pause the food haul," Hiei said.
"Kaga, please," Kirishima added.
"No compromise here," Kaga said stubbornly.
Akagi and Kaga's relentless food stall binge kept halting the group. Dante glanced around, spotting Hiryuu, Ryuujou, Souryuu, and Trish at a dining area, knocking back beers.
"What's up?" Dante called.
"Admiral!" Hiryuu slurred, waving.
"They took a liking to me after one drink," Trish said. "Still going."
"Join us?" Souryuu offered.
"Hell yeah," Dante said.
"You're supposed to be in charge," Trish reminded him.
"Don't be a buzzkill," Dante replied, grabbing a beer.
He noticed Ryuujou drinking. "Booze for kids seems early."
"I'm no kid! I'm a full-grown adult!" Ryuujou snapped.
"…Seriously?" Dante said, stunned.
"Commander, let's move!" Hiei called.
After a quick chat with Trish's group, Dante moved on, surprised to learn Ryuujou, who looked like a destroyer-class kid, was an adult.
Further along, he spotted light and heavy cruisers. The light cruisers were engrossed in yo-yo fishing, the heavy cruisers in goldfish scooping.
"Kitakami-san, this is fun!" Ooi chirped.
"You're not even trying, Ooi," Kitakami teased.
Tenryuu, Tatsuta, Jintsuu, Naka, and Yuubari focused intently on yo-yos.
"Oh no!" Choukai gasped.
"Another tear!" Tone groaned.
"Hiyah!" Kumano shouted, plunging her poi into the water, instantly ripping it. Aoba snapped photos of their struggles.
"Commander!" Haguro noticed.
"Looks fun," Dante said.
"Wanna try?" Suzuya asked.
"I'll pass," Dante said.
"Come on, join us!" Suzuya urged.
"Let me off the hook. You guys have fun," Dante said, slipping away with a vague excuse.
Kongou's group, meant to watch Dante, had become babysitters for Akagi and Kaga's food frenzy. Kongou, eager to explore with Dante, was visibly annoyed.
Near a shooting gallery, destroyers, submarines, and Lady stood out in the crowd.
"Nothing's falling!" Shiratsuyu complained.
"Shiratsuyu, the big one's impossible," Shigure said.
"What're you aiming for?" Miyuki asked.
"Pickled kombu," Hatsuyuki mumbled.
"I want caramel!" Fumizuki chirped.
"Go for it, Fumizuki-chan!" Kisaragi cheered.
"I'm… not good at this…" Hachi sighed.
The destroyers and subs were having a blast, but Shiratsuyu was fixated on a huge stuffed animal. A light cork bullet couldn't possibly knock it down, yet she wouldn't give up.
"Commander, why not help?" Hiei suggested.
"My calculations say it's impossible," Kirishima said.
"But it'd be cool if the Admiral nailed it!" Kongou added.
"If I shoot, it'll cause trouble later," Dante said.
Still, he approached the stall. Lady and the others noticed.
"Commander's doing the shooting gallery?" Kagerou asked.
"Dante, tell her she's aiming too big," Lady said.
"But I want the biggest one!" Shiratsuyu insisted.
Shiranui silently handed Dante a loaded cork gun. He aimed at the giant stuffed animal.
"Dante, you know a cork won't cut it," Lady said.
"Normally, no," Dante replied, smirking.
He fired. The stuffed animal toppled, shocking the stall owner and leaving Lady and the fleet girls stunned. Shiratsuyu, clutching her prize, was overjoyed.
"Commander, get that one!" Hatsuyuki pointed.
"That one too!" Akatsuki added.
"I want that!" Satsuki chimed in.
"Hold on!" Lady shouted.
Realizing Dante could nab what they couldn't, the fleet girls bombarded him with requests. With no reason to stop, he knocked down target after target, panicking the stall owner.
"This is bad…" Inazuma muttered.
"Commander!" Ikazuchi called.
"Admiral, stop!" Akagi urged.
"You're causing trouble!" Kaga added.
"Dante!" Lady snapped.
Seeing the stall owner near tears, they stopped him, apologized, and fled.
"So, how'd you do it?" Lady asked.
"Here's the trick," Dante said.
A cork shouldn't move a heavy stuffed animal, but Dante had infused the gun with his demonic energy, firing a charged shot for extra power.
"Total cheat, you shitty Admiral!" Akebono snapped.
"Don't hate. It took effort," Dante said.
A normal gun would break under his trigger pull—too fast for it to handle. He'd carefully controlled the shot and energy charge.
"But we got what we wanted!" Iku cheered.
"Good job," Hatsuyuki said quietly.
"We're probably banned now," Goya said.
"Worst case," Murakumo muttered.
"Admiral," Houshou called.
Dante turned to see Houshou with the town association chairman, who beckoned him over. Apparently, the chairman wanted to greet him.
"Admiral, been a while!" the chairman said.
"Yeah," Dante replied.
"We were thrilled when the base reopened," the chairman said. "Everyone was overjoyed."
"Glad to hear," Dante said.
"Come to us if you need anything," the chairman added.
"Talk to the fleet girls," Dante said.
"By the way, carrying a guitar case—are you performing?" the chairman asked.
"It's, uh…" Houshou faltered.
Houshou, Ooyodo, and Mamiya froze. The case held a sword, not a guitar, but they couldn't say that.
"My gigs are rated R. Not recommended," Dante quipped.
The chairman laughed, taking it as a joke.
Then Dante felt a stare and turned. A mysterious man from a café encounter was watching him. Noticing Dante's gaze, the man moved. Dante gave chase.
"Admiral?!" Houshou called, startled by his sudden sprint.
The man stopped in a deserted area, Dante close behind.
"We meet again, Dante-kun," the man said.
To be continued!