Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Girls und Panzer or any related copyrighted material. This is a blanket Disclaimer from here on out.
Girls und Panzer: Beschatten Wächter Abtrennung
Chapter 1
Panzer Versammeln!
Surrounded, outnumbered, and tied up was not a good thing to any male when facing down irate females. Yet, here he was, a young man who styled himself as a seagoing world travelling hobo. He was completely surrounded, outnumbered, and all tied up as the situation was getting grim. So far, though, the girls had yet to call the police.
'Probably wants to avoid a scandal,' he thought and then a light bulb went off in his head, though he kept his face clear as the student council president leaned in, her face right before his with a somewhat dark look, but also clearly calculating, 'I bet we can work out a deal, especially if I mix in a little blackmail.'
Then as she was about to lean out, he was quick.
"Look, I meant no harm, really I didn't!" he declared, he actually didn't mean any harm, "I've never been to this school before, no surprise there really," he gave a weak smile as though his joke was as harmless as it looked, "Otherwise, you think I would have taken that door and only went from the frying pan into the fire that readily?"
'Seriously,' he thought about the school was an all girls' high school and he was a teenage boy himself. Naturally, he wouldn't be attending such a school in the first place. Which happened to be his best defense to beat a pervert reputation and getting into some serious trouble with the law. After all, he heard that they actually threw such scum into the ocean, thanks largely to space issues and resources being what they were on a seagoing city ship.
Best he could hope for was time in a Japanese Prison when they reached land and that was only if they decided not to send him to Davy Jones' Locker.
"So you didn't mean to get a few free shows and possibly more?" the girl was again in his face and he could only groan in indignation and agony.
"I'm crazy, not stupid!" he declared, "Besides that, even a rumor like that could ruin my nomadic life! Folks like me trade more on a credit and word than we do with any other form of currency," he sighed, feeling helpless if he couldn't get this turned around, "So I have more to lose than gain by such a stunt."
"Huh," the teenage girl only replied, "Sounds like that's really important."
'Opening,' and he didn't have to play for it, "Yeah, it is! I'm strapped for cash all the time, but picking up things here and there, trading stories, carrying the legal bit of contraband," seeing the look on the girls faces, "Depends more on the nation, as you would be surprised how I could lose my head if I'm caught with the New York Times in a country that is vividly against Freedom of the Press," a thought came to mind on that, "I actually helped avenge this one guy I know, well, his brother actually," shaking his head, "The poor guy did nothing wrong, except have a book on him that was banned in one nation in order to maintain some crazy cult like control or something, crazy stuff like that," another shake of the head, "So a bunch of us got together and helped pretty much undermine that dictator and quite successfully, but you didn't hear that from me."
"Why not?" a nice looking girl with ginger colored hair asked, looking confused.
"One, who would believe me or one of the others or any of us for that matter in general," and the girl nodded, "And second, you know how big name nations are when a bunch of small guys do more than they do."
"Makes sense," the one girl I noticed that had a love affair with tanks, probably literally if she could get close to one, stated.
"Whatever," the president girl stated as she started to lean back.
"Um… Rumor has it you're planning something about the Sensha-do Competitions this year right?" it was the fastest I could think of, I did lose the opening, dammit!
"Where did you hear that?" the president girl looked cross and suspicious.
"I was sleeping in one of the holds you were poking around in earlier," I shrugged, too easy now, "You were hoping all the best tanks hadn't been sold off, since you weren't given much of a budget to restart after all," hopefully she'll read in between and from what I saw of her eyes, yep, she read me well.
I could see the look of realization flash across her face as she pulled me in. Now if I wanted to keep control, I had better be careful. Such were the issues of such a delicate discussion, especially more so when you had to come up with the right words on the spot and take control of the discussion at that right moment, if it ever came up that is.
"Whoa, WHOA!" I shouted loudly, "I know I'm in the market to eventually settle down, but don't you think a private discussion would be better?"
She knew I had her and she growled. Forcing me up was something of an issue; I could proudly say I stood at six foot even, a little under a couple of meters in height. I had so much height on her, it was rather sad I ended up in this predicament in the first place. Fortunately, I may have another out, just in case.
"Come on!" she dragged me down the hallway and found an empty room and promptly threw me in.
Or she tried to anyways.
The whole height issue came back and I only staggered. Something I was used to after all. Then she and her two fellow co-conspirators entered. I knew now only a straight talk would save us any of the headaches.
"Paper, pen, and pray your acting is up to speed," the young brownish-blond male stated before shouting about being roughed up and why his joke wasn't that bad.
The short in height, rust brown haired Kadotani Anzu indicated for the brown haired, well endowed, and more cautious Koyama Yuzu did so while the madam president began screaming her head right back for his words. The two were really going at it, making it sound so real as things were set in place, then acting on a moment that was just perfect, Kawashima Momo started yelling and even threw a chair against the door for added measure.
From the sounds of it, the girls gathered on the other side couldn't have backed up any faster than they were meant too. Then the four were seated, still going on and on with their acting, quiet most of it, then a voice would be raised and Momo would toss something or the sounds of someone getting rough would be made. Throughout it all they simply exchanged notes, the male, with a clear mixture of Asian and Caucasian would make a joke or two in a few and get some back.
The faces he would make, almost caused the girls to loose character and bust out laughing.
Momo did at one point that sounded scary to those still brave enough to be outside the door.
Then they got to the real business, once they were sure it was safe.
"Alright, what is your name in the first place?" Anzu demanded.
"I have a bit of a mix name compared to my appearance," there was a bit of chuckle, "It's Ryo Woodsmith, though I'm actually Korean-American, my mother was a Japanese-Korean woman and I lived in Japan for some years," Ryo shrugged here, "but I can't recall it since I was that young, but I was born in the good state of the Mariana Islands, so I'm a full American Citizen by birth, if I ever wanted to claim it that is," he shrugged, he rather enjoyed his nomadic lifestyle.
"I see, but you know something about our situation, more than mere words can convey on paper," Anzu stated, wanting to get to the bottom of this discussion.
"Yeah, the Oorai-Meiden is on the verge of being transferred to someone else when the school is closed," Ryo stated without preamble and the three girls blinked in surprise, though he wasn't surprise they didn't know the rest, "There are some, in powerful corners, after the City Ships for one dumb reason or another," he shrugged, "I did say I helped to overthrow a dictator, but now you know why we are tight lipped about involvement, which is how I came across some of you missing tanks."
"THEY WERE CONVERTED INTO WAR MACHINES?!" Momo shot up, her glasses styled monocle coming off in the process as her hands slapped down onto the table.
"Almost," Ryo stated plainly, "The Oorai-Meiden already has a scraping berth with her name on it and final sale pending when you close up at the end of the year," Ryo sighed as he leaned back, "I really hate guys like that, not only does it make my lifestyle hard, but it is just plain WRONG!"
"What about the tanks?" Yuzu pleaded, hoping their tanks hadn't gone to actual war.
Here, Ryo leaned back in, "I can have a number of them back in your holds inside of the time it takes to get to a dock and for me to get off and go to get them," Ryo then stood up and walked to view the world beyond the large window with his hands firmly clasped behind his back, "There aren't many, most were resold or were too old for continued use and so were either scrapped or place on displays around the world," he eyed the beautiful ocean and the city as well as the campus, truly a wonder of modern advancements, even if the Oorai-Meiden was an older class, "These particular ones were also supposed to be scrapped, but never were, they were to undergo a SLEP and get some modernized updates to them in all categories, yet they never did, so they sit, unused and thankfully in mothballs at a warehouse not far off our course, in Guam, my birth home."
Anzu walked up, she could tell he wasn't trying to act cool. His hands shifted, not in fear, but anger. She could feel it faintly, boiling just beneath the service and she could tell that their tanks and that dictator along with their home had more in common than Ryo Woodsmith let on.
Yet she heard of people like him. They espoused the ancient nomadic qualities of self reliance and aid. But his, his was personal, though it would bring him honor and respect in the nomadic circles; he had a personal stake in this. He was now being thrust forward into this position.
"The whimsy of fate? Perhaps chance?" Ryo stated, he could see her reflection well, "Mayhap it be destiny? But a deal, if made, will see you the tanks you originally owned and there won't be a thing the would-be owner can do, since by law and contract they shouldn't exist anymore."
Anzu made the deal.
There would be no charges on anything, including his being a stowaway and items he had taken in order to survive. Most nomads like him, styled themselves more as hobos, whatever and wherever that term came from, so they did steal a little. Then the ones they took from would often find money and a letter some weeks later in the mail or even something having been done at their workplace or some such.
Hobos, like their more noble nomadic counterparts, respected a person's word more than their name and made every effort to make it stronger than steel.
"I'll even throw in a job if you can handle it," Anzu stated and the other two girls practically bolted upright from their seats.
Ryo spared her a glance, before looking back out to sea, "Before I can handle it, I must first perform the work, shouldn't I?"
"Then you'll take it?" Anzu glanced at the foreigner, 'He can't be older than a high school student himself,' she thought of the tall, mixed heritage young male, his dark green eyes staring out, like a forest at night, she noted from his handsome, if average features, "Or do you want details first?"
"I'll take it," he stated plainly, "Wouldn't be fair if you didn't get something out of it besides a bunch of tanks that you'll likely have to sit on for a few weeks until they can be thoroughly inspected, sorted, organized, and then crews selected and trained."
Anzu was taken back, but she knew she had a winner as she bowed formally, "Arigato."
"Dōitashimashite," Ryo bowed back equally formal.
A few days later, to the complete surprise of everyone onboard, the rumors and announcement were proven true. The CSV Oorai-Meiden made port in the state of the Mariana Islands, the 52nd State of the United States of America. The ship ported on the island of Saipan and here people took the opportunity to get off the ship for a while as locals went aboard to trade and tour the vessel.
School-type City Ships never visited Saipan; the local schools were all land based and lacked the funding and desire for City Ships. So the Oorai-Meiden was making a first and despite being old, drew many people who remembered that 20 years of rather peaceful Japanese rule after the Germans, before Saipan and the rest of the Marianas joined Guam as a US territory after bloody combat took the islands away from Japan and became US Unincorporated Territory after the Second World War. Part of the ship's appeal to them, especially those who were of Japanese ancestry, was the fact that most City Ships appeared like Aircraft Carriers. In the CSV Oorai-Meiden, it could be she was designed to look like either a Hiyo-class Light Carrier or even a Fleet Carrier like the IJS Kaga.
The Imperial Japanese Navy did fight hard, but eventually lost the battles in the waters around the Marianas and before that, made regular trips through them.
The only attention the ship garnered from certain corners had been mild curiosity. After all, it was only a matter of time before the ship was lost to its current owners. Why complicate the matter?
"I have definitely have had better ideas in my life thus far," Ryo stated as he grunted, pulling the guard back into his guard shack and sitting him upright, "Geez, lay off the greasy fries or the heavy weights, whichever you do the most!"
As he thought and luck would have it, there was only one guard and a highly sophisticated security system. Though he was of the opinion that dogs and guards were better than computers any day of the week, period on that point, forget the 'twice on Sunday' part. Nevertheless, for a run downed looking series of warehouses, anymore 'real' security might have drawn attention. Yet he had to leave an official inquiry, 'Somehow anyways,' on why no one noticed the power requirements of seemingly useless warehouses that officially does not house something worth the sheer power generation.
Still it was a sweet setup. A power loss wouldn't have affected the place for long, but if left without an outside source of power, there would be 'considerations' to be considered. Plus the passive look of looking utterly useless and not worth a damn would have been especially good. Not that it mattered, as a security team would often check in right about now, but they were taking a nap in their vehicles.
That had been the really hard part.
"Damn glad I ain't getting asked how I'm taking the tanks back," then the main door opened, seriously, how simple it was to trick the system into thinking he was the entire inspection team while making it think a test was ongoing and not reporting anything differently than was the usual to the central control facility where the rest of the security was less than eight kilometers down the road.
After turning the lights on, Ryo soon learned something that was not part of the plan.
"Why didn't I ask myself how I was going to get them out?" it was a setup he wasn't anticipating or expecting, "I really should have double checked those papers when I had the chance."
Row upon row of tanks could be seen peeking out of an underground hangar, which meant only one thing…
"HANDS UP!" the interior guard had him at gunpoint.
"Dammit," Ryo complained before complying and the guard stupidly stepping forward before an elbow to the face smashed into him, "Damn glad they didn't ask!" and the brawl ensured.
Nishizumi Miho felt like crying as her fears became a reality. After a surprising visit ashore into Saipan, she had returned to the Oorai-Meiden. The following week, she started life at her new school and quickly found herself with two new friends.
Things had started out really well from there. She was no longer Nishizumi Miho that she was a year earlier; she was just Nishizumi Miho now. Hopefully that would be the beginning of a very new start for her. After all, no one from Oorai City or Oorai High School would really know it was her after all.
Then she had met two girls, Isuzu Hana and Takebe Saori. Not even quite at school and she now had two new friends. It was nice; both girls were quick to welcome her and were very kind. The two seemed to be complete opposites of each other, but were apparently friends themselves and wanted to support her.
Miho had cynically wondered how long that was going to last for her, before banishing such thoughts.
Hana was a beautiful young lady and was the tallest of the three, probably about 1.6 meters or slightly less tall. She had typical Japanese appearance, but in such a way that she could potentially be a model herself. In Hana, Miho had found a girl that spoke and acted very much in a traditionally proper way, but she was still a young school girl at heart with a friendly smile and a gentle look in her eyes.
If Hana was to be describe as being close to a traditionally proper lady of Japan, than Saori was the opposite! Sure she wasn't some tomboy or, thank the kami, some loose girl, but she was more of a modern city girl who knew what she wanted and liked. Unlike Hana who wore the school uniform as stock standard, Saori wore thigh length socks and in her own appearance, seemed to have foreign blood in her, given how her hair was a ginger color, though her eyes were more brown than ginger.
Also, Hana was reserved, but Saori was outgoing, yet in a friendly, if bubbly way.
Still, it was a good start to the day and to her new school. Things progressed rather normally and Miho had felt happy at having attended Oorai High School. She could be a normal girl for the first time in her life, not one of two heiresses to the famed Nishizumi School or carrying the forced fame of her last few years. She was just a normal girl and that made her happy.
Then came the announcement and showing about Sensha-do.
It was being restarted at Oorai. She had chosen this school because it didn't have Sensha-do! She wondered how long she could fly beneath the radar before someone noticed her. Miho had felt her new world about to shatter and she had no idea how right she had been.
The Student Council then came for her. They pretty much blackmailed and forced her into joining Sensha-do when she chose a different club to join. She was devastated and heartbroken, but then Hana and Saori stood beside her and joined with her. She felt relieved by that, having two friends that were going to go with her. They were standing beside her, they weren't asking questions, they were just there, being friends and with strength like that, she felt she could stand being in Sensha-do again.
If not for her new friends, the last two days would have been beyond her ability to cope. As it stood, she couldn't just transfer again, there was simply no way to do so. Financially, it was impossible, as was it academically, and morally… that was still open. Then again, her mother would have probably disowned her if she just fled.
The woman probably had already, same with her older sister.
So as she wandered on home she was surprised to hear an argument going on. It sounded like President Kadotani arguing with a boy, a teenage boy about their age if she wasn't mistaken, but she could be wrong. She hadn't met many boys about her age and there was something familiar about the voice. The way it shouted and argued, it was clear that the Student Council President had done something to earn the owner's anger and wrath, but the question was 'what?'
She couldn't resist, the familiar voice was comforting in a way. She heard her name brought up several times as she got closer. Carefully using the fading light, she spotted the two other members of the Student Council, the Vice-President who looked panicky and the PR Manager who looked composed, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety. As she got closer, she saw the short form of the President herself and a looming, larger form in basic blue coveralls. That was the male, but she couldn't see his face quite yet.
"I've made my decision!" Anzu shouted at Ryo, standing her ground and glaring up at the teenage boy, "We need her if we have any hope of winning!"
"You could have told her!" Ryo snarled back, his face briefly in the light, "She would have understood and could have a chance to think on it!"
"You said yourself that we don't have time!" the pig tailed teenage girl countered, "DAMMIT! You think I liked forcing her?! I hated every minute of it! Every second," her voice trailed off sharply, sounding defeated, but not in the argument, yet something else, "We need her and you know it. Stop fighting us on this. You promised to aid us, help us, but…" she trailed off, realizing just what might happen.
Ryo sighed, he knew this was going the wrong way. It was time to change that.
"Okay, I read you loud and clear, five by five," Ryo gave up, he knew how damn true it was that Miho was desperately needed and how she desperately needed Sensha-do to find herself again, "I don't like it, not one bit, but I know for a fact that she needs Sensha-do," a sudden punch into a nearby wall startled the girls, "I hate it, I will always hate it, how her mother just threw her away after she did the right thing."
Silence reigned, each lost in their own thoughts. It was a quiet reflection, the questions, the answers, the needs, the methods, the how too, all of it. It tore into each of them in a way that couldn't be fully understood.
Yet…
"The path is made, the course charted, a man must walk as such," Ryo stated as he turned and left, "I'll be there tomorrow unless something happens beyond my power, but I doubt it," he turned and threw a tired smile, "After all, if Miho is going to be forced into this, I have to be there to support her to my best and then a lot more from there."
"How do you two know each other?" the PR Manager asked, she was confused on that matter, he obviously knew the girl very well to react as he did.
"Couldn't you guess?" Ryo continued to walk away, "She's my ex-fiancé."
The three Student Council girls were dumbstruck and shocked and they weren't the only ones.
Miho had gone stock still. Her eyes wide as she saw the face, no longer the soft, chubby face of a little boy, but an average looking handsome face. It was the kind that could disappear in the crowd or be anyone's face. Yet to her, it was striking, with the deep jade green eyes, once so light and full of merriment, but now a darker shade that only she could see the concealed truths in them that tormented her ex-fiancé as the fiercely...
'No,' she thought with a sad shake of her head, 'Unlike me, he has every reason to hate Sensha-do more, every reason to resent me for continuing, but he wants me to continue...' she felt the tears sting, 'He wants me to succeed on my own strength and merit,' this confused her since she could see all that was there in the windows to the soul and why he should have hated the Art.
She knew too well the why too.
It was why they were no longer fiancés as arranged by their parents so many years ago.
Yet...
She felt a warmth in her chest that she hadn't felt since before then. Someone who saw Miho as herself and cared for her only as such. She could feel herself being happy about that, that it was her he was still seeing. Even after so many years, he was in her corner. He even said she had been right a year ago.
Pushing off the wall she had ended up leaning against without knowing it, she headed back to her small home on the Oorai-Meiden. She had a small smile on her face, as she held a hand to her chest. The tears of happiness she never noticed gently rolled down her cheeks as a shadowy figure observed quietly, a sense of contentment from the figure as it faded away.
For Miho, that night was a night filled of happy memories as she dreamed peacefully in her slumber.
The waking call of the bugle came too soon for those on the Oorai-Meiden. People were startled out of bed as someone blew Reveille as soon as the Sun began to peek over the horizon. The call for morning awakening went on for a good five minutes, ending precisely at 0605 in the morning.
Though it hadn't been a quiet tamper off, so much as the cannon roars attested to.
Then it was followed by a song that had people groaning and agreeing as they rolled out of bed to begin the day.
"I'm gonna find that bugler and I tell you, I'm gonna definitely put dynamite in his bugle at night!" Akiyama Yukari heard her father declared as she eagerly awaited the start of the day.
"What about the pup that wakes bugler up?" Yukari heard her mother asked with a smile on her face, though it was clear if that person was found, their lifespan just shrank dramatically.
"Why that is for you to decide dear!" Yukari laughed at her father's words and oh so innocent face.
Before Yukari or her mother could say anything, a sudden blast caught the Akiyama family's attention. The three shared a look and then they rushed to the nearest window looking out onto the street. They were just in time as a green mass of metal begin clanking down the street before stopping. Then a long barrel at the front elevated and...
-BOOM!-
"A M24 CHAFFEE LIGHT TANK!" Yukari squealed in joy as the olive drab green, nearly 20 ton, low pressure 75mm main gun armed World War Two Light Tank with 'Louisville Slugger' painted in white on the sides of the turret as it continued its roll down the street before stopping and firing off another blank.
"I'll be!" a man suddenly shouted, "They're restarting Sensha-do!"
Doors and windows slammed open as the little tank that stood at nearly 2.8 meters in height rumbled down the road. The vehicle then stopped, elevated its gun again, and it fired off another blank before continuing on its merry way. A sign on the back asked for forgiveness for the racket it was making, but most of the folks were just too excited at seeing the M24 rumbling peacefully down their streets and announcing the revival of Sensha-do.
Reizei Mako grumbled until she saw the tank passing by her home. It stopped and then fired, a most effective alarm for her to wake up in the morning. She took in the dimensions, the design, and the armament and for some reason, wondered what it would be like to drive something such as that little tank.
All over the place, people turned out to see or were talking about the little Light Tank that was rumbling through their streets, firing blanks off. It was one way to announce that Oorai Girls High School was returning to the Sensha-do matches. And a heck of a way to do it too.
Izusu Hana looked up as the tank stopped before her. It was such a squat looking thing, but it had some grace and fluidity in its design from what she could see. Then she saw the gun elevate and fire and at that moment, something stirred warmly in her chest. A feeling that she couldn't describe as she began her walk to school anew. A feeling as she looked over her shoulder to see that tank roll on, stopping, elevating the gun, and firing another blank that just grew with each shot and each increasing meter of distance.
She didn't look back forward until a pair of strong hands suddenly landed on her shoulders. She promptly turned to look forward and saw a grinning face. She epp'ed and leaped back and almost tumbled over, if not for those same strong hands that caught her and helped her regain her balance. Hana felt so embarrassed at the whole mess, but she did her best to regain her composure afterwards.
"My apologies," she bowed forward at once, noticing what looked like leather or suede pants and shoes, both of a tanish color with red, white, blue and yellow stripes and trim, "I should have been looking forward," she stayed bowed over only to hear the male chuckle and he gently helped to right her into standing.
Hana felt her face light up in a deep blush. The young male before her was about her age, maybe a little older. He had a handsome face with strong features of a strong fighter, though it was clear he was the merry making sort from the playful grin on his face. Another thing she noticed was the face paint, red paint stripped onto his cheeks and sitting under his eyes. He wore a blue, yellow, and white headband that held long hair to the sides, framing his face somewhat, but she could see he had a clear view to all sides.
She felt her eyes drop a little and her already deep blush turned positively scarlet at the fact that he wore only a tannish coat and waist cloth with a yellow and white belt blue sleeves and red marks decorated his bare and built chest.
Her mind had shut down until he spoke, his voice was deep and throaty, but held a gentle edge to it.
"I know that most men walk with shirts, but we do not," and Hana's eyes came back to his face and she realized he was Japanese despite his attire and look, yet she could have sworn she had seen his look somewhere else?
His eyes and hair reminded him of someone else for some reason.
"Okay," he turned his head and scratched his nose, "This is awkward."
"Ah!" Hana finally came back to her senses, "My apologies," she tried to bow again, only she couldn't, he held her firmly upright.
"No more of that, besides," he chuckled as he looked up at the Sun, "You're going to be late after all," and he stepped aside and she realized just what he meant when she saw another girl dash by, crying out about being late.
"AH!" she made a sound of surprise and then took off, not realizing that her sudden movement had given him a bit of a free show.
"Rather well mannered for a teenage girl," the young male chuckled before following, "Good looking too," he thought it over and shrugged, "Mother would say I could do worse than a flower girl, but the way she was looking at that tank, hmm?"
Perhaps she would take well to Sensha-do. The fact that she would show a response to every shot of the 75mm gun, told something. She was prim and proper, clearly from her hands and delicate stances, she was a flower arranger. And not a first generational type either, but several generations, which would still be good as far as his mother was concerned.
'Eh,' he mentally shrugged as he headed in the direction of the high school, 'Ain't got nothing better to do and that is the Louisville Slugger making the announcement,' he knew Ryo quite well.
They had eaten the same mud in the past and fought together against that dictator.
"Things are going to get interesting," the young male walked forward, drawing as much attention for his appearance as his size.
As the girls assembled, the could hear the Chaffee returning back. The rubberized tracks were a far cry from the steel clanking of other tanks. The vehicle rolled on into the field area they were assembling before a row bricked warehouses with steel doors and armored windows.
Talk and discussions were breaking out in private groups. As the M24 Light Tank moved to find itself a parking space, several girls were wondering who was driving it. The AFV was handled expertly by the driver as they chose a spot a little ways away. The tank soon came to a complete stop once it had been parked with all the ease of a compact in an empty parking lot.
Or so the girls thought until they spotted the tank next to it.
Or rather the...
"AN M18 HELLCAT TANK DESTROYER!" one lone, brunette girl shouted in surprise and excitement, "One with a 90mm main gun no less! So cool!" she held her hands in front of her chest as she danced about in happiness.
Hana only giggled behind her hand at the girl's actions. Though she had to admit, the two, with their olive drab green paint and pure white stars on the hulls did have an allure to them. They were built with graceful lines and gentle edging and her eyes, not used to tanks as they were with flowers, nonetheless noted the care and attention put into their construction and arrangement.
The two AFVs looked like someone had been tending real well to them as of late as they both showed a shine that she could swear that they hadn't shown in years.
"Louisville Slugger, the Woodsmith Family Tank," Miho suddenly spoke with her eyes fixed upon the smaller AFV, "An actual combat tank from the Second World War that saw some actual combat before it concluded and continued to see combat off and on for decades thereafter before it somehow found itself back in the hands of the family that built, tested, and drove the tank into its first and second wars," a wistful smile was on her face as memories came back, "The last time I saw it, it had a 76mm gun in place of its original 75mm gun, a result of its brief use in the army forces of Chile."
"You know that tank?!" Saori was surprised at her friend's look and knowledge.
"Hai, I do," Miho replied as her eyes took in the tank, "The 76mm gun was replaced with the original 75mm gun and it was rebuilt briefly as one of the earliest Sensha-do tanks and despite the years, it still fought hard, even shooting the tanks of my great-grandmother and her daughter later on, out from under them."
"So as a tank, it has character, culture, and a long history behind it," Hana summed up, feeling most honored to see a real tank from the middle 20th Century right before her, then she focused her eyes on the larger Hellcat, "What of that tank?"
"Tank Destroyer actually," Miho corrected, though the mistake was easy to make, "Known as the Flowing Mist, it belonged to the Atsugi Park Clan, a clan of Koreans that moved to Japan decades ago and are multi-generational Korean-Japanese."
"Eh?!" Saori was surprised, "So we have two other families who are expert in Sensha-do?!"
That caught attention, but Miho was quick to correct her new friend.
"No," Miho shook her head sadly, "Both fell into decline years ago with both tanks having vanished," the driver's hatch on the Slugger popped open and two arms reached out and began to pull, then push the body of the blue coverall wearing male out of the tank, "As such, the two were rumored to be with the one who seeks to restore both names, Ryo Woodsmith, the third son of the Park-Woodsmith union between two well placed members of the two families," Miho looked ready to cry as the tanker helmet was removed and several of the girls gasped in recognizing the male as he put the helmet back into the tank and then dropped down to walk on over, "RYO!" Miho suddenly left her friends and ran to and threw herself into the teenage boy's arms, who happily accepted the leaping hug.
"Miho!" he called out, actually having to put a foot back to keep from toppling over, "Dang girl, you got tough while I was away!" the green eyed blond smiled fondly at his former intended, "And plenty beautiful too," his voice had gone soft, showing he didn't want the others to hear him.
"I see our Chief Mechanic has arrived," Anzu announced as she stepped forward, flanked by her two subordinates, "May I introduce, properly this time, Ryo Woodsmith, from the famed American Woodsmith Family, but his mother also comes from the Atsugi Park Clan and therefore, the Flowing Tiger School of Sensha-do!" Anzu panned her hand at the young male who came to parade attention before standing rigid and bowing before all the girls assembled.
"I am Ryo Woodsmith, traveling tanker and son of the Woodsmith and Atsugi Park Families," the male then came up, "I'll be both the Chief Mechanic and a source of advice should you wish to seek it out," the girls were already speaking to one another when he finished off, "I am most honored that you would put your lives into my care," he said with another respectful bow, "I will ensure your tanks meet and exceed your standards and carry you to victory!"
The girls began to chat amongst themselves. Saori especially spoke with Hana on the subject, even as Ryo switched to parade rest and awaited further instruction. Anzu knew the commotion it would bring so she decided to bring things under control.
"Chief Woodsmith over here please," and the male smartly turned on his heel and marched over with military precision, "Nishizumi-san, please return to your group, you two will be free after we get things started to talk, understood," two acknowledgements and Anzu clapped her hands happily, "Then let's get class started!"
With that announcement and a brief welcoming and thank you speech, the two steel doors behind her swung open to reveal... a place of junk and stacked boxes with a single beat up and ill-maintained Panzer Mark IV-D.
"Huh?!" one girl gasped at the sight.
"Where are all of the tanks?!" another cried out in surprise.
"Sorry, but this is it," Ryo stated with a bit of wince, "I haven't seen a tank that bad in years, but what do you think Miho?"
All the girls blinked in surprise at his use of her personal name and no prefix attached to it.
Miho walked forward through the group and placed her hand on the Mark IV. She carefully eyed the tank with the great practice she has had over the years. She could see much in those few moments. Yet she also felt something, a little spark of something she couldn't begin to explain.
"The Werke-Nummer on it states it's an authentic original from the Bavaria All Women College," Ryo stated a bit as he looked up at the tank, "But the hull and turret themselves come from a Mark IV that was knocked out in France in 1940, converted later to StuG IV about 1944, and then restored to a Panzer Mark IV later that year before escaping the Battle of the Bulge, and eventually being driven home by the crew, who lived in Bavaria, in 1945 where it sat in a specially rebuilt barn until the Bavarian ladies found it by chance and restored it back to its fighting capacity as a Competition Tank," he chuckled here, "Actually knocked out Slugger once in a match and was in turn knocked out by Flowing Mist the next year who was knocked out by Slugger three matches later, and that concludes the how my two families met themselves story."
"Wow!" a girl called out in surprise.
"So romantic!" Saori chimed as each girl made their own contributions to which Ryo sighed, glad he didn't mention how his folks met.
He'll never hear the end of it!
"The armor and treads of the tank are okay," Miho suddenly said, gaining attention, "We can work with this tank."
"But it has so much rust on it!" Saori declared and a couple of other girls also complained about the poor shape, though Hana called the rust 'culture' and 'character' which honestly surprised Ryo as he knew few would think about rust on a tank like that.
"It can still work," Miho stated confidently, "It just needs to be cleaned out," Miho's nose though automatically wrinkled in thought of the smells she was likely to find.
"Already aired the crew compartment earlier," Ryo stated with some disgust on his face, "I wish you didn't think about the smell. It took an hour just to get where I could cover it up this morning and I pretty much had to air myself out last night."
"That long?" Miho looked surprised.
"That long and sealed shut believe it or not," Ryo shook his head, "It took me almost three days to even get into a position I could pop the seals and another day just to pry the hatches open, but I can safely say they don't make them like this anymore," he patted the big boy's armored flank, ignoring the grime and dust and dirt and what else there could be on it, "Just needs some TLC and a good bath and I promise you, he'll sing like he's the best solo since the mid Twentieth Century."
That remarked earned him some ire from the girls behind before Anzu brought the group back to attention.
"Okay, enough about the hottest singers," Anzu interrupted, though one wouldn't know it, the three Councilmembers agreed with Ryo, "We still have to go out and find the other tanks after all."
"What?" one girl with glasses made the intelligent question.
"Find?" another girl about the glasses age.
"What do you mean?" Saori inquired and Momo stepped up.
"We have so far only the Panzer Mark IV here," she indicated the battered tank, "We'll still need at least four other tanks for this many people," before anyone could object, "The two AFVs-"
"Armored Fighting Vehicles," Ryo supplied to the girls who didn't know.
"-outside belong to Ryo and cannot participate at this time because they haven't been configured for some time to participate in Sensha-do matches," Momo finished her brief.
"As such," Anzu stepped forward again, "You will have to go out and find the others, because in all honesty, when they shut the Sensha-do class down, they did it half-assed and no one kept any straight files on what happened to the tanks."
The girls suddenly turned to Ryo, as he knew the Mark IV's history.
"I found an authentic manufacturer's plate from a company that made Panzers during World War Two," Ryo shrugged, "I just traced the number on it, but it didn't tell me how he ended up in Oorai or even why, beyond the obvious," he shrugged again, "It is a mystery that the Prez has me digging into on the side and hopefully to find some more of the tanks, aber bisher nichts," he finished in German.
"So we have no other tanks," another girl, he guessed they were fresh from middle/junior high school, whined at the thought of it.
"Well I did actually know where to acquire a couple of Oorai's sold off tanks," Ryo shrugged as the girls looked hopeful, "But they should have been scrapped according to their papers, but weren't, so I just had them brought back aboard, due to breach of contract that resulted in the tanks being recycled back to the original owner, that being Oorai Girls HS according to all documents thus far recovered," Ryo simply shrugged again, and was getting tired of it, "But to make them worthy of competition we have to go through the proper channels, so they might not be immediately available for some months if not a few years, don't ask, it's all politics and red tape and I gave up figuring that nonsense out years ago."
"What kind of tanks?" the girl in the Afrika Korps uniform tunic and officer's peak hat inquired.
"A StuG IV Assault Gun, a T-44 Medium Tank, there is a M24 Chaffee Light Tank in the mix too, a M10 Wolverine TD or Tank Destroyer, an Infantry Tank A23 Black Prince, and finally a Cavalry Tank A24 Centurion Mark I, later redesignated in later Marks as a Universal Tank and eventually Main Battle Tank that served with militaries and still serves with some militaries to this day, the more famous is the South African Olifant," Ryo listed off and stated in a single breath, much to the girls' collective surprise.
"None of which matters until the paperwork can be sorted out," Anzu stated and sighed, that was mostly going to be her thing, fortunately, they had a legal department and could hopefully have them in action much sooner, "But either way we have to start searching for the other tanks, so with this one, we need only to find four more, but if you find others, please let us know and Chief Woodsmith will make preparations to recover them later."
"That I will," the brownish-blond teen stated, before remembering something, "OH! If any of you find paperwork or plain just anything related to the school's Sensha-do, also bring that along or notify me and I'll inform the Prez, since she plans to -hopefully anyways- to get a museum up and running about past teams to give you better traction for later years."
"That and the paperwork will most likely help you," Yuzu added and Ryo sighed.
"I hate paperwork," and all the girls started giggling as they simply started to head out looking for the missing tanks.
"All you sure that there are still some others?" a girl with a red scarf asked the Student Council.
"Yes, we are, somewhere," Momo stated.
"Have fun!" Anzu called out, "We'll be coordinating the effort from here!"
Once all the girls had left, Ryo stepped up next to the diminutive Student Council Prez, "You are sure there are a few left, right?"
"We found some paperwork that indicates about eight or nine tanks still left at most, besides the Mark IV-D," Momo explained and Ryo nodded and walked over to a parked jeep, hearing Saori complain about needing to go and find tanks.
"Miho gets the Mark IV," Ryo stated without looking back, "When she feels she can command, it will be a good tank for her."
"Already planned it that way," Anzu waved off his concern, "She's used to Mark IVs, why change that?"
Five minutes later...
"What possessed you to think that you could find something like AFVs in a Parking Lot?" Ryo could see Saori's face light up in embarrassment and he had to rein in the urge to massage his forehead and instead chose, "Where are planning to go next?"
"The forest!" the new girl, Akiyama Yukari shouted with the all excitement of a girl who should be half her age.
'Takes all kinds,' he could also see this was her first time really interacting with peers of either gender for whatever reason, "Climb on, I'll give you a lift as far as the Jeep can go."
"WOW!" Yukari gushed, "Is it another battle hardened veteran of past wars?"
"Vintage Korean War manufacture, but only saw service in the English countryside as Military Police vehicle," Ryo stated, "This old boy actually belongs to the school itself and the paperwork is even accounted for," then he thought about it, "For the most part anyways."
The four girls giggled as they climbed in, found spots for themselves. Miho had taken the passenger seat right next Ryo, smiling at him which he returned, both oblivious to Saori's face of thought. Said girl though, joined Hana in the back, while Yukari happily hopped onto the front of the Jeep and sat down eagerly on the hood much to Ryo's good nature laughter.
"Hold onto yer skirt up there wee lass," he called out to Yukari who excitedly responded affirmative giggling at his bad attempt at a Scottish accent, before he turned to the two girls in back, "Same for yer t'o," before turning the engine over and with a call of "Hang on tight! Seriously!" he put the Jeep into gear and began to drive off when he felt the back bounce with added weight.
"Okay fella," Ryo didn't take his eyes off the road, "you better have a good reason."
"Of course I do!" the boy Hana had met earlier called over the wind, "But how'd you know it was me?"
"In that outfit!" was the only response.
"Right."
The group of First Years had gathered in the library, looking for the tanks. They figured they'd look through the books there. Strangely, pages were missing from books, as were entire books and even volumes. They had found a painted over sign that indicated where the school's Sensha-do documents were supposed to be, same with the roll call of past teams, information on the tanks, and just about everything else too.
They found it strange, but they at least had information to start looking for and they would inform the Student Council and their Chief Mechanic about the rest later.
"How did a tank wind up here?" Kondou Taeko wondered as they followed a hot lead to where a tank might be.
The place they were looking for was high terrain and the signs of tank training were clear even now. Though it was also clear that someone really went out of their way to hide it. It was a forested area on the 'mountain' tops of the mobile city. From the looks and the information they were passing back to 'headquarters,' Ryo and another boy stated it sounded like the old Fortification Training Site.
Apparently tackling fixed fortifications had also been a style of matches years ago, but had fallen out of favor for some reason. The two did report, along with Miho, that it was starting to get back into favor, largely to re-enact famous battles of the past. The remaining volleyball club members could see how that would require a tank with a 'hull mounted gun' and 'duck tailed rear' that drove up to train, but never came back.
"The description is pretty lame," Ryo stated over the cellphone's speaker, "But if I was betting man -which I am-, I'd say a Japanese tank, likely a Type 89 series."
"How do you guess that?" Sasaki Akebe inquired, as the girl passed a ball between herself and Kawanishi Shinobu.
"The paint sounds either British North African style or Imperial Japanese Army standard," Ryo replied, "And the description of design is not British, especially with a 'duck tail design' involved."
"Right," Isobe Noriko nodded, though Ryo couldn't see it, "We'll call once we find it and send a picture of it too for identification," she ducked under a low branch and stopped, "Um, Chief Woodsmith... Would there still be unexploded tank bullets laying around," she eyed the strange device in front of her.
"Called shells actually, but you can simply call them rounds and that depends on if they ever did clean up," Ryo could be heard getting nervous, "Just watch where you step, most should have been solid slugs not high explosive shells and I'll call the Prez to call the Police and have an EOD team from the JSDF fly out and clear it later, but pull out at once if you feel it's too risky!" Ryo's voice was hard and firm on the matter, "Can't play volleyball particularly well with a peg leg or claw."
"Thanks, we will," Noriko carefully stepped back and the girls were now on alert, tense as the moved about the forest, thankfully, for safety reason, the mines were never live, only full of confetti and harmless blanks and they had all been accounted for...
In theory.
The four girls that made up the historical group, Ryo and company had been unsure if they were a club or not, were speaking to an old woman. She herself never really liked the idea of Sensha-do, but remembered the pride it installed in girls who participated. The old woman remembered that her late daughter had brought a tank, she had died in a traffic accident only a couple of years ago. The tank she described lacked a turret and was still on the family plot, she showed the girls where too...
At the bottom of a pond.
"That's correct," Erwin, real name Matsumoto Satoko reported to the Student President, "We can access, yes," she confirmed to Anzu, but since the earlier scare, "So Ryo will drive out with diving gear then, very well, though we would like to see if it is still here," Erwin requested and was asked a question, "Those who had closed down the school's teams before didn't want a tank just laying around, but they apparently might never have bothered to recover it."
Already Nogami Takeko, nicknamed 'Oryou,' was probing the pond bottom with a makeshift device to hopefully hit the hard top of a tank which would be a lot different from the steel plate of the ship.
"Yes, thank you, Oryou is already on it," then the girl in question seemed to slam the pole into the water and a hollowed sound came back, "Found something," Erwin reported and she then smiled, "Right, we're wait, thank you for putting faith in us. Very well, see you soon as well," she hung up, "The madam President has given us leave to wait until Chief Woodsmith arrives with diving gear," each girl was diving certified, "and then we will see what we have."
"Why the delay?" Sugiyama 'Saemonza' Kiyomi inquired with an annoyed tone, though she was trying to be respectful, "We could dive now and confirm."
"The girls looking for another tank in the mountains came across unexploded ordnance and the Student Council felt it wise to take precautions," Erwin supplied and the girls nodded.
"I brought tea and crackers," the final girl, everyone called her Caesar, but her real name is Suzuki Takako, stated as she pulled the items and a blanket out as the old woman came back with some herself.
"Oh my, did you find it?" the woman inquired kindly, she would rather see her daughter's tank put to service, "I just found the documents too," the woman gave them to Erwin and the girl opened them up to have a look.
"Yes we believe- WHOA!" Erwin was quite surprised, "It's not a tank! It's an Assault Gun! A StuG III-F with assault gun no less!" she bowed most appropriately along with the other girls, "ARIGATO OBAA-SAN!"
"Oh my!" the old woman giggled at how polite and excited the young girls were.
"This way!" one of the first years called out and waved her light and together the six girls headed down another corridor.
They had found what they had been looking for in those books. The location of just one tank. That was good, but they could make out information, if disjointed, that others could be found. Once in the hands of the Student Council, they just might find more tanks. It was definitely worth a shot.
"This corridor next!" another called before adding as her light revealed something, "Watch your step! It looks like maintenance hasn't been down he- LOOK!" her light revealed the signs of a tank being moved through as the tank hauler was still parked where it had been left and there were tracks from a tank's treads in the dirty floor.
"HOORAY! We're going to find it!" a third girl called out and they began to move carefully, unaware of a pair of lazy eyes watching them as they went.
Once the light was gone, the owner of the eyes stood up. Looking to where the girls went, it merely cocked its head and then shook it. Then it stretched, popping bones in its back before moving in a circle and then laying back down, wrapping its tail around its head as the house cat yawned and went back to sleep.
"So you're Miho's older brother?" Saori cocked her head to the side slightly in disbelief.
With a sigh, Nishizumi Hiro wondered why it's always has to be that! So he was short for a guy! What was the big deal? He could take a man out that was nearly double his size and had done so in the past. He was an accomplished marksmen and graduated from college, of all places, already before he was 15 years old and was also aircraft pilot as well.
"Why is it always about my height?" he asked the heavens aloud, but turned to Hana's giggle and saw how she found the by play entertaining, "Well, at least I know how to keep the ladies smiling!"
Yukari was giggling herself with Miho off to the side. It had been a truly touching reunion between big brother and little sister. Miho had been overjoyed to see her long lost big brother who had left home years ago. He and their mother had had a major fight and he had simply packed a bag and stormed out and had never returned.
Later they had been informed he had died, but then a letter turned up revealing he was fine and was in good health. He had simply ran afoul of some troublemakers and had to address the issue. He would return when he was done and good and ready again.
Teasingly, he had added, 'Hopefully with a wife!'
Their mother threaten to tear more than a strip of skin off when he finally did return.
Giggling the last out of her system, Miho turned to face her brother. She had a serious look on her face and he wondered what it could be. When Miho got serious, he took note as unlike their mother and sister, she just didn't take to getting serious as a full time job.
"Brother," Miho measured her words and he wondered what she was going to say, "Why are you dressed without," her face flushed, "without," she couldn't just say, "WITHOUT A SHIRT ON?!" she shouted out, her face really heating up in the silence that followed, "Sorry," she looked away, nervous.
Hiro looked at his sister for a few moments, before he busted up laughing. He couldn't stop himself even though it was clear he was trying. After all these years, the first thing she would ask about would be the shirt or rather lack of a shirt. Their mother and sister would have been a bit more interested in his general appearance and then start tearing into about the fact he was bare chested. It was why he loved Miho the most. She had her priorities straight.
"Hiro joined an actual nomadic tribe unlike myself," Ryo provided, finally off the phone with Yuzu, "They have their own city ship, but not land city, which suits them fine, but they pretty much bring everything with themselves as well."
"A simple people really," Hiro added with a fond smile then he stuck a thumb at himself, "I've actually made a warrior of myself in their eyes and as such, I'm a member of the warrior ranks," he smiled widely, "I already got two wives too, bet mom never saw that coming!"
"NANI?!" the four girls shouted in surprise so loudly that animals took to running or flight.
"What was that?" Yuzu wondered with a tilted head before shrugging.
Both Anzu and Momo shared a confused look before going back to their discussion.
"Geez, come on!" Hiro was trailing behind his sister now who was royally pissed.
"That wasn't funny Hiro!" Miho made a point not to look at her brother as she stomped through the trees, "You said in your last letter you would bring back a wife."
"I was up for consideration to marry the chief's niece at that time!" he declared and Miho suddenly came to a sudden halt, causing Yukari to crash into her.
"What?!" the girl spun on her heel to look at her brother as Ryo and Hana helped Yukari back to her feet, "You were serious?!" her eyes were wide like dinner plates, "Mother said you were only teasing her, which sounded like you!"
"Admittedly true at the end there, as it does sound like me," Hiro rubbed the back of his head as he looked up and off to the side, before turning back, "But I wasn't kidding," he took a picture out that showed him and a beautiful girl, slightly older than him in the picture, "I did marry her," his smile soft, his eyes glazed in remembrance, "I had just earned my status as a new warrior among the Kutolah and so I was selected to marry Enkhtuyaa, which means 'Ray of Peace' and is a good name for a battle tired warrior to come home to or just to find the way home."
"So it was arranged?" Saori tilted her head in curiousity.
"Kind of," Hiro admitted sheepishly, "We pretty much lived out that fairy tale story of the lone traveler being found and rescued by the nomadic princess and I came to be her personal tactician and later her suitor and then husband."
"Saved that city ship from a band of pirates and scrap metal dealers with a bigot edge to their minds," Ryo snorted in memory of the two groups, "Some Chinamen, they wanted the fleet for the metal value and to kill off what is a mix tribe of North American tribes and Mongolian nomads."
"WHAT?!" Yukari and Saori looked incensed at the thought of a city ship being merely scrapped while Hana's eyes narrowed at the reference of racism.
"That can't be true, not today," Miho looked horrified on both counts, but all four girls were angry about it.
"Unfortunately it is very true," Hiro stated with a hard edge in memory and Miho was shocked to hear it, "There are always bigots about, didn't realize I had started to develop a bigotry edge myself until I had it laid before me and I can't even begin to describe how disgusted I felt."
"Hmm," Ryo was strangely silent before speaking, "Most cultures try to uniform, even today, their people. That builds, of course, an underlying disdain for other cultures, but it has been changing as of the last hundred and fifty years, give or take."
"Yes," Hiro agreed, "Until I travelled, as you know Miho, we never encountered an African for example," Miho could only nod, "True we've encountered Europeans and other Asians and the occasional Pacific Islander, but never someone from Africa or South America and even the rest of Asians nor the Eurasians that exist up in Eastern Russia and Mongolia itself," Hiro indicated where North was, "As such, when I did I didn't know how to properly act and was quite insulting and rude, but then I had it laid before me and I realized how wrong I was and learned and became better for it."
"Hiro learned that bigotry isn't just a White Man's game, but can be found in all parts of the world," Ryo explained, leaning against a tree with arms folded, "As such being American by birth, I had early exposure to people of all racial backgrounds from the world over early on and their accomplishments that helped to build America into a strong and great power for a nation still so young."
"I see," Miho replied, now that she thought about it, aside from the Woodsmith family, she never really interacted with many others, even...
"A world journey was just what I needed," then he pulled out a few more pictures, showing him and another girl, one slightly younger,"My other wife is named Bolormaa, meaning 'Crystal Woman,' don't ask, even I still don't get, but man is she like having a fine crystal in hand," Ryo chuckled at Hiro's look, not that he blamed him and eyed Miho out of the corner of his eye.
"You're... you're... you're..." Miho looked ready to have a mental shutdown.
"I'm also a father as these photos prove," Hiro held them up, showing a pair of boys and a girl, and Miho looked like she was shutting down from the information download of having two sisters-in-law and two nephews and a niece.
"It is their way Miho," Ryo came to the rescue, "They'll actually beginning to show less stock Native American and Mongolian these days as they are an open people, but they must always be respected as well, but very few still join the ranks as they are very picky about the qualities of character more than anything else."
"Well, none of this will help us find those tanks," Hiro put his pictures away, "Miho can grill me later."
"Agreed," Ryo pushed off his tree.
"Then let's go!" Yukari pumped her arm and turned pointed down the path they were on, "Panzer Vor!"
Saori who turned to looking at a map with Miho suddenly whirled on the Yukari with a horrified look on her face, "PANTIES FALL?!"
Hana who had taken on a brief hurt look at the thought of Hiro being married, and at all, had started to walk down the path and nearly collapsed at Saori's words. The proper girl managed to grab a tree to steady herself. Miho had rebooted at Saori's words and stood wide eyed with a hanging jaw. Even Yukari had nearly tumbled over, if not for a well placed branch she grabbed onto, but from the sound behind her, Hiro and Ryo hadn't.
"PFT-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" both boys were down and laughing hard, though it was clear they were trying to get themselves under control, but they couldn't and it sounded like they were both choking and laughing as they tried to bring themselves under control.
"COME ONE IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!" Saori shouted at the two boys, stomping over and standing over them.
Both boys began to recover and then they looked up. Saori was standing over them with the slight breeze, both from the ship's movement and an actual breeze and as such, her skirt was ruffled. Neither boy had been expecting to see what they saw. It was rather quite shocking really.
"Um... Saori," Ryo started, blushing, "Nice view of the fact you wear regular cotton whites, but I think we should date first."
Saori's face went red as she realized the boys' view and her own stance. First surprise set it, followed by horror. After that, came the realization of not one, but two boys looking up her skirt, which was in turn followed by mortification of the whole event. Then after she had hit that point, panic swelled up, she screamed and both boys were already running down the trail before she could give chase.
"GET BACK HERE!" the ginger haired girl shouted as she pursued, "I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR REAL THIS TIME RYO-HENTAI!"
"I'm married!" Hiro shouted in defense.
"I'll leave you to your wives then pervert!"
"Should we, um," Miho looked a bit frightened and nervous, "Save them?" she suggested at last.
"Hmm..." Hana was in thought, "It is mostly fault on Saori, but I believe they could have looked elsewhere."
"I think they were innocent," Yukari sighed, she had her fair share of pervert run-ins and frankly, neither fit the bill, "but we should be looking for those tanks instead."
"Agreed," Hana nodded and the three set back off, before Miho suddenly came to a halt.
"What did Saori-chan mean by kill Ryo for real this time?" the girl tilted her head, as both Hana and Yukari sighed and let her know about how Ryo came to being employed, though much of it was theory.
"NANI?!" and the birds who had returned to rest, took flight again.
"What was that?" Anzu and Momo sighed at the VP, but were curious as well.
"Owie," Saori rubbed her bottom as she stood up.
She had collided with Ryo's back when he suddenly stopped cold in his tracks. Both he and Hiro were still looking forward when she looked up to first him and then over to Hiro. She then turned her attention forward and there in front of them, sitting in a parking lot was a...
"You know," Ryo started, "You were right about looking in a parking lot Takebe-san," he shook his head, "A pair of tanks, go figure."
There before them was indeed a pair of tanks. One was peeking out from behind a building, but the other was right in front of them. The one in front was literally lit up as a neon sign. Yet even so, to Ryo and Hiro's experienced eyes, they could tell it was in good shape, would run just right once fixed, and looked to have been cared for well enough.
Saori, on realizing there were two tanks right in front of them, pulled out her cellphone and was quick to call President Kadotani and the her two aides.
"You're kidding!" Anzu heard Momo shout in surprise.
"What is it Momo?" as the short girl began to munch on a chip of dried sweet potato.
"Ryo, Takebe Saori, and apparently Nishizumi Miho's older brother, Hiro, just found a pair of tanks in a parking lot near that store you often buy your dried sweet potato chips from," Momo replied in a surly tone.
"WHAT?!" Anzu shot out of her seat at what she had been just told.
No surprise, since she went to the same store every day to get her dried sweet potato chips. To hear that two tanks were in that immediate area and she had never noticed. Now she felt like a complete fool for not knowing that they were there.
"Does the Nishizumi family even have a boy," Yuzu inquired rather naively.
"That can wait!" Anzu snapped at her vice president, "Phone!" she turned on Momo and took the girl's cellphone, "This is Kadotani Anzu, report!" she barked at once into the device.
"What?" Miho's eyes were wide at what her ex was saying to her.
"No joking here and you know it," Ryo stated promptly, "We got ourselves a pair of Cruiser Tanks," there was a smile on his face, she could tell, "An A34 Comet I tank and an A15 Cruiser Mark VI or Crusader tank."
"That's amazing!" Miho gushed, "They would definitely lend to our power, but how they in condition?"
There was sigh and she knew there were going to be some problems, "The Comet's been a sign, a neon sign no less, for some time and the Crusader, fortunately a later mark itself, is in rough shape, but serviceable," she felt the pause more in her chest than anything else, "The Comet looks like it will run just fine, after some mechanical TLC, but is clearly well cared for."
"That is good news," Miho replied as she gently stroked the Panzer 38(t) Light Tank that Hana had led them to early after noticing the smell of the old tank.
While she spoke with Ryo, she didn't realize that she was doing so. Both Hana and Yukari saw it was a absent minded gesture, a mechanism for comfort. It was clear that being around tanks for so long, she was very comfortable with them, like most young children would be with a security blanket.
"Can it be used immediately?" Miho inquired, "So the Student Council is heading to you now to speak to the owner about acquiring both tanks."
"You think we can get them?" Yukari whispered to Hana who shrugged.
"Do you know the two?" she asked, they had heard Miho repeat A34 and A15.
"A heavy hitting Cruiser tank called the Comet and the other is an early Second World War Cruiser Tank famed for its use in North Africa," Yukari responded, "Even a Tiger has to be wary of a Comet and the Panzers Mark III and IV of later model Crusaders, the A15 tank," Yukari added as she realized she didn't tell Hana the name off the bat.
"Okay," Hana replied, feeling a little more assured.
"Are you serious?" Erwin looked at the old woman who had come to visit her friend, the old lady who technically owned the StuG III-F.
"Yes young lady, I am most serious," the old woman replied as she continued speaking, "My daughter called me about it and I saw the pipe myself, but my husband worked with pipes before and I didn't recognize the type until I saw the picture in your book there," she indicated the Identification Book the girls had been using for training as they waited for Ryo and someone named Hiro to come and help them confirm that the StuG was indeed in the pond.
"This bears investigating," Saemonza stated as she rose, surprisingly graceful, as did Oryou.
"I'll go have a look myself," Erwin stated, it wasn't like the StuG, if it was indeed there, was going any place, "We should have a look."
Caesar nodded, "Agreed," turning to the first old woman, "Please excuse us, we must look into this matter," she bowed politely.
"Of course and good luck," the woman returned the bow and the four girls were off to visit the second old woman's daughter.
The man behind the counter looked up. He was in his early 50's easily, carried the frame of an old sailor man, but the cane told why he wasn't at sea on his boat or ship. His hair was beginning to find, white streaks giving him a tiger stripe pattern. He stood hunched over at barely Hiro's height, so they guessed he once stood at easily 5'8 to 5'10.
"Hello sir," Anzu began with a bow, "We would like to talk to the owner or owners of the two tanks, the one as a sign up front and the old one out back."
"That would be me on both accounts," he walked around, his right leg missing and replaced by a battered titanium peg leg.
"Very good sir," the Student Council President bowed once more, "I am Oorai Girls High School Student Council President, Kadotoni Anzu," she rose up, "and I would like to discuss acquiring your tanks for our Sensha-do team."
The old man raised a wrinkled eyebrow, his squinting eyes cracking open to reveal fading brown orbs beneath, "So old man Acamanic is no longer around."
"Huh?" Anzu tilted her head, as Hiro and Ryo both could tell, this man had history and knowledge.
Few were ever so beaten up like he was looking.
And age had little to do with it.
"No mistaking it," Erwin smiled as they finished digging down enough to see the turret.
"A Type 1 Chi-He Medium Tank," Oryou said in awed surprised at the buried tank.
"I wonder how this happened?" Caesar spoke her thoughts allowed.
"I'm calling it in," Saemonza stated as she pulled her phone out.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement," Anzu bowed to the old man, John Patterson, Japanese-American and raised by his NUMA father before he arrived on the Oorai-Meiden to marry a Japanese woman from a wealthy family.
"Now that's the kind of arranged marriage I don't envy," Saori stated outside with Hiro and Ryo, "I'm glad they could find happiness."
"Didn't realize Sensha-do had some much hatred towards it," Hiro stated himself as he eyed his friend who was silent.
"Many try to be a mountain even as the winds of time and the waves of change press upon them," Ryo stated in a philosophical way, "Thus they doth try to be unto gods themselves and resist with ever growing desire the march that doth is time and change."
"When you get deep, I get worried," Hiro stated and Saori was surprised by Ryo's words and the fact he had performed a dance, pulling from his coveralls a Japanese fan and re-enacting a Kabuki play.
"That was surprising to say the least," Saori stated and all three looked up as Momo stepped out.
"Saemonza just called," she looked at Ryo, "Take Hiro and get Heavy Recovery Gear and the dive equipment and go to this location," she handed a piece of paper to Ryo, "There's another tank there and the next set is to another possible tank, along with a brief description."
"Hiro, take the girls and have a look, sounds like a BT-7," Ryo told his friend and the shorter boy nodded before heading off with Saori in tow to the second Jeep that carried Miho, Hana, and Yukari, "I'll get on the bounce, let's go girls," Ryo climbed into the first Jeep and the girls from the Automotive Club followed him back to the hangar bays to get the heavy lift and diving gear.
It was mid afternoon when everyone assembled. There before them sat ten tanks in all. Of that, five were immediately operational, two could be put into service in a day's time or an all nighter, but the last three, were going to need a lot of work.
Such was the find for Oorai Girls High School.
"Okay," Ryo looked at the clipboard in his hands, "Immediately operational is the M3 Lee -I still say it has to be a Grant instead-, Type 89B I-Go Otsu, Panzer 38(t), Sturmgeschütz III Ausf F with Assault Gun, and finally the Panzer Mark IV Ausf D," he concluded his report to Anzu as Hiro arrived back in a set of coveralls he brought for his new job of helping Ryo keep the tanks operational and as head of the Ordnance Department.
"What about the five other tanks?" Yuzu inquired herself, for once taking a leading point.
"The Comet and BT-7A can be restored immediately, give or take a day's time or an all nighter," Ryo checked the two's conditions off, "The Comet isn't really that badly off, just needs to be converted and the guy had all the paperwork for it, which was surprising, so we can use it immediately once restored," bringing up the BT-7's status on a seperate datapad, "The BT-7 is a Rodina make and from what we found, is actually a from Frunze Military Academy and actually served the Russian Army as a Competition tank for its official teams for both the Girls and Women's Corps."
"Can we use it then?" Yuzu asked the all important question.
"Yeah actually," indicating the paperwork sitting under a weighted image of a M-50, "It was owned by the city and the mayor had the files on hand and agreed to give us the tank, apparently only the two Parking Lot finds and the BT-7A have all their paperwork, along with the StuG III."
"And speaking about the Crusader, the other tanks?" Momo inquired, her monocle glinting dangerously.
"The Crusader is good, but the engine is completely seized up and the fluids need to be drained," Hiro checked the datapad, "The Type 1 Chi-He on the other hand was buried for an undetermined amount of time, though completely sealed, same crew as the Mark IV and to my surprise the StuG III, mud and dirt still seeped in and completely made a mess of the interior and don't get me started on the Environmental Impact Reports I had to file when it was determined that the Chi-He leaked and badly."
"Don't remind me," Anzu was getting yelled at by the Legal Department about that.
"And the lucky find we got earlier," Ryo stated as he read off the tank in question, "A SOMUA S35, extremely rare."
"Why is that?" Yuzu asked, she was taking well to learning about tanks, plus both Ryo and Hiro were proving to be a wealth of information on history as well, much to the four historical junkies delight.
"France only produced a few hundred of them before the Battle of France in 1940," Hiro began the history lesson, "Afterwards, the tank was used extensively by Axis forces, with Imperial Japan interested in acquiring some, but the events of late fall or 1942 prevented both production and the intended delivery."
"In its day, it was a very impressive tank," Yukari suddenly chimed in, "As an early example of what would become standard later, it was also well armed for a Western Allied tank of the time with its 47mm SA 35 gun, which is even bigger than the BT-7's 45mm main gun."
"That and it was well balanced and considered by some an excellent showcase for the medium class of tank for the early war period," Hiro popped right back in, "Right up there with the Panzer Mark IV Ausf D medium tank."
"As I said, we were lucky to find it," Ryo stated as he checked off the tank's history, "No papers or identification on it yet, but we did find an ID plate, mostly a dirty mess, and a Manufacturer's Plate on it, so I expect some feedback in the near future."
"Condition?" Momo inquired, it was nice to know the history, but they needed it to work.
"Frankly," Ryo looked up and saw the nod.
"It's French," Hiro threw in himself.
"Yep, three major flaws," Yukari stated, "But this one must be based on German captured units, as it has a modified turret."
"I think it might actually be an S40 instead of the S35 or one of the later war clandestine tanks that was worked on," Ryo shrugged, "It's such a mess right now, I'll be lucky to get back to you on that in a week or more."
"At the very least, we have a training tank you could say," Hiro shrugged with a grin on his face at the whole thing.
Shaking her head at the whole thing that seemed like a joke to Hiro and a side project to Ryo, Anzu made her decision, "How fast can it be restored?"
"The suspension is shot, engine we have no idea, it's leaking like a sleave, and don't get me started on the fact we have to first pry it open," Ryo stated plainly, "I'm planning on just taking the whole turret off and then the whole tank piece by piece."
"At earliest readiness then?" Anzu was tapping her foot impatiently.
Ryo sighed, he didn't want to deliver the news, "Might only be good as a statue or for its scrap metal value."
That caused the four girls to go rigid, Yukari was too interested in this tank to just let it go. The fact that Ryo was stating it was not worth repair was a lot to say the least. It just didn't seem possible, after he excitedly described the tank to them. It was probably just the history or as he worked on it, it became more clear it was just not worth any work on it.
"Well, we could also donate it or use it as an interactive history piece, but that's it," Hiro also chimed in before sighing, "Even if it was serviceable, we'd probably have to send it back to its original manufacturer and hope they could cut us a deal on it."
"That's an idea," Hana suddenly spoke as she walked over with Saori and Miho, "Why not try to find out who produced it or find someone who would like the tank restored."
"Well I do know of a manufacturing company who does Competition Tanks on the side," Hiro looked thoughtful, "It's Perry's father's company," looking over to Ryo, "You remember, the Frog with a croak in his throat."
"Don't remind me," Ryo rolled his eyes, then put his hands on his hips, "Damn ass shot me in mine first time we met, remember?"
"I do recall that pretty Persian girl wanting to be your wife too," Hiro had a look on his face that showed he was getting the joke while Ryo groaned.
"She was freaking NINE years old already!" Ryo made it clear that he was disgusted with the idea, "Besides I haven't seen her since."
"I did and she's almost twelve years old now with a bust the size of some 15 year old girls," Hiro stated plainly, clearly enjoying himself at his friend's cost.
"I said no then, I'll likely say no now," Ryo stated with a final edge in his tone, "I'm not in little girls and/or Lolis like some sick freak that needs to be dragged out into the street and shot in the head like some rabid animal," and with that, he turned and stormed off, intending to get to his paperwork, "You girls have to wash the tanks! We're fixing them, not bathing the boys!"
"Nani?!" most of the girls shouted in surprise.
"Git yer minds outta the gutter already!" Ryo snapped back, before disappearing into his office, but then he stuck his head out, "And scratch the boys and you get laps!" he slammed his door closed and he could be seen getting to his paperwork.
"Wasn't that a bit too far brother?" Miho looked nervous about what had transpired.
Hiro shrugged, "Most girls think he's a pervert for that incident apparently," then walking off to inspect the ordnance himself, "Just clean up the tanks that we can fix immediately use, but don't hold back if you want to clean the rest too," he had the 'fun' job of sorting and understanding just how much usable and stable ammunition they had.
"I get it," Erwin stated with a chuckle as the blonde girl lifted her peak cap, "He wants people to find out that Ryo has a morally strong standard and abides by it."
"Explains that," Anzu admitted, she knew he had a hard side, but that had been surprising, "But he's right, lets get all ten tanks as clean as we can possibly can, okay?"
"YEAH!" all the girls were quite eager, especially Yukari.
In his office, Ryo pulled up a screen on a laptop he kept with him. On the outside of the top, it had a GP and crossed swords over a shield superimposed over the a national symbol with feathered wings embracing the whole seal. He began typing into it, sending out the relative information and data he had to another party. The party in turn responded and soon things were put into motion.
The light blue light reflected off him as he read the data being sent back and thanks to the outside party, he was able to contact Perry, the Frog with a Croak, and make arrangements for the S35 to be shipped out for actual repairs once they had all the work needed listed down.
He was also able to easily get confirmation that the Comet, BT-7, and Crusader would be immediately allowed to serve, while making inquires into the man that Patterson had called 'Acamanic' would go through fast.
He even had the name, the actual name of the man Patterson was referring to, current Japanese Conservative Leader Minamora Hideotashi.
He immediately paged Hiro on the details.
Checking his phone, Hiro only nodded, before sorting through ammunition again.
He hoped it was all stable, but the JSDF EDO team was in flight currently.
Outside of the office, the girls were doing their best to clean the tanks. More or less anyways in several cases. Ryo had stuck his head out and ordered the Prez and PR Manager to join the VP in cleaning the tanks and in swimsuits too. That had been much to their concentration, but they did so anyways and Hiro had walked into a wall at seeing both Momo and Yuzu in bikinis.
Then again, when he saw Hana in a bikini she had brought before, but never worn...
Brought a couple of years ago and never worn and was now a size or three too small.
"Hiro!" Ryo was averting his eyes, "If you so much as blow yourself up! I'm not cleaning you off the walls!"
"What a hard case," Hiro had complained before going back to work.
"And you girls switch to swim uniforms or personal swimwear and that's an order!" he could see the First Years underwear from his office and some of it was white underwear, allowing him greater view.
'That's what Mac always complained about,' thinking of his oldest brother, Mathrew Woodsmith and how he complained about too many girls, and boys, wearing white in his high school year and causing their school to drop one of its summer time events, 'And to think it wasn't in San Fransico either.'
Later that afternoon, Ryo and Hiro did a spot check of the tanks. Somehow the First Years had found a way into the SOMUA and found a live snake living in it. A rather big and angry constrictor type no less. It almost swallowed Maruyama Saki if Hiro hadn't gotten there in time.
How he got there, was something only he would know. Though being short did have its advantages. Admittedly, he'd probably be shorter than a Russian tanker all his life, but it had its upsides. Like squeezing in, to grab the snake by its throat and, force it back and off the encircled girl by pure strength that was hidden in his deceptive frame and build.
Animal Control came out and took the snake into custody, though strangely, it seemed happier to go with them, than back into the SOMUA with Hiro.
The eggs would be shipped to a museum on land and the hunt was on for the mate.
"Okay," Anzu began, rubbing her forehead in her right hand, hoping nothing else happened that would be characterized as something out of an anime, "Now that that excitement is over for the day and hopefully for any more events involving us," here she got a rounding agreement from everyone before she turned to them all, her swimsuit glinting from residual moisture, "The instructor will be here tomorrow afternoon, so I'll have the time set for tomorrow, so go home, relax, and we'll meet back here tomorrow after lunch, so be on time to class now!" she smiled mischievously, "You're now representing Oorai Girls High School as its Sensha-do Team!"
"What about teams?" Oono Aya from the First Years inquired, "We haven't set them up, have we?"
Anzu made a dismissive gesture, "We decided to let you girls take the first tanks you found as a group."
Seeing her cue, Momo stepped forward, adjusting her monocle, though she hated the bikini she was wearing, it really showed off too much in her opinion, though she made it look good, "Team A will be the Panzer Mark IV Ausf D, consisting of Akiyama Yukari-san, Isuzu Hana-san, Nishizumi Miho-san, and Takebe Saori-san," Momo checked her datapad, "You'll need to find one more girl to round out your ranks, since the Mark IV is a five person tank."
"Understood," Miho nodded, figuring if this wasn't planned already as she was familiar with the type.
Except for Hana, Miho and Soari wore their standard school issue one piece swim wear while Yukari wore a two piece bright green and dark green forest camo pattern two piece made up of shorts and a respectable bikini top.
"Where did she get that?" Ryo inquired to Hiro.
A shrug from the shorter boy, "I think she might have made it."
"Very well," Hana bowed slightly in acknowledgement.
"Okay!" Saori smiled happily at being with her friends.
"YIPPEE!" Yukari was on Cloud Nine at the moment.
"After that," Momo continued on without preamble, "B Team will be the Type 89B I-Go Otsu with Isobe Noriko-san, Kondou Taeko-san, Kawanishi Shinobu-san, and Sasaki Akebi-san as crew."
"Understood," Noriko spoke up for her whole volleyball team some moisture on her red and white styled one piece that mimicked her volleyball uniform, "We will not fail! Right!" she finished with a fist pump.
"Right!" the three other girls shouted also with a fist pump wearing solid red with white stripes one pieces that also mimicked their volleyball uniforms.
"Team C shall be the Reki-jo and the StuG III Ausf F with Assault Gun," Momo read through the datapad, "Until the Comet is operation, you four will be the hard hitting team of our platoon, so no screw ups Satoko Matsumoto, aka Erwin, Nogami Takeko-san also known as Oryou, Saemonza or real name Sugiyama Kiyomi-san, and finally, our very own Caesar, Takako Suzuki," Momo was not wrong in how she addressed Erwin and Caesar as both preferred the Western style of name conventions, just like how they also dressed in their swim wear.
Caesar wore an import from Italy that looked every bit a toga styled single piece with red shoulders while Erwin also wore a single piece that was colored to mimic the Prussian Army uniform.
Both Oryou and Saemonza wore chest wrappings, colored thankfully, and loin clothes, leaving everyone wondering where they even got those.
"Team D will be made up of the First Years," Anzu suddenly cut in, "Given the size of the crew, you'll have to introduce yourselves later."
"You girls will have the M3 Lee," Ryo started, cutting in himself, "After the excitement of today, please try to relax and no worries about anymore snakes, Animal Control is on the job."
"Arigato," the First Years, dressed in their school issue one pieces, bowed, deciding it was a sound piece of advice.
Though unknown to them, Anzu was purposely skipping out on them. That way, if they felt too shaken to continue, they had the chance to opt out. No one would blame them either. Not every day you came literally face to face with potential death in the form of one irate constrictor snake protecting her nest.
"Team E is therefore, us three on the Student Council," Momo finished off, "We will be operating the Panzer 38(t) Light Tank, though meant for four, we can operate as three, it's so simple."
"Be sure to assemble promptly at the thirteenth hour of the day," Anzu finished with a smile, "That's when the new instructor, someone really cool, will show up!"
Saori was all excited, wondering what the guy would look like. She was also already off dreaming about who the awesome man would be like and how they would meet. It was kind of funny to watch the young girl just be a young girl.
For Ryo and Hiro, it was a bit painful. For Ryo, it was sad to see what could have been the attitude of one of his sisters, if not for the events of the past. And for Hiro, he saw what his family was missing, in their single minded pursuit of Sensha-do greatness.
"Everyone bow!" Momo called out and all the girls did, before they ended with a traditional saying of thank you before splitting up for the rest of the day, what was left.
"So what's for dinner?" Hiro inquired to Ryo.
"I figured Orange marinated pork, with my famous mash potatoes, a fresh salad with ranch, and Tri-Tip I had specially shipped in for just the occasion," Ryo replied with a smile.
"So BBQ steak and potatoes with beans and salad," Hiro was actually looking forward to it.
"Yeah, but the Tri-Tip should arrive tomorrow to next week, it depends," and both boys went to meet with the Automotive Club girls and get to work on the tanks, "Plus I need to pick up the oranges to make the fresh squeezed orange juice for marinating the pork, though I have enough potatoes for a month and a half."
"Won't go hungry that's for sure," Hiro was wondering if he could get the recipe for his more famous clam chowder later.
Later that evening in Miho's apartment, the girls were enjoying a meal prepared for by Saori. Though it was surprising that Yukari had camping gear with her, it was real helpful at the moment. They were also thankful for the small, if barely noticeable, flowers that Hana had tenderly arranged.
It was just one of those times that made one thankful to be alive.
"Do boys even like meat and potatoes?" Yukari inquired looking thoughtful, only for Saori to admonish her.
"Of course they do!" she declared/defended, "Why I read it in one of magazines for dating tips no less!"
"Does that even count?" Yukari made a flat face at the thought.
"Of course it does!" Saori adjusted her closes, the frames didn't cover the top of the lenses, which made replacement easier for the lenses, but it also gave her a bit of a nerdy look, "I have been working hard, so that the day I meet my destined man, I will be ready!"
Miho and Hana giggled at the by play, but Miho decided to speak up as well.
"Well, Ryo's brother Jonathan is a vegetarian, though Ryo's father loved steak and potatoes himself," Miho was able to settle the matter with that, before she placed a finger on her chin as she tilted her head up, "I wonder what Ryo likes? I recall he had a love for clam chowder as a kid himself."
"You two know each other pretty well then?" Hana indicated, causing Miho to blink and look at her new friend, "You know each other so well, you'll think you were to be married," then Hana blinked when Miho suddenly became very shy and red in the face, "Wait, you were supposed to marry each other, weren't you?"
"We were," Miho sighed unhappily, "but then it was ended when both sides of his family fell into ruin," Miho looked sadly at the food, "Afterwards, my family, the Nishizumi ended it, though that was one of the reasons that eventually caused Hiro to rebel and leave the family," suddenly gasping as she remembered, "I have to call mother and tell her now!" Miho tripped while trying to stand up in a hurry and Hana tried to help her from toppling over, but she banged her knee in the process and lost balance too which had the effect of Saori trying to stop the two from falling.
Unfortunately, Yukari had the same idea and the two crashed into one another, adding to the problem. With a shriek from each girl, they toppled over and crashed into a pile. Each groaned as they settled in quite the mess.
"At least no one will see this mess," Yukari declared from the bottom, the position of each girl was rather embarrassing.
"Miho is everything alright?" the front door was thrown open, Ryo wondering when she would remember to lock it, "We heard some scre- YEE-YOZER!"
Both Hiro and Ryo couldn't back up fast enough and close the door even faster.
"You were saying Yukari-san?" Hana held her face in her hands.
Author's Note:
Girls und Panzer... hasn't hit the shores hit from what I know. Yet it is already developing a cult following here in the US. Something both new and clean for everyone to enjoy.
This is the latest project from F-14 Tomcat Lover. Hopefully, this one will actually go places. We won't know until I get to work...
Hopefully.
Additionally, the ship has been named Oorai-Meiden with ship designation of CSV. Put together, it comes out as City Ship, Vessel, Oorai-Meiden. Meiden may not be the best translation I could dig up, but from what I can put together, just as it says when pronounced, it's Japanese for Maiden. This is based on the Japanese naming convention for ships in a variety of categories, often ending in Maru which translates as Boy.
Furthermore, we have a few more tanks and something is happening. This will try into the fight to keep the Oorai-Meiden from being scrapped. Already, the ship's fate has been decided, but as they say, "Fate, she is but a fickle mistress, given to flights of fancy where we do not nor when we suspect."
Can the addition of a few extra tanks turn the tide?
We'll see how the crews that fight button up would say when the bangs begin and shells fly with purpose.
Character Data:
Name: Ryo Woodsmith
Age: 17
Birthday: November 6th, Scopio
Height: 182.8 cm
Weight: 79.9 kg
Hair: Brownish-Blonde
Eyes: Jade Green
Appearance: Tall, well muscled with heritage tanned white skin and Asian, if average, features
Hobbies: Traveling, Tanks, Books, Manga, Anime, Music, Kabuki, Folk Dances, and Taekkyeon
Grade: College Graduated with degrees in Language, Culture, and History
School: Formerly of Oceanside Boys Academy of Military Science; Intends to join Virginia Military Institute, USA as soon as he 18 years old
History:
Third son of the union between Atsugi Park Clan of Korean-Japanese and the American Woodsmith Family. He is the third of four sons and fifth of nine children to the family of Colonel Jonathan Woodsmith and Atsugi Park Min-ji. Being the son of a respected US military officer, also a Colonel of United Nations Ground Command forces, and a daughter of a respected Sensha-do School, Tiger Hidden in Flowing Water Veil.
After the decline of both families and the death of his parents, Ryo Woodsmith promised vengeance on those he considered responsible. After taking a large amount of money and the two family AFVs, he vanished. Only rumor and conjecture surround him during the years he was missing. It is known that he became a vagabond, traveling from place to place, living what he stated as a 'hobo life.' Strangely, he is noted as having graduated from college level universities with several quickly earned degrees in several fields.
He largely reappeared on the Oorai-Meiden in an incident that all involved parties would rather forget. Afterwards, he was accepted as the Chief Mechanic and is in charge of overseeing the maintenance and care of all tanks for Oorai Girls High School.
Strangely he is extremely knowledgeable about armored warfare and is apparently a skilled tank operator and commander. This has led to several suspicions on part by some of girls of the Oorai Sensha-do Team. Oddly, they can't see to be able to find a means to discern the exact truth on the matter even when they find evidence.
They have learn though, that he appears to be part of some third party faction and is highly connected with people of influence and is able to obtain just about anything the girls need for their team.
He is also the ex-fiancé of Nishizumi Miho and best friends with Nishizumi Hiro.
He has not yet been in contact with his family since his permanent arrival.
Final Note though, he is a skilled cook.
Name: Nishizumi Hiro
Age: 18 years old
Birthday: April 12th, Aries
Height: 162.6 cm
Weight: 77.7 kg
Hair: Honey Brown
Eyes: Honey Brown
Appearance: Short, muscled with typical Japanese appearance, but heavily tanned and sports tribal markings of the nomadic Kutolah Clan
Hobbies: Traveling, Tanks, Books, Manga, Anime, Music, Horse Riding, and Training
Grade: College Graduated with degrees in Language, Culture, and Engineering
School: Formerly of Oceanside Boys Academy of Military Science; Intends to go National Defense Academy of Japan or follow Ryo to VMI, USA
History:
First child and only son to Nishizumi Shiho, elder brother to Maho and Miho. He left home early after an explosive fight with his mother for a number of reasons, among his desire to study Armored Combat Engineering, her strict ways on Maho and Miho, and over the perceived abandonment of the Ryo's family. What he did during his time away from home is largely unknown, but it is known that he eventually joined the Kutolah Clan, a tribe of nomads with their own City Ship and support fleet. He is twice married, two wives at the same time including the niece of the Tribal Head. Between both women, he is the father of three children, two boys and one girl.
He achieved the warrior status within the Kutolah after preventing the destruction of the Kutolah's nomadic fleet at the hands of a cabal of bigoted Chinese businessmen from the People's Republic of China using a fleet of pirates as hired mercenaries.
During the land combat operations, and even a desperate defense of the Kutolah's city ship, Free Winds over Water, Hiro established himself as the leader of the Kutolah's fledging tank force.
Here he was rejoined by Ryo Woodsmith and the two have been seen regularly together after criminal elements have been crushed by an unknown tank force.
After his acceptance as a warrior of the Kutolah, Hiro was appointed as leader of their tanks. He was further honored with the hand of the Chieftain's niece and furthermore by adoption by the Chieftain as a son. Hiro is expected to be named heir of the Kutolah and to head the clan's nomadic fleet and people as well as the tanks.
Hiro is aware of who is father is, but does not speak often with the man. He is unsure if Maho and Miho are aware of who their father is. As such, he does not speak, though not to shield them, but feeling that it is their mother's place.
It is unknown why Hiro was on the Oorai-Meiden at first. After joining the group, he was hired to be the Head Ordnance Tech. Like Ryo, he is unusually skilled in tanks, though this could be attributed to his leadership of the Kutolah's tanks.
He is left alone by the girls of the Oorai Sensha-do Team. Though it is suspected more to have to do with a sudden explosion of unstable ordnance than any other reason. On the other hand, Izusu Hana seems to wish to be close to him.
Hiro is also well aware of the secrets of Ryo Woodsmith and furthermore, is an accomplished and licensed pilot of aircraft and is, himself, a college level graduate.