Chapter 4: First Contact
"Shirosame is a boys' school with tankery?" Miho said. "I've never heard of any educational institutions of that sort before."
"Nor have I, Nishizumi-san," Yukino said. "I thought you, with all your tankery experience, might know something. They also sent me a student handbook and guide to Shirosame for prospective students."
Miho flipped through the material she was given. When she reached the section on electives, and found tankery's entry, she found the description surprising.
Tankery
Learn how to crew a World War II-era tank alongside your friends and represent your school in tankery competitions. Become the ideal man and an asset to others, both at school and beyond!
"Wait a minute…" Miho said. "Tankery was intended to help refine and make women stronger, regardless of what path they chose in life, whether a traditional female one or one that had, traditionally been fulfilled by males."
"Yes; in spite of not being very knowledgeable about tankery, I at least know that much, which is why I, too was surprised," Yukino said. "But one thing still puzzles me, and as much as I think otherwise, I don't think it's due to my inexperience with tankery. Nishizumi-san, have you ever wondered why males were excluded from tankery?"
"They've always piloted tanks, but it was in actual combat," Miho said. "Even back when women were forbidden from joining the military, tankery was considered a way of providing beneficial training to them through military technology, even if they never used it themselves in more practical applications. It's a bit like teaching women how to use the naginata, even if that was also considered a last resort for the women of noble samurai families to defend themselves."
"My mother taught me how to use the naginata," Shizune said, thinking back to her childhood in a wealthy and somewhat traditional family. "She said that I would not likely encounter a situation in which I would actually have to use it- even disregarding that we typically don't fight with edged weapons these days- but the practice would be good for me."
"As for men," Miho continued, "While there was never any 'official' reason given for not letting them join tankery, I think the general consensus was that men were supposed to join the military and learn how to actually fight in the service of their country. Military service is seen as a very patriotic thing, and to some extent, as good for the individuals who participate. Of course, these days, women have started joining the military as well, many of whom did tankery while they were in school."
"My aunt's a lieutenant in the JGSDF," Haruka said. "She keeps trying to convince my mom- her older sister- to get me to enlist when I'm old enough, saying it would teach me discipline and how to respect authority. She's apparently somewhat happier now that I've started doing tankery and the student council, but she hasn't backed off on that idea."
"Some more...traditionally minded people believed that it was a way for women to learn military discipline without actually fighting in a war," Miho said. "On the other hand, feminists used female success on the field of tankery to argue for allowing women to serve in the military. As more and more women began working outside the home, the focus of tankery shifted, and it was also promoted as good for female soldiers and civilian workers. And yet, in spite of that, tankery has remained a largely female tradition, although I have to wonder whether that might change one day."
"Sometimes, that happens, when some things don't quite overcome traditionally being reserved for one gender," Yukino said. "These days, women often wear business suits and even neckties, but you'll almost never see a guy with a skirt unless he's cross-dressing."
"But I do have to wonder, President, what is there for women where they come from, now that tankery is off limits to them?" Miho said. "Surely the military there wasn't exclusively female to begin with."
"I also asked them that question," Yukino said. "And they gave me an op-ed about it." She handed Miho a printout of the article.
Miho skimmed over the article, and eventually found her way to the end, in which the author, the headmaster of Shirosame, summarized his argument.
"Women are not simply men with a differently shaped body; they have different dispositions, skillsets and talents. Those pushing for the inclusion of women in tankery fail to grasp this reality, as well as that women need different guidance than men. For the sake of our women, and our society, there are many roles that women are better off not performing, crewing a tank being one of them."
"And he's head of the boys' school we're facing?" Miho said, prompting the student council to nod. "This could be troublesome if he defeats us, especially if he sees it as a propaganda victory of a sort- I think he mentioned at one point in the article that he wanted to prove the strength of his country's tankery traditions over those of others."
"That's true," Haruka said. "We've got to win decisively, so that they can't be encouraged by winning, or even almost winning."
"And also, Nishizumi-san," Yukino said. "You said you had never heard of Shirosame, correct?" Miho nodded. "I find it odd that a boys' school in our country- or any other, for that matter- would go into tankery without anyone making note of it being special or any other schools following suit."
"And the opposite is true," Haruka said. "Tankery may not be as well established as other sports, but anyone who isn't living under a rock has heard about it. I can't think of a rock big enough for an entire schoolship to fit under it and avoid hearing about female tankery, while keeping their male tank program secret. In this digital era, one person with access to the internet and enough acumen for getting the word out on the net could, with enough time, make this a hot topic on the Web."
Miho nodded.
"Whatever the case may be, and whatever the outcome in the match is, we'll likely end up with radically altered perceptions of the sport," Miho said. "Considering the implications, I think we should tell the rest of the team about this."
Miho called the team together and explained the situation, keeping it relatively short and to-the-point. She began by asking them to save their questions until she was finished, then proceeded to get the most difficult part out of the way- explaining that they had been challenged by a school full of boys.
Miho decided to conclude with what she considered the most important part.
"But regardless of who our opponent is, what kinds of tanks they have at their disposal, what tactics they use, or even the gender of their tank crews, we should continue to do what we always do," Miho said. "We fight, knowing that the match is not over until the winners fulfill their objective. We neither give up in the face of overwhelming odds nor do we become complacent if we have the advantage, out of the knowledge that it is possible for a strong opponent to lose to a weak one. And above all else, we cherish each other and the experience of piloting a tank,always keeping in mind that it is a game and having fun whatever may come our way."
The rest of the team cheered. Miho did not have a talent for public or motivational speech, but when she spoke naturally, honest and heartfelt speech came easily to her.
"That's all; let me know if you have any questions," she said.
No one initially stepped forward, so Miho walked back to rejoin the rest of Anglerfish Team. Soon, however, their juniors from Rabbit Team walked over to talk to them.
"Senpai, is it really true?" Sawa Azusa, commander of Rabbit Team, all of whom were now second years, said to Miho and Saori after the team had learned about the nature of their upcoming opponent. "Are we facing a school full of boys that do tankery?"
"Apparently so," Miho said, "and please keep in mind that where they come from, apparently only boys do tankery."
"Yeah," Saori said. "I would consider asking one of them out, but I get the feeling that they'd probably think a woman's place is in the kitchen or something like that."
"But what about Suou-senpai?" Yamagou Ayumi, one of the gunners, said. "Might it be possible that they have a female on their team?"
"To my knowledge, no," Miho said. "What I heard indicated that they were quite adamant about how tankery was only for men."
"And do they want to change tankery so that only men can compete?" Isobe Noriko, captain of the Duck Team, as well as the volleyball team that had formed it, said, joining the discussion. Many of the tankery team members had gotten involved for reasons separate from tankery; Noriko and her team hoped to reform their club. But having had enough time to experience tankery for themselves, they realized that they didn't want to see it or their ability to participate in it come to an end.
"That might be the goal of the person who's sponsoring them, or their headmaster," Miho said. "But as for the boys themselves, I can't say yet. It's entirely possible that they're fighting for different reasons from each other and the administration. I know most of us here don't have a problem with boys operating tanks."
"That's true, senpai," Sasaki Akebi, gunner for Duck Team, said. "Men and women have different physical abilities, so many sports are divided according to gender. But here, when you're using a tank, such divisions are less meaningful, compared to things like the quality of your equipment."
"I haven't been participating in tankery for long," Garai said. "But even if mainly girls have been doing it, I wonder if it's something some males would enjoy. Maybe that's why that school set up tankery. But I also believe that girls should not be excluded."
"In any case…" Miho said, "I'd like to meet the people who are challenging us. This looks to be an eye-opening experience."
The day of the competition arrived, and both the Oarai school ship and the Shirosame ship docked in Oarai. Upon stepping off their ship, Sasuke and the other Shirosame students were immediately struck by how familiar the town looked to their ship's port town. But they had no time for sightseeing, as they immediately headed to the tankery practice area, where Oarai had once fought St. Gloriana.
After reaching the staging area, the Oarai tankery team began setting up, doing last-minute checks of their tanks to make sure they were ready for the battle, and finalizing their plans.
As the preparations wrapped up with time to spare, Yukino walked over to Miho.
"Nishizumi-san?" Yukino said. "Some representatives of the Shirosame academy wanted to come over and see you- namely, their Student Council, the commander and his crew."
"I'm coming," Miho said, and the rest of her friends from Anglerfish Team followed her over.
"I apologize for the wait," Yukino said to her counterparts on the Shirosame student council. "I had to fetch my commander."
"No problem," Byakuya said.
"Akasaka-kun, may I introduce Nishizumi Miho-san, commander of the Oarai tankery team?" Yukino said, as she turned to Byakuya and indicated Miho.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Miho said, bowing.
"Same here, Nishizumi-chan," Byakuya said, returning the bow. "Akasaka Byakuya, president of the Shirosame student council. Here's my vice president Shirogane Kariya, and my public relations official, Kurono Karasu. I also have our commander, Nishizawa Sasuke."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nishizumi-san," Kariya said.
"We're definitely not going to lose to you, not after winning the tournament!" Karasu said.
"Please don't mind Kara-chan," Kariya said. "He's rather excitable, passionate about competitions and short tempered."
"What did I say about calling me Kara-chan!?" Karasu said.
Miho turned to Yukino and whispered in her ears. "It's like I'm talking with your predecessors again," she said.
"Nishizawa was curious about your school," Byakuya said. "Especially after hearing that our headmaster doesn't think much of girls doing tankery. So why don't you talk with him a little bit before the match?"
Anglerfish team met Shark Team, and they exchanged introductions.
"And this is Suou Garai-kun," Miho said, eventually getting to the male member of her team. "He's in our year, but he and the rest of the male students are new to the school. He's the first- and so far, only- boy to do tankery for Oarai."
"You mean it's otherwise entirely female?" Sasuke said. Miho nodded. "Even after the headmaster told me about it, I find it hard to believe."
"You could say the same goes for me about all boys takery programs," Miho said. "So, I suppose the most pressing question is… Have you really never heard of women doing tankery before then?"
"Not at all," Sasuke said. "And you, Nishizumi-san? Have you never heard about men doing tankery before we challenged you?" Miho shook her head.
"Men have served in tanks in the army, and, for that matter, so have women," Miho said. "But it's odd, really, I've never thought about it being exclusively for women until Suou-kun arrived. How about you, Nishizawa-kun?"
"Tankery has always been a male sport where I come from," Sasuke said. "And while recently, women have made inroads into the army, albeit with strong opposition to women serving in combat roles, there is not much female interest in tankery, nor much willingness to overturn the rules to allow them to do tankery. Tankery is seen as an inherently masculine pursuit, which naturally turns many women away from it, not to mention those who don't like it as a barbaric practice, compared to pursuits that are seen as more traditional and dignified."
Miho paused to consider Sasuke's words and he did likewise with her. Their homes' attitudes on tankery were similar in some ways, such as not appealing to certain members of the non-participating gender, or to many traditional people. But the question remained; why did Miho and Sasuke come from such different places, and why had neither heard of the other until now?
At that moment, Kaoru heard his cell phone ringing, which also interrupted Miho and Sasuke's thoughts. He checked the caller ID, which he recognized.
"Please excuse me," he said. "This is an important call I have been expecting." He picked up the phone, "Hello, this is Kaoru,"
"Young master, this is Shizuru," the voice on the other end, belonging to one of the family maids, said.
"Are you sure you still need to call me that, Shizuru?" Kaoru said.
"I am in the service of the Kotetsu family," Shizuru said. "You are the master's son, regardless of whether he has said anything to the contrary, and as such, I owe you my respect and obedience. You said it yourself, young master- the master would eventually see things your way and come to understand that you are his son in spite of the path you have chosen."
"I appreciate everything you have done, before, on and since that day, Shizuru," Kaoru said.
"The reason why I called to tell you is that the master and I have arrived, and we will be watching you today," Shizuru said. "This may be the chance you have been looking for."
"That is wonderful to hear," Kaoru said. "I will perform to the best of my ability."
"I wish you the best of luck, young master," Shizuru said.
"Thank you, Shizuru," Kaoru said. "I will speak with you after the match. Goodbye for now, Shizuru."
"Until then, young master," Shizuru said. Kaoru hung up.
"Did something happen, Kotetsu-kun?" Hana asked Kaoru as he placed the phone back in his pocket. "You seemed troubled for a moment."
"It's my father," Kaoru said. "He disapproves of my doing tankery, preferring that I continue our family's tradition of kendo."
"That's putting it mildly," Makoto said. "When your dad found out, he threw you out of the house and told you to never come home again."
Anglerfish team gasped in shock. Garai was doubly surprised, as he had never heard of a family disowning a member over a choice of an extracurricular activity.
"What you said is true, Makoto-kun, but there is some good news," Kaoru said. "Just now Shizuru, our family's maid, told me that Father was coming to this match, something he had never done before, even when we got to the finals of the tournament. I still hold out hope that he will come around."
Hana let out another gasp of surprise a few moments later as she recognized the similarity of their circumstances.
"Your father is still angry at you?" Hana said. She had, by now, reconciled with her mother, but she wondered, why had the same not happened with him, even though his circumstances were similar?
"What do you mean, when you say 'still', Isuzu-san?" Kaoru said.
"Ah, well, I mean that it is natural for parents to get upset over their children's decisions, and say or do things that they regret," Hana said. "But they have taken enough time to reflect on it, they should come around and take back everything they said while angry. The bonds you and your father share over the better part of two decades cannot be undone so easily."
"Ah, I see," Kaoru said. "Thank you for your kind words, Isuzu-san."
"I wish you the best of luck with your father, Kotetsu-kun," she said.
Rhino Team walked over to the assembled Anglerfish and Shark teams, with Patton leading Kennedy, Franklin and Lincoln to them.
"Commander, it's time to move out," Patton said.
"All right, I'll be over shortly," Sasuke said, before turning back to Miho. "It's been nice talking with you, Nishizumi-san; may the best team win."
"Same here, Nishizawa-kun," Miho said with a smile. With a wave, Sasuke walked off with Rhino Team.
Saori eyed the departing Rhino Team members
"It seems Shirosame has people like our Hippo Team, who cosplay as historical figures," she said. "But I noticed… all four of them are American historical figures."
"Well, I suppose that people from certain nations can be popular in others," Yukari said, "Sometimes even more than in their home country. Remember that Hippo Team had a member from the Roman Empire and another from Germany- they also made me an honorary member, as Guderian."
"In any case," Miho said, "the boys of Shirosame don't seem all that different from us. It's a bit hard to get my head around the fact that they're doing it for someone who doesn't like the fact that the other gender is in charge of tankery. Our student council isn't motivated by any such agenda, nor is the administration."
"Perhaps they are not aware of how they're helping him," Mako said. "You don't seem to be the sort to just do things for someone else's cause without asking questions, unless, perhaps, you didn't know that you were serving someone else's secret agenda."
"They also have their own reasons for fighting," Hana said. "Kotetsu-kun wanted to reconcile with his father just like how I wished for my mother to accept my doing tankery."
"That's true..." Miho said hesitantly. She had to wonder- would defeating the Shirosame boys crush their hopes along with the plans of those who had arranged the match?
As if on cue, Hana gave Miho a reassuring smile and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"But please do not worry, Miho-san," Hana said. "I will do my utmost to win, for the goals we share as a team, and for each of our individual ones. And perhaps winning will not deprive the Shirosame boys of that which they seek."
Miho cheered up and nodded.
"Let's do our best," she said.
As Sasuke walked with his team, his mind wandered back to what they had discussed earlier, as well as the information from what he was told was a "reliable source," about Oarai's tank lineup, which was startlingly similar to Shirosame's.
"An entire school, similar to ours, only this time, it's mainly girls who are taking tankery," Sasuke mused to himself. "But why is it so similar to ours? And where did the differences come from?"
"Sasuke-kun, surely you noticed?" Kaoru said. "Isuzu-san had an odd reaction when I mentioned my family troubles, almost as though she knew what I was talking about. It is possible she has been through something of the sort in the past, but I decided not to ask."
"But why do they have a boy on their team?" Makoto said. "The headmaster surely wouldn't allow any girls in our team, and neither would Sasuke's dad."
"Don't tell me you're jealous of Suou-kun, having all those girls around and so little competition," Kouta said.
"Nah, I actually don't know what I'd do in that situation, with so many choices," Makoto said. "That said, it might be nice to see some female faces around our school and its tankery team, and I'm sure the first-years of Bull Team would agree."
"I certainly don't see why it's so wrong that women are doing tankery," Sasuke said. "But even so, we can't lose. We have our own reasons for wanting to win, as do they, and perhaps by giving it their all, they'll show the headmaster just how well women can fight in tanks."
As the two teams came together for the pre-game assembly, Miho glanced around and noticed that her enemy's tanks were exactly the same as those from her team, down to the various upgrades on them.
Ami walked over in her dress uniform, as the representative for the referees of the match, and stood between the two teams.
"I'm Chouno Ami, the referee for this match," Ami said. "This battle will be a total annihilation one, and will end once all of one side's tanks are defeated."
"Um, Instructor?" Miho said, raising her hand. "May I ask why it's total annihilation this time?"
"This is essentially an exhibition game, so it's not bound by all the tournament rules," Ami said. "We decided to keep things as simple as possible, where feasible, to ensure that it wouldn't be too much of an adjustment for you, or the Shirosame boys."
Garai furrowed his brow in Ami's reference to the "boys" of his school, to him a clear if unconscious indication of which gender's participation she regarded as "normal" for tankery.
"Ah, I understand," Miho said.
"But one thing that is universal among sporting events, whether men or women, whether in tankery or anything else, is a mutual commitment to fair play and respect for those who play alongside and against you," Ami said. "Now, both sides, Bow!"
Both sides exchanged bows, and then headed off toward their tanks.
Miho and Sasuke's perceptions about tankery had been shaken from the moment they had heard about each other's schools doing something that they had not thought about, much less seriously considered doing, before then. But now that they were in their tanks, they set out to do what came naturaly to them- to fight and claim victory in their own ways.
Omake
"Thanks for coming, Isobe-chan," Anzu said at the start of the previous academic year, after having summoned "the volleyball team" to the office. "But I honestly wasn't expecting you to bring other people."
"Neither was I, President," Noriko said with a smile on her face. "Meet Sasaki Akebi-san, Kawanishi Shinobu-san and Kondou Taeko-san, three first-years and new members of the volleyball team."
"The Captain told us that it wasn't likely that we would be able to enter, much less win, any tournaments," Akebi said. "But Kondou-san, Kawanishi-san and I are all right with that; we're just looking for those who like to play volleyball together."
An uncomfortable silence ensued as the Student Council exchanged glances, and a confused look replaced the smile on Noriko's face.
"Yeah, well, about that..." Anzu said. "Sorry, but we're cutting the volleyball club. Not enough people are interested and funds are tight this year."
"What!?" Noriko said, shocked. "Funds are tight? Didn't I hear that you're starting up tankery again? I'm sure you don't even know how many will join it. What gives you the right to cut funding for an existing club with minimal operating costs to start up an untried new one without great popular demand?"
"Well, we..." Yuzu began, but as Anzu glanced at her, she stopped short.
"How about a deal, Isobe-chan?" Anzu said. "We need some volunteers for the tankery club. If you help us win the tournament, then we can consider the status of the volleyball club next year."
"You're a third-year, right, President?" Noriko said. Anzu merely nodded. "I do have to wonder whether you'll keep that promise."
"We can't say for sure until the end of the year, can we?" Anzu said.
"So, Isobe?" Momo said. "Are you in... or out?"
Noriko turned to her teammates, who nodded in unison.
"We're in, President," Noriko said. "I can't say I'm happy with how things turned out, but it's the only chance we have, and it's better than nothing."
"My thoughts exactly," Anzu said, noting how appropriate Noriko's word choice was, in more ways than one.
Author's notes
This chapter shared some of my theories as to why tankery is single-gender, and some of its evolution over time as women's role in society has changed.
Miho may not be the most confident individual, but I've noticed she does best when she's talking about something important to her, rather than saying things to motivate people. Two of the few times she gives a good speech- the speech in Episode 8 when she tries to convince everyone to surrender by saying that she started to like tankery and wants to preserve those fond memories, as well as the "Whatever happens, Oarai is my alma mater" speech in Episode 10- are times when she spoke clearly and eloquently, and they were when she spoke from the heart.
Many Gary Stu characters I've seen display incredible arrogance. That, combined with their tendency to have controversial opinions like their authors sometimes do, often would translate into sexism for a fandom like this.
On a minor note, while Oarai has moved on to a new school year, for Shirosame, it's the same academic year as when they won their first tournament. As such:
1)The Shirosame Student Council are third years while the Oarai student council has graduated
2)Sasuke is a second year while Miho is a third year.
3)Bull Team are first years while Rabbit Team are second years.
4)There are a few new freshmen in Oarai, whose counterparts in Shirosame would be in middle school.
5)None of the new arrivals (e.g. Garai of Anglerfish Team, Iruka of Anteater Team) have counterparts in Shirosame.
Ending Theme Team: Armadillo Team, Bull Team