The walk to the canteen was a quintessential Azur Lane afternoon. They passed Agano teasing a flustered Sendai, and nearly tripped over a group of Manjuus trying to transport a beach ball three times their size. When they finally reached the stand, the "specialty" was a neon-blue concoction served in a glass shaped like a naval mine.

"Every day at this base is a battle against boredom," Laffey murmured, leaning her head on Z23’s shoulder. "We won today."

Ayanami nodded silently, her gaze fixed on a handheld gaming console. "The boss fight requires high frame rates. Heat causes thermal throttling. We must seek the juice stand for the sake of the high score."

The sun over the Azur Lane base was particularly stubborn today, baking the docks in a heat that made even the rigging feel heavy. For Javelin, however, the temperature was just an excuse to mobilize her best friends for a "Strategic Cooling Operation."

"We didn't go on a sortie," Z23 corrected, though she couldn't hide a small smile as the cold drink finally chased away the afternoon slump.