After the minesweeping work has finished, Shikishima returns to Noriko and the others on his motorcycle for the first time in a while. When Shikishima enters the house carrying a laundry bag, he finds an unexpected-looking Noriko there. Noriko was waiting for him with a smile on her face, wearing a uniform with high-collar lines.
"Welcome back! I just came back too."
"What's wrong with your appearance?"
"Does it suit you? I started working as an office worker in Ginza."
It was his first time hearing it. Why? Shikishima was confused.
"I'm sure you've given them enough money."
Noriko turned and sat down at the dressing table, her back to him. The smile reflected on the dressing table was the kind of forced smile that Noriko often shows these days. Noriko began speaking as if she had made up her mind.
"I just want to be independent. If things continue like this, Hiroshi and his wife won't be able to get married. Did you know that Ginza is rapidly recovering?"
His eyes look watery without a care in the world. Although her expression was smiling, it seemed to Shikishima that she was either angry or crying.
Shikishima realized that he was panicking. It is true that he has been interacting with Noriko in a half-hearted situation for a long time. However, to think that she was thinking of becoming independent... Noriko looked dazzling to Shikishima as she was trying to stand on her own two feet, similar to the town of Ginza that was undergoing reconstruction. Noriko was about to depart from his arms... and he felt very lonely.
Shikishima asked, hoping that she wouldn't realize that.
"It's sudden."
"I've been thinking about it."
I've been thinking about it for a long time. Forever....
Noriko always had a smile on her face, was diligently doing household chores, and was raising Akiko, whom she has no connection to, with all her love, and was living a seemingly happy life, but deep down, she was always looking for a way to spread her wings. She was doing it.
Shikishima felt a slight betrayal at this. But when he thought about it, he realized that he was the one who did it. At least he don't have the right to blame her for that. When Shikishima realized this, he was extremely upset. Shikishima didn't even realize that Noriko had become such a part of his life. The moment he realized that he might lose it, he realized how important she was... Shikishima once again confirmed that Noriko had become that kind of person.
At that time, Shikishima thought of a way that might reverse this situation.
"What about Akiko? What will Akiko do if Noriko-san goes to work?"
Noriko had the perfect answer for that.
"Sumiko-san is going to take care of her while I'm at work... Sumiko-san is so excited. She also raised three boys."
The strategy to get her to change her mind regarding Akiko's case ended in failure. After all, Noriko had been thinking about it for a long time. There's no way out.
"...That would be fine."
"I'm going to Sumiko-san's place to pick up Akiko."
Shikishima, who was looking down, did not notice that tears were about to fall from Noriko's eyes as she left. Around that time, the U.S. Department of Defense began receiving reports of mysterious damage.
"The destroyer USS Lancaster, belonging to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was attacked by something and was severely damaged. Details are unknown."
"Emergency call received from the submarine Redfish, belonging to the Pacific Fleet. We captured a large object moving in the Pacific Ocean. We succeeded in taking a photo, but it made contact and was destroyed. It was left behind on the hull. A large amount of radioactivity was detected from the skin tissue."
The photo was of a huge dorsal fin pushing up from the ocean surface, making waves. A ship belonging to the U.S. military is being damaged by an unknown monster. And to make matters worse, radiation appeared to be detected in the parts of the monster's body.
The repeated atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll seemed to have an effect. Originally, this was a case that had to be dealt with in secret before it became a reality. However, now was the time for the US military to avoid flashy military actions.
Moreover, monsters were gradually starting to appear near Japan. The U.S. Department of Defense has decided to only make certain requests to the Japanese government regarding this matter.
"Commander in Chief Douglas MacArthur has informed us that, with great regret, given the situation with the Soviet Union, we cannot engage in military involvement. At the same time, we request the Japanese government to strengthen Japan's security institutions."
May 1947, near the Ogasawara Islands
Giant claws were tearing apart the ship's hull. The Liberty ship, a transport ship belonging to the U.S. military, was barely able to stay afloat, with its badly damaged hull tilting at an angle. In front of it, the Kaishin Maru, which is paired with the Shinsei Maru that Shikishima and his friends are riding, was moored side by side.
"Is this... a super large shark... a whale?"
Akitsu asked a simple question.
"Sharks and whales can't do this."
"Is this a new Soviet weapon?"
Mizushima came up with an idea.
"Does it look like weapon damage?"
"Then what do you mean?"
"It was just a creature that looked like a small mountain..."
"What's the matter, you don't understand anything when you talk about something so arrogant?"
When Shikishima saw something floating on the surface of the sea nearby, he couldn't help but mutter.
"Gojira..."
Everyone on the ship turned their attention to Shikishima at the unfamiliar name.
"Look at that."
Where Shikishima pointed, there were several dead fish that appeared to be deep-sea fish with their swim bladders protruding from their mouths.
"The day I crash-landed on Odo Island during the war, some deep-sea fish floated to the surface. That day and night, a monster attacked. The scars also match up."
"Did you see that?"
"It looked like a dinosaur survivor... The locals called it Gojira."
"...Gojira?"
Seeing Noda's serious expression, Akitsu hurriedly said.
"You idiot, is something like that real? A half-asleep enemy tank..." Shikishima interrupted.
"You won't believe me. But the Odo Island garrison was completely annihilated by that GOJIRA."
"Odo Island's honorable dead..."
During the war, the mysterious attack on Odo Island, which was supposed to have been safe from the U.S. military during Operation Stepping Stone, seemed to be somewhat well-known among those involved in the war.
Akitsu asked a question.
"Didn't that unit fight and crush the US military?"
Shikishima shook his head.
"You should know that the U.S. military had no interest in Odo Island. That's why it functioned as a crash landing base for suicide attacks that caused trouble at the time..."
After hearing that much, Mizushima realized something and suddenly changed his expression.
"So Shiki-san... are you... a former special attack officer?"
Shikishima nodded gravely, taking responsibility for the words he had unintentionally let out.
"If this is the same thing as Gojira from back then, it's incredibly big and ferocious."
Everyone was keenly aware of the tremor at the end of the sentence, and Shikishima's fear of Gojira was contagious. This is not just a thing. Such an atmosphere dominated Shinsei Maru.
"Wait a minute. Why were we called here in the first place? No way! I'm not asking you to fight something like that. On this ship?"
"No way."
Noda answered with a resigned look on his face. Mizushima became even more impatient with that answer.
"I'm pretty sure that's impossible! What can the U.S. military do with such a stupid ship against an opponent they can't compete with?"
"Stop"
"Stop?"
"Kaohsiung is on its way from Singapore."
Mizushima's expression completely changed when he heard the name of the ship.
"Heavy Cruiser Takao? Um?"
"It was scheduled to be scuttled last year, but apparently the U.S. military decided to repair it and return it because it might be useful in this situation. Former Kaohsiung crew members are traveling to Singapore to receive it."
Mizushima, who had been trembling at the vision of GOJIRA just a moment ago, suddenly turned around and screamed, jumping around.
"Isn't it amazing! It's Kaohsiung!"
"So they decided to buy time until Takao arrived."
Akitsu grumbled.
"Is this a trivial thing? Besides, that 13mm is the only one I have on board."
"This is America's ship. Can't we do something about it ourselves?"
"The United States and the Soviet Union are getting into a bad situation right now. I don't think they can take military action carelessly. I told them to handle these trivial matters themselves. That's why I decided to return the armed Kaohsiung class. I guess it was."
"In that case, we are told to use the recovered mines."
In other words, against a monster that could destroy a huge transport ship with a single blow, the Shinsei Maru's only weapons were the installed 123mm machine gun and the mines it would collect from the sea.
"Haha, that's why they called out to us. Moreover, the important weapon is 'local procurement', isn't it?"
"Also, there is no need for anyone outside to say anything about this matter."
"I'm out, my favorite store. This country won't change. Can't it change?"
The Shinsei Maru continued to collect the mines and greeted the morning at sea nearby.
Gojira showed no sign of being bothered.
In the end, Shikishima, who could not sleep at all, was working on repairing the recovered mines. Mines usually have four horn-like antennae.
It was a glass tube wrapped in lead, and when the bottom of the ship came into contact with it, the glass tube would crack and a highly conductive liquid would leak out, energizing the fuse and causing an explosion.
What Shikishima is currently doing is removing the antennae and soldering wires in their place.
By attaching a switch to the end of the wire, the mine explosion can be controlled remotely. That was Shinsei Maru's main weapon in the battle against Gojira this time... it was a remote-controlled mine.