Chapter 59: Honourable Memory

The following day, after a simple breakfast consisting of pastries we bought from Lawsons, we went back to the Port area to visit the Memorial Ship Mikasa. A remnant of the Russo-Japan war, this pre-dreadnought ship now stands as a symbol of pride and how the country defended it's independence against the Russian threat.

At least, that's how it was marketed to the public.

This hulking beast is now a museum, with guides teaching the public about Japan's naval history and a tour of the ship. I have been hear once, when I was a cadet. We were essentially taught history and given a little taste of what being in a battleship would look and feel like. Before they tossed us into a real ship and were forced to spend a few months out at sea.

It was a fun and interesting experience though, minus the whole being thrown into the brig for misconduct and having to scrub the deck on a daily basis.

"Wow! Look, Admiral! It's the Mikasa!" (Zuihou)

It's still has large and fascinating as I remember it. Though, not as great as my girlfriend.

Zuihou's outfit today is just as cute as yesterday's. She is wearing a white shirt and green skirt with a beige cardigan. Her hair is tied in braids and a red bow sits on her collar, completing her schoolgirl-esque look.

"Wow! I always wanted to see it up-close!" (Zuihou)

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" (Zuihou)

"Huh? Eh? How do I... Hmm?!" (???)

A tall young woman with dark brown hair tied in a low ponytail stood beside us, fiddling with a camera. She was wearing a black military-style outfit, reminiscent of those old military garbs that were used in the Showa era. She has the complete the set, with the cape and the hat. Apart of those horns on the side of her head and her exposed belly button, she really looks like those military officers from the olden days. She is probably a cosplayer.

"Need help?" (Zuihou)

"Eh? Oh. I'm sorry. I'm not too sure how to work this thing. Technology isn't my strong suit." (???)

"Let me see."

The lady passed me her camera.

Wait. This is a old film camera! And it's not one of those disposable one! They still have these in the market?

"I find the ones with the screens were hard to use, so I got one which I thought I was familiar with. But I still can't figure it out." (???)

Lady, those are easier to use than this old relic. I look through the lens and couldn't see anything. It's pitch black. How do you operate these things again? I'm so used to digital cameras that I forgot how to operate a traditional one.

"I took a photo to test it out but now it doesn't seem to work anymore." (???)

"Ah. Admiral, try turning that dial-" (Zuihou)

"Until the image shows up. Now I remember how these things work."

I looked through the lens and turned the dial until I can see Zuihou's cute face. I am so tempted to snap the photo right then and there but this is someone else's camera.

I passed the camera back to the lady.

"Got it. You need to turn the dial after every single shot."

"Oh. So that's how you do it. Technology has come a long way." (???)

Lady, this is something even my grandma could operate. How inept are you? Furthermore, she doesn't look older than my mom. She looks like she is her early twenties.

"Thank you so much. Ah. How rude of me to not introduce myself. I'm Mikasa." (Mikasa)

No family name?

"Oh. The same name as the battleship Mikasa." (Zuihou)

"I'm Tokomaki Keita."

"I'm Zuihou. Nice to meet you." (Zuihou)

"Pleased to meet the two of you, Tokomaki-san, Zuihou-san." (Mikasa)

"Mikasa-san, are you here to visit the museum as well?" (Zuihou)

"Oh. It has been turned into a museum? I thought it was simply left to rot." (Mikasa)

Zuihou shook her head.

"It was been turned into a symbol and a museum. The country wouldn't let a ship that left such a great impact on Japan's history detoriate." (Zuihou)

"I see..." (Mikasa)

Mikasa smiled. I think I can see tears in her eyes.

"That's great. Not only did you leave your mark on this country, you got yourself another purpose. My ot..." (Mikasa-san)

Her voice trailed off at the end.

"Mikasa-san, are you crying?" (Zuihou)

Mikasa rubbed her eyes,

"Sorry. I just got a little emotional. I never would have thought this old body would end up with such an honourable position." (Mikasa-san)

"This ship is a predecessor to Ise, Hyuuga, Fusou and Yamashiro, Nagato and Mutsu. Without pre-dreadnought ships like the Mikasa, my friends wouldn't have came into existence." (Zuihou)

Erm... Zuihou? I think you said a bit too much there.

"You say that as if your friends are battleships." (Mikasa-san)

"Ah. Umm..." (Zuihou)

She is getting flustered...

"Come to think of it, you did address Tokomaki-san earlier as Admiral. Is it same kind of trend for youngsters nowadays?" (Mikasa-san)

Uh oh.

"Erm... Uhhh..." (Zuihou)

Zuihou looked at me with eyes screaming for help.

Come on, Keita. Think. Come up with something. That's what you're good at, right?

"We... are naval ship enthusiasts. In high school, we were in a club that mainly focuses on warship games. Zuihou is my junior. She gave me that nickname after seeing me win a few games and teaching her various tactics."

"Ye-yeah. Admiral's tactics always score our team a victory." (Zuihou)

"Oh. I see. They have such things in high school now. So, I'm guessing Zuihou is still in high school while Tokomaki-san has already graduated?" (Mikasa-san)

Well, she is half-right.

I held Zuihou's hand.

"Yeah. We are on a date now. This girl has always wanted to see the Mikasa up close."

"Admiral..." (Zuihou)

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry for interrupting your date. Though, I don't encourage skipping school to go on dates. Tokomaki-san, you are setting a bad example for your junior." (Mikasa-san)

Right. Zuihou is dressed up as a high schooler today. I pretended to laugh,

"Just... pretend you didn't see anything. For our sake."

"Don't worry. I don't intend to meddle in someone else's life. Anyway, go on, you two. Enjoy yourselves." (Mikasa)

"Mikasa-san, you are not going inside?"

Mikasa shook her head gently,

"Maybe later. I want to see how this other body of mine is holding up in this era."

We watched as Mikasa-san left with her camera. I think she is going to take pictures of the ship from various angles. She said something weird earlier.

"What a nice lady." (Zuihou)

"You almost exposed yourself there." (Zuihou)

"Ehehe~ I couldn't help it. Do I really look like a high schooler?" (Zuihou)

"Kind of. You're my cute junior from high school today."

I pet her head as she pouted.

"You told her that on purpose, didn't you? Anyway, thanks for the save, senpai~" (Zuihou)

Ghh! My heart!

"Just kidding. Let's go, Admiral." (Zuihou)

"Wait. Call me 'senpai' one more time."

"Don't wanna~" (Zuihou)

She stuck out her tongue before skipping into the museum's entrance.

I swear, she is getting better at pushing my buttons.

We entered the museum and began our exploration. There are guided tours, but it's more fun for us to explore the ship at our own pace. We read about how the Mikasa was created, how it fared in battle against the Russians, and how strong the Mikasa was for its time. While most of the exhibits were just as I remembered them, like the bunks where the sailors sleep, the main deck, and the bridge, there are a couple of new things as well. The magazine room, which was previously closed off, is now open and utilized some kind of Augmented Reality technology. We were made to wear some kind of glasses. The glasses allow us to see how the shells were placed and what type of ammunition the Mikasa used in the past.

In the ships' hull, there is a Virtual Reality game, which puts us in the shoes of the Admiral Togo in the Battle of Tsushima. It was comical watching Zuihou play the VR game. Initially, she was acting like her usual self during battle, drawing an imaginary bow to launch her 'planes'. She immediately realised that she is playing as the Admiral instead and had to command her 'crew' to attack the Russian fleet. She lost the first attempt, but did slightly better in her second and third. She still lost though.

Let's not talk about how I did, okay? In my defence, I wasn't taught about the specification of warships from the 1900s and overestimated the Mikasa's firepower. I just knew she was pretty tanky, being able to take so many hits from the Russians before the Defeat screen pops up. In real life, she took 25 hits form the Russian fleet before being forced to retreat for repairs, only to be hit another 15 times in subsequent battles. And she still refused to sink during that decisive battle to protect Japan.

We also saw Mikasa-san on our way out. She was speaking to a guy in a suit. The guy seems very interested in whatever she was saying, taking notes and asking questions. We didn't want to disturb them, so we went to the souvenir store to buy some souvenirs before leaving the park.

Our next stop is the Nagai Uminote Park. It's on the other side of Yokosuka, so we took a taxi there. It's basically a flower park with a petting zoo. The petting zoo is what we came for.

"So cute! What is that creature?" (Zuihou)

The Capybara looked at Zuihou as it ate its salad. It's looks so huggable.

"That's a capybara."

"What about that one?" (Zuihou)

"A kangaroo. Don't provoke them. They can punch and kick you."

I have seen videos of these muscular animals fight humans before. The issue was that the humans were the ones that picked a fight with them and got their ass literally and physically kicked for the sake of a video.

"Look! Look! Sheeps! They are so fluffy!" (Zuihou)

We spent some time at the petting zoo, feeding and playing with the animals there. We then went around the park, walking through the sunflowers that are in full bloom. Unfortunately, I didn't find this place interesting. The sunflower park and petting zoo are fun, but that's all to it. Maybe it's because this place is more targeted at kids, seeing as everything else is kid-sized, like the small Ferris wheel, Go-karts, and a small train which goes around the sunflower park. Even Zuihou isn't really impressed.

"Admiral, can we go back to the port area? I saw something which might be interesting." (Zuihou)

"We still have a lot of time left. Yeah, let's go."

We took a taxi back to Mikasa park. The place Zuihou wanted to go was Umikaze Park, which is just right beside Mikasa park. There are some pretty floral, a nice relaxing atmosphere for families. It's just a normal- okay, this is not what I expected. It's just a statue but there is a large T-Rex here. That's not something you see in a normal park.

"A big lizard! I saw it when we were leaving just now. I read about this. It's called a dinosaur, right?" (Zuihou)

"Yeah. This is surprising. I thought these sort of statues only appear in theme parks."

"It's so big." (Zuihou)

While Zuihou is excited about seeing the statue, I can feel the gazes of other people.

"Oh my. How cute." (Old lady 1)

"Are they siblings?" (Old lady 2)

"Or maybe a age-gap couple." (Old lady 3)

"So, a pedophile? Should we call the cops?" (Old lady 2)

"She might just be a small girl. Even my twenty year old granddaughter is around that height." (Old lady 1)

Shut your trap, hags!

"Onee-chan, over here!" (Boy 1)

"I going to catch you." (Zuihou)

"Run away!" (Girl 1)

"Don't get caught!" (Girl 2)

Zuihou was playing tag with a couple of small children around the dinosaur's legs. Where did those kids come from? When did Zuihou make friends with them?

I just sat at a nearby bench and watched Zuihou frolick with the kids.

"You two a couple? Still in high school?" (Old lady 1)

Why are the old people approaching me?

"Only her. I'm in college. School ended for her and I didn't have any lessons today. So we came here to spend some time together."

Just smile and be normal. Don't say anything weird.

"Oh hoho. Youth. How nice. I remember playing this park with my husband when we were at your age. He is dead now but that's just how it is. I'm just coming back here 'cause my grandson loves playing here." (Old Lady 2)

Erm...

"This is a nice place. You can feel the sea breeze all the way from here." (Old Lady 1)

"You see that there? That's Sarushima island. It was used as a fortress to defend against the Americans during the war." (Old Lady 2)

"We lived through that war, you know? You youngsters are lucky that there is no war now and everything is so easy." (Old Lady 1)

"Hmph! If the Japanese had won that battle, we wouldn't have that problem in the first place!" (Old lady 3)

Woah. When and where did this one come from? She is suddenly right next to me. She is even older and grumpier than the other 2. She is scrawny, her hair is extremely thin, there is a tube stuck up her nose and she is on a motorised wheelchair.

"The navy had one job. Just one job. Destroy the American fleet and there! Victory is ours. But no. They just have to lose all our carriers and give those mongrels a chance to invade and bomb two of our cities." (Old Lady 3)

"There you go again. Simmer down, else you are gonna choke on your saliva again. Sorry 'bout that, young man. Old Ozawa here is still bitter about Japan's loss." (Old Lady 1)

"I see."

Hold on. Did she say Ozawa?

"All my father had to do was to act as bait so that the main force can secure Philipines and our supply line. But he just had to screw that up and still had the guts to come back alive!" (Old Ozawa)

Old Ozawa started coughing uncontrollably, spitting saliva everywhere.

Is she Ozawa's daughter? As in the Vice-Admiral Ozawa who led the Ozawa force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf? The 'Gargoyle' who was a skilled tactician and commander during the war? I didn't know such a well-known figure in Japan's Naval history had a daughter.

"That was almost 80 years ago. You are lucky your father even came back. Ours died during the war." (Old Lady 2)

"They died with honour. Unlike my father who dared showed his ugly face after killing the men who believed in and followed him!" (Old Ozawa)

"Granny, calm down. I know you are agitat-"

"If he could not win the war, at least die trying! He often said that the army was going to bring honour and glory to Japan but he brought shame instead." (Old Ozawa)

"Granny, you are wrong!" (Zuihou)

Zuihou approached us, holding the hands of two kids she was playing with earlier.

"What do you know about him? Huh?!" (Old Ozawa)

"Vice-Admiral Ozawa fought valiantly during the Battle of Cape Engano even though we were under-equipped and outnumbered. However, with Vice-Admiral Ozawa's strategy, we managed to trick and lure the American and bought enough time for the Nishimura fleet to launch the surprise attack just as planned. The Ozawa fleet completed our task as a division. Although we sank, it was an honour being under Vice-Admiral Ozawa's command." (Zuihou)

"Hmph! You say that as if you were in the war." (Old Ozawa)

"I am a shipgirl. Shouhou-class Light Aircraft Carrier, Zuihou. In my past life, I had the honour to fight under Vice-Admiral Ozawa during the battle of Cape Engano, alongside Zuikaku, Chitose, Chiyoda, Hyūga, Ise Ooyodo, Tama, and Isuzu. We knew our roles and played them till the very end." (Zuihou)

"That doesn't mean shit if he did not win!" (Old Ozawa)

Old Ozawa slammed her bony hands on the armrest.

"That operation was vital to Japan's victory. As soon as he lost that battle, it allowed the whites to invade our country. There was no honour, no pride, only humiliation as our country was invaded by the whites!" (Old Ozawa)

"What is going on here? Mom, are you picking a fight with strangers again?" (???)

A woman, probably in her late forties, approached us. The girl handing onto Zuihou's hand ran towards the woman.

"Mummy! Grandma is arguing with Zuihou-nee-chan." (Girl 1)

"Hello, Karin-chan. It's just the usual." (Old Lady 1)

The woman let out an exasparated sigh. She bowed eeply,

"I'm so sorry for the disturbance my mom caused. Please forgive her." (Woman in her forties)

"Disturbance?! This girl is spouting nonsense, I tell ya!" (Old Ozawa)

"Mom. Please." (Woman in her forties)

"Ozawa-san, I understand that you hate your father for losing the war. But I want you to know that your father fought with honour. And I am proud to have fought beside." (Zuihou)

After saying our goodbyes, the woman in her forties wheeled the agitated Old Ozawa away as her daughter followed closely behind. While the other kids dragged Zuihou back to their games, the other two ladies told me stories about their families and about their younger days during the war. They would have droned on if not for the other children, who were tired after playing so much, begged their grandmothers to take them home. The last boy went home by himself and Zuihou finally came back to me. She doesn't look too happy.

"You okay?"

She nodded,

"Yeah. Just... thinking about earlier. I got a bit too emotional." (Zuihou)

"You fought under him last time. So I understand your feelings."

"I understand her feelings but..." (Zuihou)

Tears started to fall. I pulled Zuihou closer to me and rest her head on my shoulder,

"There there. It's alright. You just wanted protect his honour and memory."

Vice-Admiral Ozawa was a smart and compassionate Commander. Even the Americans that interrogated him after the war had a good impression of this ugly but smart man. His tactics were something we studied during our cadet days.

Zuihou sobbed as she laid on my shoulder. After a while, she seems to have calmed down a little.

"I'm hungry." (Zuihou)

"What do you want to eat?"

"The burger we ate last night was very delicious." (Zuihou)

"So the Naval burger place again?"

"Yeah." (Zuihou)

I wiped the remainder of Zuihou's tears with a tissue. We then made our way to the Naval Burger place to get our dinner before heading back to the love hotel.

Since the hotel I wanted to book originally was still fully occupied, I had no choice but to extend our stay in that love hotel. We are heading back tomorrow. I want to end this trip on a high note.