Necessary to Win: Paths Toward Victory
Prologue: Unanswered Questions
Shortly after the end of the school year, Japan held its biennial National Tankery Convention, drawing many who were interested in tankery, from enthusiasts to professional tankers, to coaches and teachers.
The event featured tanks on display, lectures, conferences, panel discussions, displays by various professional teams, and more. As it also featured discussions of current events in tankery, the events of the previous year's high school tankery tournament came up. The previous convention discussed Black Forest's first defeat in a decade, and naturally, the current one would discuss Oarai's victory after two decades away from the tournament.
Several of the attendees found themselves meeting old friends and old rivals, in hopes of understanding each others' different ideologies toward tankery and family, as well as the paths toward victory each one took.
In the Nishizumis' shared hotel room, Nishizumi Shiho, head of the Nishizumi School of Tankery, and her two daughters, Miho and Maho, prepared for the event. Shiho and Maho had come for their family school, while Miho had come for her own.
As Miho got dressed in a light blue skirt suit, she had mixed emotions. She had, over the course of the past year, started to love tankery again, so she hoped to be at the convention, albeit not because her mother had asked her to come. Yukari and some of her other friends from Oarai were coming, and she had hoped to go with them. She would be running a table for Oarai Academy, to provide interested people with information about the revived tankery team, but apart from those times, she would be with her mother and sister.
When her mother told her she was not representing the Nishizumi school, a part of her wondered if her mother was subtly distancing herself from her. But then she realized that she had not taken the step to disown her, and inferred that the worst had not happened. Perhaps her mother was starting to understand that she had a tankery style of her own, or at the very least, no longer saw Miho's deviations from the Nishizumi style as intolerable.
Shiho herself was also conflicted about the event, for reasons she did not let on to either of her daughters, much less anyone else. The head of the Nishizumi School had always attended the convention since its inception, and Shiho, who had accompanied her mother to those conventions since she was in middle school, was no exception; the Nishizumis had to do what they could to spread their teachings to those who were prepared to go as far as they could for their sake. And while this was not the first time that the Nishizumis had failed to win the high school tankery tournament, it was a rare occasion when they had not only lost twice in a row, but to one of the family. People would be asking them questions, and Shiho was no longer certain of how to answer them. The damage had been done, and scapegoating Miho was not an option, nor was casting her out of the family.
But the Nishizumis were not only about winning, but also about triumphing in unfavorable conditions. Whatever the cause of the previous two defeats for Black Forest was, Shiho was determined that the Nishizumi School would renew its winning streak and emerge stronger than ever.
Inside the hotel room, Atago Masae- head of the Atago family and school of tankery- as well as her daughters and niece, made their preparations- getting dressed, reviewing the schedules, and their notes for the convention.
Atago Hiroe, the eldest child and the girl who would lead the Atago School of Tankery in the future, stood in front of a mirror, adjusting the knot on her red necktie, which she wore along with a white dress shirt, navy blazer and skirt. From the first time she wore a necktie, as an assistant at her mother's school, she had always regarded dressing up as somewhat symbolic of being on her best behavior, something that was difficult for an outspoken and blunt individual like her.
Over the years, doing so had gotten easier in many ways, just as Hiroe had gotten to the point at which she could tie her tie herself, and had actually started to like the way she looked while wearing a suit and tie. While Hiroe was not especially fond of formal speech, she could easily show her mother the respect accorded to the head of the Atago School of Tankery while helping her teach her classes.
But Hiroe regarded keeping her opinions to herself as a bit like holding her breath- doing so was sometimes necessary to survive, but doing so for too long was fatal, in a sense. She had a great deal of respect for Maho's ability to be the perfect Nishizumi heiress for her sister's sake, and complete and utter loathing for Maho's mother for, among other things, the expectations she placed on her daughters.
"How do I look?" Hiroe said, as she stepped closer to her mother, her sister and her cousin, whose outfits seemed to match hers.
"Quite nice, Onee-chan," Kinue said.
"Thanks, Kinue," Hiroe said. "Have a good time managing the Pravda table; I'll be handling the Atago school table, as always."
Hiroe then turned to Hiroko.
"So you packed a suit, too, Hiroko?" Hiroe said to her cousin. "You don't have anything you have to do here, so I'm sure people wouldn't mind if you didn't dress up."
"Still, it feels only right to take this as seriously as the rest of us do," Hiroko said. "Thank you for bringing me along, Aunt Masae, as well as for making the offer to my parents."
While Masae's husband had work to do, her sister believed it was too long since she had been actively involved in tankery, and her brother-in-law was never interested, they thanked her for the offer. Masae had once said that her sister was one person she had in mind when she designed her school's curriculum, and she was glad that her husband and brother-in-law were supportive of her in her tankery-related endeavors.
"You're welcome, Hiroko," Masae said. "I'm certainly glad to bring family along."
"Yeah," Hiroe said. "Incidentally, I could see Aunt Masaki signing up for our adult training program. And Hiroko's aunt- not you, Mom- might be able to learn tankery for the first time."
"That's true, Hiroe," Masae said. "But several professional tankers also expressed interest in the program, which is why I established the Refresher Course as well as the Beginner Course. I, too, have much to learn, which is why I come to the convention time and time again."
Hiroe nodded, but realized that was not the only thing her mother wanted to learn.
Current events affected Masae differently than Shiho, but they were still on her mind. To Masae, there was nothing shameful about her daughters' and niece's loss in the semifinals, even if they had been disappointed. But in the aftermath of the battle, Masae's eldest daughter, Hiroe, saw a different side of Maho, one that Masae saw in more detail when she met with Maho in the semifinals. Maho and Hiroe had started a correspondence after the finals, becoming friends, as well as rivals. Miho and Kinue had also become friends, learning that they had much in common.
Having learned so much about a person she thought she had known all about over the previous half decade, Masae had to question how well she knew Miho's mother. As Masae had learned that there was more to Maho than met the eye, might the same be true for her mother? If Masae pitied Maho and Miho for being raised under Shiho's thumb, might Shiho have, at least at one point, been deserving of the same pity? And what would happen to Shiho's ideology after the events of the tournament?
On the convention center's main builidng, some reporters greeted the Atago family, who prepared to field the standard questions.
"Atago Hiroe-san!" one reporter called out. "Comments on your match in the semifinals?"
"My team and I did our best," Hiroe said. "It, as my mother would say, is a learning experience, and I hope to learn from my mistakes and improve my skills further in tankery."
The Atagos fielded a few questions, before eventually getting inside the building and out of earshot.
"Nicely done, Hiroe," Masae said as they got away from the reporters.
"Thanks, Mom; you too," Hiroe said.
"Although I do have to say that it's not entirely Hiroe's normal mode of interacting with others," Hiroko said.
Hiroe reluctantly nodded; for her, curbing her sharp tongue in the presence of the press did not come naturally, but she was gradually improving through practice and experience.
"Not any more than I usually wear a suit," Hiroe said, "although I'm gradually getting used to doing so."
"So did I, when I was not much older than you are now," Masae said. "The world and tankery have changed over the years, so we'll have to stay abreast of those changes."
Masae wondered where Hiroe would take the Atago School in the years to come, but was confident that whatever choices she made, they would be for the best.
Around the same time, the Nishizumi family made their way through the reporters to the convention center.
Several of the reporters called out to Miho, asking for comment on her team's victory. Miho shyly gave relatively standard answers, pointing out that she was glad to help her school, and that her friends deserved a large part of the credit.
Miho had expected all the questions, but let off a sigh of relief as she got inside, glad to be away from the attention. There were many reasons she did tankery, but fame was not one of them.
Maho knew that Miho dd not have much experience dealing with the press, nor did she want to become famous, but could not help but smile as Miho was given attention for something she had accomplished on her own, and that Miho could step out of her shadow. Miho would have to learn to deal with the public eye, but Maho concluded that if her sister had the determination to become a good commander in spite of her initial reluctance to lead, she would also be able to adjust to speaking to reporters.
Miho felt similarly. While nervous about the exposure, she realized that they were talking about her, as an individual, not as a daughter of the head of the Nishizumi School or her commander's younger sister. She knew that she could not have accomplished what she did on her own, but was glad to have succeeded independently from, and on standards other than those of, her family's school.
Shiho seethed with embarrassment as the press congratulated Miho for defeating her sister. Miho had not only gone against the Nishizumi style, but was serving as proof that it was no longer infallible. Shiho had foreseen this response from the public, but nevertheless found it infuriating to hear.
But in her calmer moments, Shiho could not help but feel a small amount of joy when one reporter, as ignorant of the Nishizumis' inner dealings as most who did not know a member of the family personally were, congratulated her for being the mother of the two commanders who made it to the finals, and that each of her daughters had triumphed. Hearing that reminded her of the way she felt after Miho's victory, when her preoccupation with the Nishizumi School faded from her mind for the moment.
During lunch on the first day of the convention, Shiho and Masae had business during lunch, leaving their daughters to eat by themselves…or, as a result of a chance meeting, with each other.
At lunch, the Nishizumi and Atago sisters met each other in the dining hall, as they carried trays of food and were looking for somewhere to sit.
"Hey, Maho, Miho," Hiroe said.
"Hello, Hiroe, Kinue, Hiroko" Maho said together.
The meeting was surprisingly amicable for the meeting of the heiresses of two opposing schools of tankery. Since the end of the tournament, Maho and Hiroe had become close friends while talking on the phone, and occasionally meeting in person, as Maho respected Hiroe's honesty, Hiroe respected Maho's devotion to her younger sister, and both respected the other's skill at tankery. Miho and Kinue had also become similarly close in the months after the tournament, especially when Miho shared her experiences as commander, enabling Kinue to accept her appointment as the new commander of Pravda's tankery team.
"It's good to see you made it here," Kinue said.
Hiroko looked around.
"Where's your mother?" Hiroko said.
"She's having a meeting over lunch," Maho said. "And Instructor Atago?"
"The same," Hiroko said, "although I don't think it's the same one."
Shiho and Masae had different orders of business.
Shiho was desperate to control the damage caused by her family's recent defeats in tankery, as well as Miho deviating from the family's style. It was becoming more and more difficult to preserve the status quo, but Shiho was not prepared to see tankery change just yet.
Masae, on the other hand, was discussing the launch of a new Atago school program that introduced tankery courses for adults- there was one for older students who wanted to learn tankery, and another for those who wanted to brush up on their skills. She believed that even if tankery had declined in popularity, there were those out there who wanted to get involved but didn't know how, and hoped that if tankery became more inclusive, it would experience a renaissance.
"Why don't you join us for lunch, Miho-chan, Maho-san?" Kinue said. "There's a table over there."
"Sure," Miho said, and the five girls sat down to eat.
Hiroe looked Maho over, noticing the black pantsuit and white dress shirt Maho was wearing, similar to Shiho's outfit.
"That's a pretty nice suit, Maho, but did it have to be in black?" Hiroe said. "We're not attending a funeral, you know."
"I've always liked black as a solid and appropriately conservative color," Maho said. "Many of Mother's suits are are of the same color and style."
Hiroe chuckled.
"I'd call you out on following your mother's example, but I have to admit, I've done the same," Hiroe said. "Mom often wears blue, too, and this kind of suit."
"Well, you look nice too, Hiroe," Maho said. "But I don't think emulating your mother is all there is to it; you seem significantly more open with your opinions and informal than she is."
"Yeah," Hiroe said. "I have to admit that while I'm less… traditional than your family, I have to keep in mind what others are doing. They didn't give specific requirements for the presenters, but most of the others who came representing their schools or their teams are dressing in business attire or dress uniforms, so here I am, in a suit and tie."
"Yes, I'm aware," Maho said. "The truth is that no matter who you are or what you do, you'll have to take into account the expectations of others to some degree or another while making various decisions, and go with the flow at times. The only thing you can do is to avoid becoming completely controlled by them or letting them change who you are."
"It's pretty much impossible to not be influenced by your circumstances in some way or another," Hiroe said. "Some people think I got into tankery because of my mom being a tankery teacher, and my response to that is that it's not entirely true. The truth is, I looked up to my mom, and because I did, I chose to get involved."
"And, much in the same way, I got involved in tankery because of my sister," Kinue said, before turning to Miho, who sat across from her and had been relatively quiet for much of the meal. "Did you ever feel the same way too, Miho-chan?"
"I did," Miho said, "until I realized my sister was going down the path she did so that I would not have to."
Maho nodded to concur.
"Of course, I do have to wonder how Miho would have fared in a family that practiced a less ruthless style of tankery," Maho said. "Maybe she would not have been driven to quit tankery. But maybe she would not have been inspired to find her own way."
"That's possible," Kinue said. "Whenever I'm in doubt, I tend to think of what my sister would do."
As Hiroe pondered the choices the two younger sisters of the group had made, she recalled the choice her mother had made long ago, as well as the reason Masae had asked her to seek out the Nishizumi sisters.
"Oh, and…" Hiroe said, "I almost forgot; I have a message from Mom. She'd like to meet the two of you and your mom for dinner. She has some questions about the Nishizumi School, specifically what influenced your mother into the person she is today."
Hiroe's relaying the message sounded forced, like the times when she had to censor herself and something tactfully. But Maho understood what Hiroe was trying to say, and nodded.
"Certainly," Maho said. "I will pass the message along to my mother."
"Thanks," Hiroe said. "Call me to let me know how it goes."
The Nishizumi sisters parted from the Atago sisters and Hiroko, preparing to deliver their message to their mother. While they knew it was possible that Shiho would agree to this request, if she did, the dinner between the families would be a far cry from the friendly lunch between the five teenage girls.
"I see," Shiho said, as Maho and Miho met up with her at the Nishizumi School's booth in the afternoon, passing along the message to her. "Although I'm not sure why Instructor Atago would be interested in speaking with me now, I will meet with her this evening."
"Why are you unsure about her, Mother?" Maho said.
"I had assumed she had made up her mind about me years ago," Shiho said, "and that we had effectively agreed to disagree, in a sense. I'm curious as to how that changed. But more than that, I'm curious as to what justifications she has for her own style of tankery. In any case, let her know that I'm willing to come, but that she should not mince her words or expect me to do the same."
"Yes, Mother," Maho said, taking out her cell phone and dialing Hiroe's number.
"Atago Hiroe speaking," Hiroe said.
"Hiroe, this is Maho," Maho said. "Is your mother around?"
Hiroe then handed the phone to her mother.
"It's me," Masae said. "Maho, did your mother get my message?"
"Yes, Instructor Atago, and she's willing to come," Maho said.
"Good," Masae said, before beginning to make the arrangements to meet, and steeling herself for what would likely be a difficult confrontation with Shiho.
"Mom?" Hiroe said, turning to her mother. "Are you sure about this? I can understand that you've misjudged Maho, but I doubt her mom's going to have a heart of gold hidden under there."
"Perhaps not, Hiroe," Masae said. "Still, while I created my school to avoid many of the Nishizumi School's shortcomings, I also have to question how much I really know about it, and how much Instructor Nishizumi knows about me."
"Instructor Nishizumi does seem to be interested in finding out, so perhaps the answer would be less than you expected, Aunt Masae," Hiroko said.
"I do have one thing I would expect from you, tonight," Masae said. "While Instructor Nishizumi can be difficult to get along with in the best of times, and tends to see even minor questions as slights against her school, please try to show her respect, even if she does not show us the same."
Hiroe sighed, knowing that the comment was directed at her.
"I'll do what I can, Mom, but apart from that, I can't make any promises," Hiroe said.
"It's not exactly easy for Aunt Masae, Kinue or I either, Hiroe," Hiroko said.
Masae nodded.
"There was a time, long ago, when I told my life story and my personal philosophy to those who had nothing but contempt for me, and also listened to them justify actions that I found unacceptable," Masae said. "I'm prepared to do so again tonight."
That evening, the Atago and Nishizumi families met for dinner, at a local restaurant. While not the most formal establishment, the two families were glad that they were dressed as they were.
"Good evening, Instructor Nishizumi," Masae said, upon seeing Shiho, "and thank you for agreeing to eat with us."
"It's not a problem," Shiho said.
Masae spoke in a highly formal tone; the few times she and Shiho had spoken after Masae had left Black Forest were done with acknowledgment of each other as colleagues. In spite of Masae's disliking many of Shiho's beliefs and decisions, and Shiho's general indifference toward Masae, they believed they owed each other a certain level of professional courtesy.
Masae then turned to Miho.
"Nishizumi Miho?" Masae said. "It's an honor to finally meet you. My name is Atago Masae, instructor of the Atago school of tankery."
"It's nice to meet you too, Instructor Atago," Miho said, bowing. "But, if I may ask, where did you hear about me?"
"My daughters and my niece told me about you," Masae said. "And after last year's tournament, when you saved the lives of the girls in those tank, and this year's tournament, when you defeated Black Forest, everyone related to Japanese high school tankery knows your name."
The seven were seated at a table, with the Nishizumis on one side and the Atagos on the other.
While waiting for the waiter to return and ask them for their drink orders, Shiho decided to get down to business.
"So, Instructor Atago, I understand you wished to speak with me, did you not?" Shiho said.
"That is correct, Instructor Nishizumi," Masae said. "In the two decades since we parted ways, I had thought that I knew all there was to know about you, or at least, all that I would likely be able to know. But certain events in the past year have left me not as sure in that belief as before."
"Are you asking about our consecutive failures to win the tournament?" Shiho said. "It's true that this is unusual, but I'm not sure what this changes."
A part of Hiroe chafed at Shiho's statement. As always, she found the Nishizumis overly obsessed with victory. But she also did not like the implication that Maho, her friend as well as her rival in tankery, was falling short of her standards. Maho's results were comparable to Hiroe's own- less than what she'd hoped for, but a good achievement by most people's standards.
"Well, for starters, you're going to need a new scapegoat this time now that Miho was on the winning side," Hiroe said. "With all the choices available, it'll probably be easier than admitting that maybe, just maybe, winning isn't everything, or that your school isn't the only way to win."
Shiho's expression did not change. The rest of the table turned uncomfortable, having difficulty contesting Hiroe's assertion but disliking her blunt tone in doing so.
"Hiroe, that was uncalled for," Masae said calmly yet sternly. "I apologize on Hiroe's behalf, Instructor Nishizumi."
"...sorry," Hiroe said.
Shiho's expression did not change, nor did she give any indication of accepting, refusing or even noticing Hiroe's forced apology.
"Do you disagree with your daughter, Instructor Atago?" Shiho said dispassionately. "I remember several passages in your book, specifically Chapter 4, near the bottom of Page 68 in the hardcover edition, in which you disparagingly refer to those who place victory above all else in tankery, even if you never referred to the Nishizumi school by name."
Masae was briefly left at a loss for words, having hoped Shiho would not see through her so easily.
"Aunt Masae is trying to keep things civil here, Instructor Nishizumi," Hiroko said. "I would appreciate it if you respected that desire."
"I understand that much," Shiho said. "But I also believe in the importance of honest communication, and your cousin said what was on her mind. So, Instructor Atago, please answer my question."
Masae sighed.
"I…I must admit that Hiroe did, in fact, say what was on my mind, only more bluntly than I would have put it," Masae said. "The passage was more specific to the Nishizumi School in the first draft, but my editor asked me to revise it. Of course, regardless of the wording, you have always known what my opinion is on the subject, have you not, Instructor Nishizumi?"
"Yes, I did," Shiho said. "It was always clear that you found us overly obsessed with victory, and were loath to make some of the difficult decisions that were necessary to win."
Masae bit her lip. While she had come to understand Shiho better, she realized it would all be in vain if Shiho continued invoking the Nishizumi school's doctrine whenever she was challenged. The only way she knew how to respond was to meet Shiho's rationalizations with the hard truth of what was on her mind.
"Do you want to hear about a 'difficult decision,' Instructor Nishizumi?" Masae said. Shiho did not respond, as she knew it was a rhetorical question. "My husband was given an ultimatum by his family while we were dating- break up with me or be disowned. He chose the latter, seeing parting ways with me as too high a price to pay to stay in the family, but he should not have had to pay that price- nor should Miho have had to adhere to your style of tankery to remain in your family."
"Who told you about this, Instructor Atago?" Shiho said.
Masae hesitated for a moment, long enough for Maho to react.
"I did, Mother," Maho said. "I encountered Instructor Atago during Miho's match with Saunders, and told her at that time."
Masae nodded, but decided to expand on Maho's answer, both to make a point and minimize the chance of Maho getting in trouble with her mother.
"Maho did not seek me out when she heard of Miho being threatened with disinheritance, nor did I seek her out," Masae said. "Chance brought us together as we watched the semifinals match, but a chance encounter was all she wanted to talk to someone about what she was going through, fearing that she would never see her sister again."
"Onee-chan..." Miho said, touched by how far Maho was going, and worried that Maho was risking herself by doing so.
"My opposition to threatening Miho with being disowned should she lose goes beyond tankery ideology," Masae said. "As a sister, I cannot condone separating Miho and Maho that way. As a mother, I would not even consider casting out my children over something like tankery. And as the wife of a man who was cast out of his own family, I know what it means for a child to be disowned. And I know the truly difficult choices are. My husband made a difficult decision when he chose the woman he loved over his parents, whom he loved as well. Maho made a difficult decision when she committed herself to become Nishizumi heiress so her sister could live freely. Miho made a difficult decision when she saved a tank, knowing that she would bear the blame of her team being defeated. Disowning one's child over a personal disagreement is not a difficult decision- how dare you try to characterize it as such!"
An awkward silence followed.
Hiroko and Kinue solemnly nodded in agreement. Maho, despite seeming conflicted, did not say anything against it. A surprisingly grim look of agreement crossed Hiroe's face.
Shiho remained silent, having expected Masae's outburst. There were many who disapproved of her methods. But if Masae seemed so convinced, why did she even decide to speak with her in the first place?
Masae then broke the silence.
"I'm terribly sorry... Hiroe," Masae said. "In hindsight, my scolding you must have seemed quite self-righteous and hypocritical after this tirade."
Hiroe remained speechless, but silently shook her head.
"No need to apologize to me, Mom," Hiroe said. "You said it a lot better than I ever could have."
"B-but…" Miho said, but then trailed off.
"Do you disagree with Mom, Miho?" Hiroe said, not wanting to believe that Miho could possibly be defending Shiho.
"I…" Miho began, unable to articulate a was unable to accept what Masae had just said, but unable to formulate a counter-argument. Even beginning to do so would require, as a starting point, declaring that what Masae said was wrong. Miho knew enough about her mother to know that she could not disprove what Masae had said, even if she could not accept that was the entire story.
"I don't think it's that simple, Hiroe," Maho said. "Miho is well aware of what kind of person Mother is, and what she expects of her. But while Miho cannot agree with Mother on matters related to tankery, and was not happy to hear about how far Mother would go to keep her in line, she wanted to avoid being disowned, because Mother is her family, even if there are lengths that she would not go to avoid that. I believe I told your mother as much. Is that correct, Miho?"
"It is, Onee-chan," Miho said. "I'm not sure if this seems foolish to Instructor Atago or Hiroe-san, but this is how I feel about my mother."
"Nah, I get where you're coming from, Miho," Hiroe said.
"No, Miho, I understand how you feel and sympathize," Masae said, more calmly. Masae then turned to Shiho. "But surely you understand, do you not, Instructor Nishizumi? That it is not a matter of Miho not valuing victory, or disregarding your threat to disown her, but valuing some things so much more?"
"Perhaps," Shiho said. "My methods may seem harsh to someone like you, who takes an outsider's perspective. Most would simply denounce me as a cold-hearted villain after seeing this much; I've heard much worse things said about me than what you and your elder daughter have said. But while what you said represents your true feelings, I have to wonder- why are you staying around after seeing this much of me already? After finding so much about me loathsome, what is your reason for wanting to learn more?"
Masae nodded reluctantly, as she was starting to understand where Shiho was coming from.
"I must admit that you are correct, and that's the point," Masae said, "I don't know what it's like to grow up in a family like the Nishizumis. While the way you have treated your daughters arouses my anger, I recalled that I once felt pity for them, and have to wonder- is it possible that you grew up the same way? What influences shaped you to become so ruthless and traditionalist? How could you seriously consider measures that would seem so unthinkable to most people?"
"Perhaps it may be time for you to find out," Shiho said. "But at the same time, I would like to hear more about you- the upbringing you've had that causes you to view the one I have received and the one I give to my daughters as unacceptable, and the experiences in tankery that caused you to found a different school from mine."
"I was hoping you would say that," Masae said appreciatively. "And I, too, will tell my story."
Shiho nodded. Her story would be a long one, and Masae would find many things about it unacceptable. But through this process, she would help Masae understand the mindset of someone ruthlessly dedicated to victory, and perhaps come to understand the mindsets of those she had dismissed as less committed.
Author's Notes
This is in a prequel of sorts to Necessary to Win, as it delves into the pasts of Shiho, Masae, Harue, Ami, Takako and Kikuyo, along with a few others that they meet over the years. It will be somewhat shorter than Necessary To Win, but will most likely be more than 100,000 words long by the end.
It will go into detail about Shiho, attempting to portray her in a more realistic light than many other fanfics. The fact that Shiho is arrogant, obsessed with success, and ruthless as a leader, teacher and mother will not be glossed over, but the factors that made her into who she is, and that motivate her will be addressed.
The character listing may not make it clear, but in this fic, Shiho is the main protagonist for the first and third Acts. The second Act will focus on ten years ago, when Harue and Ami went through the tournament and faced each other in the finals
The story works similarly to the Interludes, although the flashbacks will be in more limited third person point of view compared to the Interludes, and you won't see much of a character's thoughts unless they're a POV character. They're also limited by a character's memory, so expect the Unreliable Narrator to be in effect to an extent here.
The present day segments are meant to show the flow between scenes that are separated by months, if not years, and to show the reactions of characters in the present day; the storytellers may debate more than in previous Interludes. Several of the storytellers and listeners have recently changed dramatically, while others stand at a crossroads of sorts, and they often will draw insights from hearing the stories that will influence their future actions.
Incidentally, the story at present takes place in about the year 2015, if you're interested in the date, meaning that Shiho and Masae were born in 1975, the earliest flashbacks are in 1983, and so on and so forth.
There will also be some Character Analysis segments, giving insight to some characters from an author perspective, as well as shedding light on some of their motives and interpretation.
Character Analysis: Shiho
Canonically, Shiho has relatively little screentime for someone who has as great of an impact on Miho's life as she does- I count 10 lines of dialogue in the entire anime series, and not much more in Little Army, when she only appears in person for two out of eight chapters. It's typically not questioned that she is quite cold and harsh to Miho, but why she is, and to what extent is subject to interpretation.
Here, we will see some of the influences that shaped Shiho, including her upbringing and tankery training. They are, in some ways, similar to what her daughters went through- the latter is her attempt to recreate her childhood- but her daughters experienced many things she did not, and she experienced some of what they did not, with those differences being key to shaping them as the people they are.
While this fic will humanize Shiho to an extent, it will not shy away from showing Shiho's more ruthless side. Shiho is still fundamentally flawed, as her decisions are often influenced by arrogance, and she has a tendency to judge people by how much they can further her goals. Expect to see Shiho to make more than a few harsh and possibly morally questionable decisions, without feeling any regret. On the other hand, Shiho is not deliberately malicious, and does believe that her methods are for the good of those who are subject to them. Perhaps said good also aligns with that of her school and her ideology, but Shiho does not expect her subordinates and children to agree with her, merely to do as she says. She thinks they, by following her orders, will benefit as well.
Of course, Shiho is no stranger to criticism of various sorts, and knows that there are many people who disagree with her methods of tankery or raising a faimily. As such, while she doesn't take this criticism to heart, she doesn't take it personally, either. But this is a rare opportunity for her to hear one of her opponents explain her position, so she's willing to take advantage of it.