When we met again for the first time, I struggled to think:
Oh, where did she learn to eat like that, as such?
But every shipgirl in the Naval Base knew that it was her favorite past-time.
We shared such a pleasure - being Aircraft Carriers, we need to eat much more than the Destroyers or the Light Cruisers, in order to command the energy to defeat the enemy in great swathes.
It was, never my intention to show that I was happy while eating.
That eternal smile, natural even through biting, gnawing, chewing, was Content.
Perhaps, that was why she was popular in that aspect.
I was becoming quickly acquainted with the soft breezes that blew over the Naval Base, and the sounds started to become, familiar. Nostalgic. The Summer's sun had not yet sunk into the deep darkness of the horizon since I was assigned here.
We met at Houshou's - my stomach had guided me to that restaurant, knowing the smell of ramen that escaped from there.
She sat at the counter, and I could hear gushing noises as something delicious went past those lips of her's. There were plenty of shipgirls having their meals, and the inane chatter they made, could not overshadow the gluttonous noises that came from her.
I could not stop to wonder about that empty seat next to her, when the rest of the seats around the counter were packed with noisy Light Cruisers.
Akagi glanced over to the entrance from a humongous bowl, her eyes breaking into a thin smile.
Recognition. Why were my clothes the same, except in color?
Lunch was served with a loving smile from the middle-aged owner - aptly, it was cold noodles.
"Why don't you get something boiling hot, something simmering in oil?" - those were her first lines in a long time.
"It's summer."
A heavy cruiser in deep violet fell off her chair with a bottle of sake clenched gingerly in her white gloves. Akagi's slurping muted such a commotion.
"Want another bowl?" the kindly middle-aged ship acknowledged.
"Get us two each," I pointed at her empty bowl.