"Hey, admiral. When are you going to get up? The fleet needs orders."
"It doesn't need my orders, right? You can probably handle it…"
"Haa… You shitty admiral…"
In the greys of the unlit room, the destroyer can just make out the tangled mass of bedsheets containing her commander.
The last time he left them… who knows. Not to mention the last time they were washed.
"You should at least take a bath. It's starting to smell in here."
—
"Don't walk so close to me. You smell. Shitty admiral…"
"It's really just the sheets…"
"Well, you're the one carrying them!"
Water begins to hum and swirl softly in the washer, highlighting the broken silence of the naval base.
"Akebono… where is everyone?"
"They... requested reassignment."
"… I see… you did a good job."
—
"Hey… Akebono… why are you still here?"
"A shitty admiral like you really has guts…"
"Wait, wait! Sorry, I meant… why didn't you leave like everyone else?"
"… It's not like I don't get it, you know."
The destroyer starts to gaze through the dining table in front of her, chewing on the spoon she'd been brandishing.
"How even though it was just bad luck, the higher-ups put all the blame onto you, reassigned your main fleet, and transferred you to expedition duty… I know about that kind of thing, you know…"
"So… out of… well, maybe not pity. Pity is from people in a better place…"
"Well, it's partly pity."
But partly, it's because I get it.
That above you, there's even shittier…
"… Do you think the Abyssal fleet has admirals?"
The spoon clatters onto the table as Akebono's eyes widen in mixed fear and incredulity.
"… You're not thinking of…"
"No, no! I was just thinking… if the Abyssal fleet is formed from the regrets of ships, you know… maybe there were a few admirals with regrets, too…"
"Even if you have regrets…"
You stupid admiral…
"Even if you have regrets, I'm not about to let you go sink without fixing them first, you shitty admiral!"
"… Thank you, Akebono."