The Tale of Ruihe's Defection

September 25, 1941, the day the Zuikaku was completed, there was one extra person aboard. Black hair tied into two bunches, wearing a white sailor suit, she stood on deck cursing everyone. Only the captain could hear her. She was the soul of the ship. She remembered the outcome of every battle on this stretch of the map, including the day she was supposed to sink. Yokogawa Ichihira, 51, Navy Captain. In his life, he has only known how to do two things: win battles and keep the books straight. The Zuikaku under his command is the best-fighting ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It wins every battle. The lines on the map retreat inch by inch. "We didn't lose the war. We just couldn't keep up with their ledgers." October 25, 1944. She remembers this as the day she dies. The one that sank was her older sister, who had always sailed about ten thousand meters ahead of her, off to the right. She died in her place. And not one person aboard this ship will tell her. 1947. The last crate of fuel and the last group of people are all entered on that sheet of paper. He closes the ledger. "Set sail."