Captain Morishita also knew about Kuroshima. As the senior staff officer, he was deeply involved in the operational planning of the Combined Fleet from before the start of the war. He was supposed to be a notable figure, even remembered by Admiral Yamamoto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet.

However, the reputation among the officers on the field was not particularly favorable. Especially in the Battle of Midway, there was a noticeable disregard of naval theories, such as dispersing the carrier forces and placing the battleship fleet far behind the mobile fleet. In the Battle of Midway, the early discovery of the enemy mobile fleet by the reconnaissance aircraft of the carrier Shōhō allowed for a decisive victory, or at least a close one. It is widely agreed that without this, the 1st Air Fleet at that time would have suffered a major defeat.

However, Morishita didn't get the connection between Kuroshima's death and the Shōhō.

So, he straightforwardly asked, "What does Senior Staff Kuroshima's death have to do with the Shōhō?"

Using a calm expression rather than invoking the word "curse," Morishita asked Yamada.

"Both the Battle of the Coral Sea last year and the current operation have the Shōhō as a decoy. It seems that Senior Staff Kuroshima was involved in the planning of both operations."

Yamada lowered his voice and continued, "In the Second Battle of the Solomons, the Shōhō and Zuihō were tasked with attacking the airfield on Guadalcanal to lure the American mobile fleet. The Third Fleet Headquarters at that time, which enforced this, was annihilated by enemy dive bombers. And now, this incident. It's a bit too coincidental. Many soldiers and officers are speculating or even spreading rumors about supernatural forces."

In the Imperial Navy, which is supposed to uphold science, there still exists a strong belief or fear of non-scientific deities, Buddha, or spirits. Many sailors are superstitious, and it may be that Imperial Navy personnel are no exception. In any case, if coincidences pile up one after another, it is not difficult to imagine that some will attribute it to supernatural forces.

"I don't know if the Third Fleet Headquarters at that time forced the Shōhō or not, but reading the combat reports from that time, the deployment of the Shōhō and Zuihō as decoys seems obvious. However, saying this, even if the Shōhō is called the 'Multi Shōhō,' magic or curses are definitely beyond my expertise."

"However, it is a fact that the Shōhō seems to be blessed. In the Battle of Midway, she should have been in a desperate situation, but she was ignored by the enemy. In the Second Battle of the Solomons, she avoided damage by being in a position far from the Zuihō. Also, in the Battle of the Coral Sea, while acting as shields with the Ryūjō, the enemy mobile fleet hit the flank of our fleet at that time which saved us. If the enemy mobile fleet had pushed out directly in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Shōhō and Ryūjō would undoubtedly have been sunk. And in the battle with the Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean, the Shōhō also survived unscathed."

As Yamada said, so far, the Shōhō has participated in all battles between mobile fleets, and she has never been hit. Nowadays, no Imperial Navy officer is unaware of the phrase "Yukikaze from Kure, Shigure from Sasebo, and Shōhō from Yokosuka." These three ships have gained fame as heroic or lucky ships in the Imperial Navy, but among them, the Shōhō is in a league of her own.

"It's almost a miracle that the Shōhō remains unscathed, especially being an aircraft carrier that should be targeted first. In a way, it can be said to be the work of a god or a demon. With such a ship, there are undoubtedly some careless ones who think it's easy to eliminate one or two people who have turned their fangs toward them."

While smiling bitterly, Morishita felt an indescribable emotion towards Yamada's words. It is a burden to have excessive expectations for a modified small aircraft carrier with limited capabilities, but on the other hand, being feared as a curse or haunted is also troublesome.

"It's a joy that the Shōhō is safe, but nothing else seems to be going well."

Sighing, Morishita received a nod of agreement from Yamada.

For Yamada, the Shōhō, whose reputation had become too prominent, was, to be honest, a difficult entity to deal with.