Chapter 2: Veterans and Newcomers
In the afternoon after the first day of practice, Miho met with her teammates for ice cream in a parlor they often went to since Miho first joined the team.
"Sorry I'm late," Miho said, as she met with the others outside the ice cream place. "I had to meet with the student council about something."
Hana shook her head reassuringly, Yukari simply smiled, and Mako, never one for rushing throughthings, simply yawned contentedly.
"Not a problem, Miporin," Saori said, as she and the others started to head inside and got in line. "What was it about, though?"
"We're looking to see if we can find new or better tanks," Miho said. "Granted, we're barely filling the ones we have at the moment, but any we find would be assets to the team. If we find more, we can potentially expand the team in the future. If we find better ones, we'll be able to fight on more even ground with our stronger opponents."
"Any luck?" Yukari said, on the verge of a 'Panzer High' as she eagerly awaited hearing about any of the school's possible new acquisitions. Yukari was overcome with fangirlish excitement from merely looking at tanks, particularly rare or otherwise noteworthy ones, and this even included the tanks that Oarai's opponents fielded against them.
But Miho sadly shook her head, and Yukari let out a long sigh of disappointment.
"By all indications, Oarai has had only ten tanks for the last two decades," Miho said, "namely, the ten they were unable to sell, and which we ended up finding and using. I think Hana-san learned something to this effect, while sorting through our documents with the former vice president last year, after the first round."
"I did, Miho-san," Hana said. "I'm curious as to how the current student council thinks they can succeed in finding additional tanks after everything their predecessors had tried. Do they perhaps have a new idea?"
Miho nodded. She, too, had considered that question when the student council had shared their plans with her, but she recalled the answer they had given her.
"It's true that last year, we searched the entire ship," Miho said. "Just before the finals, the only tank we found was in an area we had overlooked earlier. But to encourage students to search once again, to take advantage of any possibility of finding assets we could use the student council posted a reward for any individual or group that finds a tank or other parts available."
"What kind of rewards?" Mako said. "Like tardiness passes?"
"You're actually doing pretty well as far as punctuality goes, Mako," Saori said. "You shouldn't need any more to graduate on time, at the rate you're going."
"Actually yes, Mako-san," Miho said. "Students who find and turn in something we can use for tankery can have their pick of the rewards, or give them to someone else as a gift."
"That sounds kind of like the old administration," Mako said disinterestedly. She found the reward an attractive prospect, even if she no longer needed it to go up a year. But at the same time, she had heard that the administration disagreed with its predecessors, so she found it odd that they were going down the same route. When she shared this sentiment with Shiina, the vice president could only shrug and say that the current administration's position vis-a-vis that of their predecessors was not terribly important to her.
"Apparently, the new treasurer thought of that, as well," Miho said. "She seems somewhat more sympathetic to her predecessors than the president does, and the other two appear somewhat ambivalent on the issue."
The subject of the student government was quickly dropped. The group realized none of them knew much about their new government, and there was little point in discussing them until they did.
"It might be nice if we could have a new tank," Saori said. "Then, we'd be able to welcome even more newcomers, just like last year."
"You mean boys, Saori?" Mako said. "The student council already wrote an op-ed in the newspaper saying that they weren't considering making this school coed at this point."
"A girl can dream, Mako," Saori said, her expression wistful.
"Well, they did say 'at this point,' Mako-san," Miho said. "A shift to coed would take some time to implement, and runs the risk of alienating many who wanted this school because it's a girls' school. In fact, it might not attract enough male students to make it worthwhile."
"So there's no real panacea for Oarai's enrollment and budgetary situation, is there?" Saori said.
"Not at all," Miho said. "All of us- the tankery team, the student council, everyone on the ship- are simply making do with what we have, and trying to make the right decisions even when they're not obvious. As commander of this crew and the entire team, I'm no exception."
"Be that as it may, Nishizumi-dono," Yukari said, "you've led us well so far. We of Anglerfish Team, who are also doing the best we can, will continue to believe in you."
"That's the spirit, Yukarin!" Saori said. "Whether in life, tankery, or love, you give it everything you've got!"
"I agree as well," Hana said.
"Yeah," Mako said. "There are things that don't come easily for me, and things I have to try hard for. Giving my all to tankery has been surprisingly worthwhile."
Miho, looking around at her closest friends, smiled. She could not have succeeded last year without the entire team doing their best in spite of their inexperience, and she was particularly grateful for the support her closest friends offered her. Knowing that so many people believed in her helped her believe in herself more, and knowing what she had accomplished with everyone before made her more confident that she and those under her could do so again.
"Thank you, everyone," Miho said.
After practice ended, Saro spoke with Anko. The two were not only new to tankery this year, but lived fairly close to one another, having apartments in the same complex.
"So, Hirose-san, may I ask why you haven't gotten involved in tankery before?" Anko said. "Your name sounds similar to someone that the Commander mentioned before."
"My family didn't exactly like it," Saro said. "The one you mentioned before was my cousin Sumire, who goes to Black Forest."
"I see," Anko said. "But why does your family dislike tankey, while hers tolerates it?"
"A difference of opinion between our parents, to put it mildly," Saro said. "Our fathers are brothers, and our mothers do not see eye to eye, to put it mildly. Sumire's mother pushed her to excel in tankery, whereas mine had no desire to see me get involved in it, believing that if I joined a team as weak as this, it would be a waste of time. My parents approved of my participation in the more popular and respected disciplinary committee."
"I think I understand the feeling a little," Anko said. "Some may only want to join a winning team to ride its coattails to victory, but realistically speaking, it's certainly better to join a team that has an actual chance." Anko paused, realizing that she was rationalizing her past decisions. "Of course, how well your team does is based on the efforts of those involved, especially yours."
"That's true," Saro said. "Sodoko and the others only got involved when we cleared the semi-finals. And now that we've won the tournament, and the Disciplinary Committee has established something of a tradition of getting involved, even my mother is more tolerant of my participating."
"But doesn't the Disciplinary Committee have roughly 100 members?" Anko said. Oarai's disciplinary committee had certain incentives for participating, mainly related to credits. It was also good for one's resume, and was popular among students who hoped to work in law enforcement in the future. It was time-consuming and had strict rules for its members, but those who could deal with them found the experience highly rewarding in several ways.
"We do," Saro said. "But only a handful of us were willing and able to. Sodoko hoped to provide some degree of oversight to the team, and Gomoyo believed that we'd be best suited to doing that as part of the team. Pazomi went along with them because she agreed with them, while I saw it as a natural extension."
"But if you were just following along with the others, how exactly did you end up as the leader for both the disciplinary committee and its tankery team?" Anko said.
"Neither Gomoyo nor Pazomi are exactly the leader type," Saro said. "Gomoyo's been slightly timid for a disciplinary committee member while Pazomi's relatively quiet, so I hoped to lead them well as the head of the committee and commander of Mallard Team; I did honestly think I was the best suited to lead. That said, you do have a point. My parents, particularly my mother, wanted me to get involved in the disciplinary committee and apply for the leadership position should it become vacant."
"So you did it just because they wanted you to do so?" Anko said.
"Not entirely," Saro said, "and there were two reasons for that. The first is that over time, my work in the disciplinary committee grew on me, and I started taking it more seriously. I'm still not entirely sure how it happened, but I believe part of it was because of Sodoko- while she does often stubbornly fight losing battles against rulebreakers, she does care about the rules a lot."
"That makes sense," Anko said. "In retrospect, Kajiki-senpai was surprisingly serious about the club, as was Kanbara-senpai. Perhaps if I'd spent more time around them, it might have rubbed off of me." Anko paused. "But what was the second reason?"
"The second is that, I realized at some point that I should make the most of my time here," Saro said. "Perhaps the disciplinary committee can't be as powerful or respected as Sodoko would like, but we are the enforcers of the rules, and our work does have an impact on the Oarai school community. It's thus our responsibility to make that impact as great and as beneficial as we can."
While Saro's description of her motives sounded as though she was quoting someone else, and some of her choices had been made for her, part of it resonated with Anko. She had not always been enthusiastic, but she had a choice to made, and had chosen to increase her involvement and take on more responsibility.
"So how does the mahjong club compare to this, Hirose-san?" Anko said.
"To be blunt, Tanaka-san," Saro said, "your club is merely a group in which people can play a game together. But its members do take that game and their association with the club seriously, as we can see in that they're sticking together and want to reform it after its dissolution. Perhaps if I spent as long in the club as Tsuyama-san did- with or without parents who were pushing for me to succeed- I'd feel the same way."
Anko nodded. Perhaps she should think of things differently. Rather than rely on others, or only get involved when they were shorthanded, she should be the change she wished to see in her school, community and world. Her club had no need of leaders at the moment, but it did have need of her, so she would step up and do whatever was necessary for its interests.
Around the same time, the Student Council walked up to meet with Miho and Nodoka in the tank garage.
"How are the team members coming along, Nishizumi-san?" Shizuru said.
"Relatively well," Miho said. "The three of you, as well as Anteater Team, are getting the hang of your basic skills."
Nodoka nodded, silently concurring with Miho before proceeding. While she did not hesitate to give constructive criticism or share her opinion, when addressing her seniors, she had to temper her remarks with a certain amount of caution and respect. Furthermore, since Miho was both her superior and her senpai, she also was careful to avoid openly contradicting her.
"To be honest, we were worried most about Turtle and Anteater Teams," Nodoka said. "The former is entirely composed of newcomers. The latter was also a relative newcomer that was taken out quickly in last year's finals. I hope you're not offended."
"No offense taken, Haramura-san," Shiina said. "I heard about last year, and how my friends were out of their depth in their first real battle, since their opponent was Black Forest, who won nine times in the past 11 years."
Miho nodded. While Oarai had beaten the odds, the truth was that most of their opponents had more experience than they did. Having lost some of the members who were crucial to their success the previous year, and having had them replaced with newcomers, it was now imperative to get the new members up to speed and improve the other members so that they could lessen their disadvantage.
"That brings me to my next subject," Miho said. "How have you been doing getting an instructor for this year?"
"Ah, yes, I was hoping to speak with you about that," Shizuru said. "Unfortunately, Nishizumi-san, I have a bit of bad news."
Miho resignedly nodded. The student council had already told her that the school did not have the budget to hire a full-time tankery coach, and so had gone to re-apply for the JGSDF's offer for an affordable short-term tankery instructor. Since that was the responsibility of the student council, Shizuru had immediately set about the task of going through the requisite processes, but had not liked the result. She gestured to Ayano, who was better at delivering bad news than she was.
"Instructor Chouno Ami will not be returning," Ayano said. "Her services have already been promised to Joghurt for the early part of this year. They had contacted the JGSDF shortly after their defeat the first round last year, and she was assigned there."
"...Back when we didn't know whether Oarai would remain open," Miho said.
"Exactly," Shizuru said. "She did, however, say that a colleague of hers would be coming- Instructor Takahashi Aiko, an instructor who is a bit more hands-on and strict than she is. Despite their differences, Instructor Chouno says she has the utmost respect for Instructor Takahashi, and hopes we'll work well together."
Miho, having heard about Aiko the previous year, was slightly surprised. Aiko had gone to the Atago school of tankery, but had almost flunked out there, and was cognizant of how she never would have made it at the Nishizumi school. Meanwhile, Ami, who was a student of the Nishizumi school, albeit initially a reluctant one, in addition to her association with the JGSDF was laid-back, cheerful and friendly.
"That should work," Miho said.
"That's good to hear," Shizuru said. "The Instructor will want to talk to you on the phone."
Miho and Nodoka walked with the student council together to the office, and began the call. After a few minutes, and a conversation with a receptionist, they were placed in contact with Aiko.
"Instructor Takahashi speaking," Aiko said.
"Hello, Instructor, this is Nishizumi Miho," Miho said. "I believe the student council mentioned me earlier?"
"Ah, Nishizumi-san," Aiko said. "It's nice to officially meet you. Your student council, Instructor Atago, Am... pardon me, Instuctor Chouno, told me a little about you. I look forward to working with you."
"Thank you," Miho said. "I'm glad to have your help, Instructor."
"To begin with," Aiko said, "what in particular should I know about your school? The student council told me a little already, but I'd like to know what's most important"
"This year, have a number of new members," Miho said, "and while they've been practicing with their skills, we'd like to get them up to speed and give them more experience so they can perform on par with their more experienced teammates, as well as fight more evenly with their opponents."
"I'd suggest a practice battle of some sort," Aiko said, "whether against their teammates or other schools. This will give them some practical experience, while I can help pinpoint certain areas in which they need improvement."
"That sounds like what Instructor Chouno proposed," Miho said.
"She and I were teaching under the same circumstances, even if we learned under notably different teachers," Aiko said. "At its most basic, practice makes perfect. But on a more advanced level, while a certain amount of theoretical knowledge is helpful, it's no substitute for actual experience."
Miho nodded. She recalled how Yukari was an avid tank fan, but while she started out with competence that few besides Miho possessed, she had gradually improved in her role over time. The same went for Someya Mako, a similar tank enthusiast with an eidectic memory. Even those with no knowledge about tankery had, by participating in many practice battles, become quite skilled.
"I agree, Instructor," Miho said. "I will add that not only is a fair number of my team new this year, but others, including some of those who joined later in the year last year, still lag behind most of their peers."
"That can't be helped, Nishizumi-san," Aiko said. "The presence of weak links and new people who still need breaking in is a given at the start of any new year, outside of schools with a large group of underclassmen who can be sent against other schools in exhibition matches while serving as benchwarmers, so that they aren't completely inexperienced when and if they become regulars. The only question that remains is how you go about helping those newcomers, and that's a large part of why I'm coming to help."
"Understood, Instructor," Miho said.
For a few minutes, Miho and Aiko went into more detail about the teams' performance thus far. Aiko was interested to hear more about Oarai's performance in the past, where it stood and where it hoped to go, but in the end, what she had to say did not change.
"I don't have any further questions to ask at this point," Aiko said. "I have a good idea of where to go from here, although it will largely be the same as what we talked about thus far. We'll discuss it more when I come, but until then, do you or the others have any questions?"
Miho looked around, and the others shook their heads.
"No, ma'am," Miho said.
"That's good," Aiko said. "I'll see you soon, Nishizumi-san."
"Until then, Instructor," Miho said, before hanging up.
Miho realized that a great many of the issues that she dealt with would have to be addressed in the future. While she had lost eleven members from the tankery team this year, she would lose even more next year, resulting in an almost entirely new team. How well Oarai dealt with those issues each year would determine how well it did in the future, but it would not have to do so without help.
The next day, Aiko walked up to the assembled tankers outside of Oarai's tankery garage. She wore the JGSDF dress uniform for several reasons- because she was ordered to do so, because it was appropriate professional attire and because it was proof of who employed her, and the nature of her assignment. She would do her best to teach these students tankery, because her superiors expected her to do so, because it was what she owed them and because she wanted to do so, but once her time at the school ended, she would move on, regardless of whatever her feelings were.
As someone who had been involved with this process for slightly longer than Ami, Aiko was well aware of how it went. The two instructors, who had become friends as well as colleagues, were aware of the line between the person and the professional. Their duties and their obligations did require them to make difficult decisions at times, particularly when they had to sacrifice doing what they wanted, but at the same time, it kept most issues relatively free of confusion. Ami found this somewhat reminiscent of the Nishizumi school, while Aiko found that it reminded her of her old tankery teacher, but both women accepted it as a reality of their present situation, something that they believed trumped everything else and was a commonality that enabled them to become friends in spite of their different ideologies.
Ami looked around the tankers, formed in orderly rows and standing straight, but not at attention. All of them were wearing the tankery uniforms, a gray Panzer Jacket made by the fashion club over their white sailor fukus. They were disciplined, albeit not up to JGSDF standards, but Aiko did not have the ability or the desire to make them into soldiers in her time there. Taking a moment to count the tankers, Aiko realized there were more students than she had remembered Ami describing, and she suspected that some of the students Ami remembered were gone, so introductions were in order.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Aiko said, considering bringing up the fact that her ride was late, but deciding not to make excuses. "My name is Takahashi Aiko, and I am a Captain and an Instructor in the JGSDF. I will be helping teach tankery at your school."
"Like an army instructor?" Maho called out.
"Not entirely," Aiko said. "I recognize that all of you are civilians, students and teenagers, so I don't have the same expectations that I would for my cadets or subordinates. I do, however, have certain standards for you; for example, you are to call me 'Instructor Takahashi' or 'ma'am,' and not speak out of turn. I am essentially a teacher, and deserve a similar level of respect that you give to your teachers during the school day."
"I'm sorry, ma'am..." Maho said, chastened.
Aiko gave Maho a reassuring nod, and realized that some people would not be good at accepting harsh discipline. But she also believed that while she was at the Atago School, her teacher Masae's harshness had been enough to serve as a wake-up call, even though she was kind enough to give her a second chance.
"How many of you have done tankery before?" Aiko said. Everyone except the Student Council, Anko and the three new members of Leopon Team raised their hands. "That's about what I expected. Some of you may remember your previous teacher, Instructor Chouno. She is a colleague of mine, and I spoke with her about you before I came here. We concluded that since most of you are fairly comfortable with operating your tanks, a practice battle would be good for you. You will be divided into two teams of five, and face each other in an annihilation-style match. The team that remains when all the tanks on the other side have been disabled will be victorious."
One second-year, a girl with shoulder-length light brown hair, raised her hand.
"Do you have a question, miss?" Aiko said, turning to the girl.
"Yes, ma'am," the girl who raised her hand said. "My name is Sawa Azusa, commander of Rabbit Team, which crews the M3 Lee. And my question is- why didn't we do this when your predecessor came here last year, Instructor Takahashi?"
"I asked Instructor Chouno the same thing," Aiko said, "and she said she considered it, but decided against it for a few reasons. First, you had seven tanks- not only an odd number, but a prime number. One side would have been at a significant advantage unless we excluded someone, which is something we only do when there are too many tanks or people to include. Second, very few of you had experience with tankery back then, so it was too much to ask you to work together well when you were not fully ready for your individual tasks. Third, it was also meant as an assessment of individual and team ability. Does that answer your question, Sawa-san?"
"Yes, ma'am," Azusa said. "Thank you very much."
"Good," Aiko said. "Your team will be divided into two sides. Blue Team will consist of Anglerfish Team, Sparrow Team, Duck Team, Anteater Team and Turtle Team, under Nishizumi-san's command. White Team will consist of Octopus Team, Hippo Team, Rabbit Team, Mallard Team and Leopon Team, under Haramura-san's command."
Aiko produced a map from her pocket, which had two points on it, rather than seven. The two points were marked in blue and white, and were somewhat farther apart than the seven individual crews had been last year.
"Your starting points are as follows on the map," Aiko said. "If you or anyone else on your team is having trouble getting there, please radio in and let me know. Dismissed."
The groups of students headed to their tanks. Unlike last year, when many did not know the first thing about driving their tanks, many of the returning students found operating their tanks to be second nature.
Rabbit Team, the largest of the teams, and until recently, the most junior, took their positions. Karina started up the M3 Lee, and almost immediately, the American-made tank began moving. It joined up with the fellow tanks of White Team, which, for the training exercise, had mounted white flags on their tanks that resembled the ones that the flag tanks used.
Anglerfish Team got into their tank and headed for the starting location with the other tanks that had blue flags.
"Nodoka-san will be unlike most of our other opponents until now," Miho said. "For one thing, she has some idea of how we fight, as well as what we can do. By comparison, I haven't faced her yet."
"Then Haramura-dono should know that we should not be trifled with," Yukari said. "Of course, neither should she."
"I discussed this with Nodoka-san, and we will be taking into account the fact that it's a practice match," Miho said. "We won't keep one team away from the main action like we would the flag tank, and we'll try to give each team a chance to fight against the enemy and demonstrate their skill. But apart from that, we'll still be trying to win, not for winning's sake, but to gauge and improve our individual and collective proficiency in tank combat."
Yukari nodded approvingly. To Oarai, winning was not quite the be-all and end-all, even if they had to win the tournament to stay open. This practice match had meaning for both sides regardless of which side triumphed in the end, which is why it was worthwhile, and why Yukari believed Miho had the right perspective.
Hippo Team, composed of four girls who were such avid fans of history, they cosplayed as their favorite historical figures, entered the StuG. As they did, they contemplated the match, yet another in which they were going up against members of their own team. In spite of the match having precedent for the tankery team, their first thoughts were wars far in the past.
"Former comrades are being forced to bear arms against one another," Caesar said, "just like how Caesar went to war with Pompey."
"Apparently this is only a temporary arrangement," Erwin said, breaking character for a moment. "I spoke with the commander, and I heard we might get paired with her, rather than the vice captain, in another match."
"Ah, that's right," Saemonza said. "I recall hearing that the commander and vice captain would always be on opposite sides, unless they wanted to train someone else in commanding the team."
The others paused to wonder who would be considered. Erwin had briefly been considered as a possible vice-captain, but Miho had decided against it, hoping to find someone who could be trained as a possible successor for her. Erwin, enjoying tankery and having no ambitions for command, was fine with this as long as it benefited the team, and her comrades were of the same mind.
"In the end, we're all on the same side, and this will benefit all of us," Oryou said. "That's all the reason we need to do our best here, for the sake of the team."
Rabbit Team got into their tank, and each member sat down at their their combat stations. Their roles had been assigned almost at random the previous year, but now, they had achieved a certain comfort level in each position.
"It's time for our first match against others this year, girls," Azusa said. "Let's do our best, and show how much we've improved since last year."
"Aye!" Karina said. "This time, I won't get our track stuck!"
"And we're not running away, either!" Yuuki said.
"We're going to hit whichever tanks we encounter this time," Ayumi said. "Aya-chan, are you with me?"
"I am, Ayumi," Aya said, "but others have probably stepped up their game this time. Octopus Team and Commander Nishizumi are no longer the only ones with experience."
"Indeed, Aya-chan," Azusa said. "But we, too, are experienced now, so perhaps this will be a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves against them."
The others nodded. While misfortune, their own mistakes and other things that had gone wrong had hampered them in the past, the time had come to show their potential with everything going right.
Nodoka sat in the command seat of the Tas, Octopus Team's tank, and looked around at the other tanks from her side. All of them were proceeding on course, at her speed, and they would soon arrive at their starting point.
Nodoka let off a sigh of relief. While not arrogant by nature, she had, at this point last year, worried whether the newcomers would be able to perform adequately. That worry had been put to rest when her experienced team had been defeated by Miho's team, with newcomers in every role but the command seat, which was reminiscent of the saying about fearing an army of a hundred sheep led by a lion. Having fought alongside everyone who had been on the team last year, and having seen most of the newcomers in practice, Nodoka was confident that they would be able to do well... for the most part.
Nodoka glanced down at Maho, the young girl with purple hair, who was sitting in the driver's seat that she had occupied for most of last year. The previous year, Nodoka had driven under Hisa, who was the vice-captain of the team, the most senior member of Octopus Team, and the one with the most tankery experience besides Miho.
Now, Nodoka served in Hisa's former position. She was a relatively confident individual, more so than Miho in most cases, but she recognized the gravity of her position, and her responsibility to the team. The battles until now had not been easy, and her responsibility toward winning them had increased. For the sake of her school, her teammates and her friend and predecessor Hisa, Nodoka would have to do her best.
Of course, Nodoka realized that the opposite was true, and she would have to concern herself with how Maho did in the position she had just vacated. She would do her best to not judge her too harshly, but she realized that Oarai's battles were more difficult than those of most schools, and every member had to perform well.
In the end, this exercise, and the ones that followed it, would be tests of everyone's capabilities, for both veterans and newcomers. For the sake of the team as a whole, Nodoka resolved to give her best effort.
Author's Notes
Thank you for the favorites and follows so far.
This was a somewhat short chapter compared to the first, but there wasn't as much ground to cover, and the practice battle will be saved for the next one.
One way I intend to make this different from other sequel fanfics is that Oarai will not conveniently find or be able to buy new tanks as they need them, nor will members simply come in when it's convenient for them to do so. Since the school isn't currently in imminent danger of closing, they can also expect less support from the rest of the student body.
Not keeping Ami around was meant to say more about Ami's position than a desire to replace her with an OC. In the end, Ami is not truly Oarai's instructor, and neither is Aiko. They hope Oarai will do well, but Oarai is their client, not their employer, and they will soon move on to other clients.
Interestingly enough, while the Maginot battle manga includes some team matches between the battles with St. Gloriana and Maginot, they're 2 against 2, because the student council isn't participating (Incidentally, Momo's stressing how much the team needs improvement, while not incorrect, per se, does come off as somewhat hollow when you consider her incompetence as a gunner and her lack of participation in practice; she always did seem better at bossing others around than at actually contributing). The fact that Oarai had an odd number of tanks at the beginning (in both canon and the original Necessary to Win) may be one reason why Ami didn't divide them into two teams and have them face each other.
You may notice that the skill levels of each crew relative to each other may have changed. For the most part, the more members that are replaced, the greater the potential for change is, and said change will most likely be negative. Teams that remain the same (Anglerfish, Duck, Rabbit, Hippo) will largely be better off, while teams that are replacing one or two members (Sparrow, Octopus, Mallard, Anteater) could likely be impacted, and it's essentially anyone's guess how the teams that are almost entirely new (Turtle, Leopon) will do.
Character Analysis: Aiko Takahashi
Aiko is in some ways Ami's opposite. She's relatively serious and professional, while Ami is laid-back and cheerful. But while their attitudes seemingly stand in opposition to those of their schools, they are also committed to their values. Ami hopes to make the teams she teaches winning ones, while Aiko hopes her students will learn a great deal. Said values are not as foreign from one another as one might think, and the two teachers have a great deal of respect for each other, even if they don't know each other well enough to be friends.
Aiko's task is also in some ways different from Ami's. Ami was given a team full of amateurs, save for a few people with some experience. Having to train them from scratch in a short amount of time, Ami thus chose to ensure that they knew the basics, and that their leaders could show them the rest. Aiko has the task of improving those with some experience, so she feels more comfortable setting the bar somewhat higher.
Aiko's own experience at the Atago School, including her nearly flunking out, has also informed her perspectives. She believes that some students need to be given a wake-up call. However, she also believes that they also deserve second chances. As such, if some of Oarai's newcomers falter and make mistakes, she will point them out and correct them, but she won't give up on them as long as they're willing and able to learn.
