Danitz was in his room as well.
The fourth boatswain looked rather melancholy, sighing as he gazed at the sea outside his window.
"The captain and the others are back."
"I've noticed that ever since Rayleigh arrived, the captain has been even more indifferent toward me. Though she's always been like that..."
"I counted carefully. These past few days, she's spoken to me no more than ten times, while she's spoken to Water Bucket and Ironhide five or six times."
"So, in her eyes, have I fallen to the same level as those two bastards, Water Bucket and Ironhide?"
Danitz ruffled his hair, looking thoroughly distressed. "Even when she went to Glen Town to replenish our supplies this time, the captain wouldn't take me along. She wouldn't let me help investigate the people watching us, either. She said Jodson was better suited to the job..."
"I keep feeling that my standing aboard this ship has somehow fallen."
"So does the captain really not like men like me?"
Danitz stood up, took out a notebook, and tore out a page. "I know a method of divining someone's feelings. Even ordinary people can use it. I've always thought it was ridiculous, but right now, I need some guidance, or I'll go mad..."
He tore the sheet into several large pieces, then decided there were too few scraps and tore them into smaller ones.
Next, he drew a deep breath, his expression turning solemn and serious. Picking up one of the scraps, Danitz murmured, "The captain likes me..."
He picked up the second. "The captain doesn't like me..."
"The captain likes me..."
"The captain doesn't like me..."
"The captain likes me..."
"The captain doesn't like me..."
Danitz kept repeating those words, saying one phrase for every scrap he picked up. The scraps dwindled