In a Pinch with a Battleship's Big Cannon!

***In a Pinch with a Battleship's Big Cannon!*** (大艦巨砲でピンチ！ *Romaji: "Daikankyohō de Pinchi!"*) is the eleventh episode of Hai-Furi.

After days of repairs and resupply, the Harekaze joined the hunt for the Musashi in the Blue Mermaids-led Operation: Perseus, in what may be the ship's finest hour.

## Episode Summary

Just before leaving for Operation: Perseus, Akeno expressed her reservations to Mashiro. Having bonded with the class for so long, Akeno feared to lose even one of them in battle.

### Turnabout Battleship

Blue Mermaids Central Command detected the Musashi heading for the mainland by way of the Uraga Channel. This body of water leads to the Tokyo Bay area. Intrusion by the Musashi into the bay would put the entire area in jeopardy, including Yokosuka.

With a majority of the Blue Mermaids' strength east of the Philippines, only Inspector Hiraga's reserve fleet could make the intercept. Meanwhile, the Harekaze--bristling with new upgrades--raced to the scene with orders to monitor the infected battleship.

### Just Lucky

Several hours later, the Harekaze sighted the Musashi, which opened fire full broadside. But in this crucial moment, Akeno is unable to issue orders due to sheer fear.

TU01 eventually arrived to engage the battleship, scoring several hits. But soon, their ships suffer from electronics failure, unable to attack. Taking advantage, the Musashi picks them off one by one until Hiraga's command ship was left.

Meanwhile, Mashiro dragged Akeno to her room to see what was wrong. The crew soon heard the captain's misgivings of putting her classmates in peril. She believed that the reason for their successes was that things went in their favor.

### The Survivors' Plight

Unknown to most, not all of the Musashi's crew were infected. Moeka and three others managed to shut themselves behind the bridge, doing what they could to prevent the ship from harming others.

It had been a month since the Totalitarian Virus incident made headlines. As the Musashi approached the Nishinoshima New Islands, its forward main gun suddenly opened fire on a freighter. Moeka tried contacting the firing command post but received no response. She headed down the ship, only to find a fellow student running for her life. Behind her, the red glowing eyes of her infected classmates gave chase.

Using a battery-powered radio, Moeka sent a distress call as the Musashi sailed near Asuncion Island, which Akeno responded with an ill-fated one-man rescue.

### Rallying Call

As an evacuation order was issued across the Tokyo Bay area, Principal Munetani informed the Disaster Management Committee that she would be "taking the bridge." The committee had no choice but to rely on the "Kurushima's Tomoe Guzen" to handle things.

Fed up with the drama, Maron storms into the room and drags Mashiro to the engine room. Fellow engineering staff Reo Wakasa brings Akeno back to the bridge. Meanwhile, behind muffled speaking tubes, Maron (using tuna sashimi and mayonnaise as a metaphor) tells Mashiro to make up for the captain's weaknesses with her strengths. Kuroki affirms that Mashiro's the only one who can help the captain.

Inspired, the deputy-captain returned to the bridge and affirmed that she'll support Akeno through thick and thin. The crew rallied to their beloved captain, who took the helm once more for what would become the Harekaze's finest hour.

## Trivia

* Tomoe Guzen was a female samurai warrior who fought in countless feudal wars who, according to some historical accounts, fought outnumbered battles and won. The Tale of the Heike, the Japanese *Iliad*, described her as a beautiful woman with enough ferocity in the battlefield to confront a demon or a god.
* Kurushima may be referring to Kurushima Strait, a body of water that separates the island of Oshima and the larger island of Shikoku. It's implied that, fifteen years ago, Mayuki fought an outnumbered battle there and came out victorious, just as Tomoe Guzen fought her battles in her days.

* The four ships that comprised Hiraga's reserve force were identified as the Mikura (hull number BPF-14), Miyake (hull number BPF-15), Kouzu (hull number BPF-16), and Hachijou (hull number BPF-17). The Mikura is Inspector Hiraga's command ship.
	+ These ships are named after volcanic islands in the Izu Islands chain. From the mainland, Kouzu is the fourth, Miyake is the fifth, Mikura is the sixth, and Hachijou is the seventh.
* The suggestion to run in a zigzag is a naval tactic commonly used to deter enemy submarines. However, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Captain Ernest Evans of the destroyer *USS Johnston* ordered the ship to chase splashes made by Japanese shells hitting the water, making it move in a zigzag. Gambling that the enemy ships won't fire on the same spot twice, it allowed the Johnston to get close and wreak havoc on the enemy fleet.