Chapter 7 - Shock and awwwww

They arrived before a big, double wing wooden door. The Major opened it, and you could hear rustling of chairs from inside. Yoshika went right in behind her and Toshiro a second after.

There were chairs and tables in the room, arranged like in a classroom. On the wall was a large blackboard.

"Mio, so this is…" A red haired young woman spoke from the farthest point of the room.

Besides her there were a few other girls in various age.

From the front left: a yellow blonde girl with glasses, next to her an orange haired girl. Behind them was a short, black haired girl sleeping on the table. In the right row from the front: a twin ponytail girl with dark brown hair, and a short cut blonde girl. Behind them was a girl with light brown tied into a single braid, and next to her was a girl with bright gray hair and behind them a grey haired girl sleeping on a black pillow.

Those, which weren't sleeping, immediately gazed first at Yoshika, than at the mysterious figure behind her. The atmosphere in the room got tense, as if a lightning bolt was about to strike here. The trio came up front before everyone.

"Well Minna, this young girl is Yoshika Miyafuji from Fuso. Yoshika?" Sakamoto said.

"Pleased to meet you everyone." Yoshika greeted everyone kindly and bowed.

"And who is that robed mountain?" The well-endowed orange haired girl asked.

"That… That is my newest find, also from Fuso. Please, 'robed mountain', introduce yourself." The Major said.

So this is it… I hope I won't make a fool of myself…

Toshiro grabbed the robe with one hand and pulled it off in a single motion. After that, he pulled out his cap and put it on his head.

Everyone in the room went silent. You could hear a pin falling on a cushion. The unearthly silence woke up the both sleeping girls.

Now, Toshiro grabbed his mask, and slowly removed it from his face.

If the physics of this universe would allow it, everyone beside the trio from Fuso would have their jaws dropped on the floor, probably smashing the tables on the way.

"Master Sergeant Toshiro Lucas Akayama from the Imperial Fuso Navy" He introduced himself with a soft voice, bowed slightly and assumed an 'at ease' position.

The first one to regain her ability to speak was the one called Minna:

"Mio… You should choose your words wisely while explaining this…" She said with an irritated voice.

One could see clearly that she was ticked off, and would probably grab Toshiro and Mio alike and throw them out of the window.

"Calm down Minna. Everyone, before you stands the prized possession of the military, a male witch, a wizard!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeh?!" Every member of the 501st was shocked.

"And he already proved himself in combat; he was the one that shot down the Neuroi yesterday. We have many eyewitnesses, just ask about a berserker with his face covered by a red cloth, and shooting a demounted heavy machine gun. Also his magical potential was personally tested by yours truly."

"But a man, wizard, the top brass…" Minna couldn't glue a sentence together.

"No worries, Sir Churchill himself approved his stay here." Mio said proud of herself "Please let's continue the presentation."

"Mio, we will have a really serious talk in a few minutes…" Minna said angry. "Anyway, Sergeant Miyafuji, here is a case with your documents, ID, insignia and…" She was interrupted.

"Um…" Yoshika picked up the Walther PPK that was on the top of the case. "I don't need this." She said with a sad voice.

"You should have it just in case." Minna said.

"I won't use it…" Yoshika replied and looked down.

"I see." Minna replied. "Then maybe you Master Sergeant Akayama, do you need a sidearm?"

Before he could answer, Sakamoto barged in:

"No need for that Minna, I have something different for him." She presented him with a case similar to that of Yoshika. "The content is almost the same like that one, but with a little modification. Please, open it."

Toshiro placed the case on his left hand, and opened the lid with his right. On the top of his insignia and documents, there was a recognizable holster. He took it out of the case, and placed the case on the ground. A protrusion on the right side of the holster drew his attention. Mio seemed to notice that, and said:

"It's a prototype quick-draw holster. It has a spring ejection system, which makes drawing the weapon faster. The protrusion you noticed is the spring retractor, you pull it down after holstering the gun to close the holster. To use the spring ejection mechanism, you just pull the release pin on the side." Mio explained.

Toshiro strapped the holster to his belt, and immediately tested the quick-draw system. He pulled the pin, and the pistol shot out by half of its length. He grabbed the gun with a firm grip. You could hear amazed murmuring from the back of the room.

He looked at the gun. It was like a blast from the past, because before he was assigned to being a mechanic, he was the gunsmiths apprentice in the Navy. One time they got a shipment of Mauser C96's by mistake, but that didn't stop Toshiro and the gunsmith from test firing one of them. The gun he held now was the same model as he encountered then, the "Red 9", a variant made for the East Karlsland regiments. It used 9mm Parabellum ammunition, instead of the usual 7.63 Mauser. To prevent the soldiers from loading the wrong rounds, a big red '9' was burned in on the grip.

Suddenly Toshiro turned to the right side of the room, and in a split second, he assumed a perfect one-hand shooting stance. There was something primal in the way he held his weapon, and looked through the sights. After a brief moment, he holstered the pistol, and used the spring retractor to hide the weapon completely and to close the holster.

The briefing room went silent yet again. Toshiro quickly snapped out of his trance, and to break the awkward silence he said:

"Ah, I'm sorry I spaced out a bit. Thank you Sakamoto, it's an amazing gift." He said and bowed slightly.

"Well now… Lynne, would you mind giving a tour of the base to the newcomers? A sergeant trio here is not a usual sight, and I believe you will get along well." Minna said.

"Oh!" The girl called Lynne jumped. "Okay, commander…"

"Okay, everyone – dismissed!" Minna commanded. "Mio… I believe we have to have a chat with each other…" She said to the Major.

"Give me a second please, I want to see this" Mio answered.

"Okay, but don't let me waiting, for your own good." Minna responded with a demonic smile.

A few seconds after she closed the door, Toshiro suddenly felt that someone is groping his chest from behind. Turns out it was the black haired girl. She made a sad face and with a disappointed voice, she said:

"Boo, nothing at all, no prize…" And immediately she jumped behind Yoshika and groped her breasts to her discontent and surprise. There was something odd about the girls' hair, because depending on the view angle it was black or greenish.

"Well, how is it?" Asked the orange haired girl.

"Consolation prize." The black haired girl responded sadly.

Well, they're not that small, they just fit her stature…

"Lynne has a bigger rack, hee hee" The light gray haired girl snickered and looked at the braid girl.

"Hahahaha!" The orange haired girl laughed. "Not as big as mine though!" She said with a confident voice while fondling her voluminous breasts.

Motion withdrawn, defendant guilty.

The girls with glassed made a shy attempt at greeting Toshiro.

"Um… Hi… I'm Perrine H. Clostermann… Nice to meet you…" She said shyly with a red face.

Toshiro recognized aristocracy when it stood before him, thanks to the upbringing his mother gave him.

I wonder if I can pull something through here…

He bowed, took her right hand, kissed it gently and said:

"Pleased to meet you, milady."

Perrine immediately blushed with such a radiance, that she could easily serve as a reading lamp. She turned around and in a split second, she left the room.

"Hahahaha, nailed it!" Said Toshiro while laughing hard, and after he stopped he approached the Yoshika and the orange haired girl, which didn't need an invitation to introduce herself.

"Howdy, I'm Captain Charlotte Yeager, and I come from Liberion. You guys can call me Shirley." She said with a friendly and made a handshake with Yoshika.

"Ow…" Yoshika let out a slight sigh of pain.

"Hahaha, you should eat more or you'll never grow!" Shirley said with a happy face, and turned her face to Toshiro.

A spark could be felt in the air when they both met their eyes. Toshiro knew what it meant: a manly handshake! They both swung their hands in a 90 degrees arc, and when they connected, a loud clasp would be heard. Shirley squeezed hard, and although her hands were soft, Toshiro did feel calluses.

Calluses… And is that the scent of motor oil? Could she be a mechanic like me?

He replied to the squeeze with a squeeze of his own, but only one of equal force.

"I see I met a worthy opponent!" Shirley said with pride.

"Likewise Shirley, I could bust your hand if I wanted, but it would hinder you in both fighting and in your hobby as a mechanic." He said with a mysterious voice.

Shirley immediately pulled her hand back:

"How did you know I'm a mechanic?" She asked surprised

"To begin with, you have calluses on your hands. Girls don't usually do physical work, so that sparked my interest. In addition, you have the faint scent of motor oil on you. And I'm a mechanic myself, so how couldn't I recognize a fellow comrade?" Toshiro said in a confident voice, akin to a famous fictional detective.

Case closed!

"Wow, nice detective skills! And you're a mechanic? Coool, what did you repair?!" She asked with obvious interest.

"Well in the beginning of my Navy career I was an apprentice gunsmith, but after that I started to repair engines, mostly those of planes. I must confess that I left a Mitsubishi Kinsei 62 engine in half repaired state back in Fuso…"

"Nah, don't worry! You'll have stuff to tinker with here, hell; I might even give you a go at my Striker Unit!" Shirley responded with an eager voice.

The conversation was interrupted by the black haired girls cuddling to the huge breasts of Shirley. The light gray haired girl who was supporting the standing stance of the half asleep gray haired girl used the occasion.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, Suomus Air Force 2nd Lieutenant" She introduced herself and pointed with her head at the girl she was helping to stand. "And this is Sanya Litvyak, Orussia Army's 1st Lieutenant."

Suddenly the black haired girls also spoke:

"Ensign Francesca Lucchini, Romagna Regia Aeronautica, hi!"

Hmm… Weren't there two more girls here?

Now the Major chipped in to the conversation:

"Okay, introduction time is over, time for duty." She said and continued. "Lynne and Miyafuji will be training from this afternoon."

"Yes, ma'am!" Yoshika responded.

"I told you… Oh whatever… And you Toshiro, after you get a tour around the base, meet me at the main entrance stairs."

"Understood" Toshiro acknowledged.

"Lynne, it's your turn. Show the two around the base." Sakamoto said.

"Yes ma'am" She responded shyly.

She is so shy… She's almost the direct counterpart Shirley, and kind of reminds me of Yoshika in the beginning of our relationship…

As Toshiro and Yoshika approached her, Lynne stood up rigidly. They both introduced themselves:

"I'm Yoshika Miyafuji, pleased to meet you."

"I'm Toshiro Lucas Akayama, also pleased to meet you." He said with his softest possible voice.

"I'm Lynette Bishop, please follow me." Lynne said scarcely, turned around and started walking.

I must say, that Bishop girl has an exquisite rack! Wait, why am I suddenly thinking about such things?!

After a short time they walked down a long corridor, with a lot of windows on the their right side, and a few doors on the left.

"Mr. Toshiro, Ms. Miyafuji, did you memorize the layout of the rooms already?"

"Pretty much yeah" Yoshika said.

"Ditto" Toshiro said.

"This is my room in case you'll need me, and look to the right; I believe this would be your room." Lynne said humbly

"Oh wow, we have our rooms next to each other!" Yoshika said with enthusiasm.

"Is that so?" Said Lynne a little surprised.

They entered Yoshika's room. It was furnished in a rather modest way, with everything being made from wood. There was a queen size bed, a wall closet and a single window over the bed.

"It's so empty here…" Lynne said a little worried.

"Well I just got here, so I don't have any belongings." Yoshika replied.

"I know a good store with furniture and every day necessities, but it's a long trip. Shall I take you there sometime?" Lynne said with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Yes please!" Yoshika replied "I wanted to get a…" She was interrupted by Toshiro.

"Pardon the interruption, Lynne, do you know if there's a free room around here?" He asked.

"Hmm… I really don't know… I'm sorry…" Lynne said with guilt in her voice.

"Nah, don't worry, it's not your fault. I will have to inquire with the commander where I can sleep, though I could might as well squat in Yoshika's room in the corner, all I would need I a bedroll and a pillow." He said with a peculiar smile on his face.

Damn you Sakamoto! They are totally unprepared for my arrival because of your little secrecy scheme! Oh well, I'm a simple soldier, I shouldn't expect much…

Yoshika blushed a bit, and returned to her previous topic nervously

"A-anyway, I was trying to say that I wanted to buy a big pot, so I could help cook Fuso dishes for all the people here!"

After a short while, they arrived at the dining room. It was a large room, with a very long table in the middle. There was also a kitchen annex and a fireplace.

"This is the dining room and kitchen." Lynne explained.

"So who's on cooking duty?" Yoshika asked.

"We have a certain person in charge of kitchen duty, but at times we take turns in cooking ones regional dishes." Lynne said.

Yoshika stormed in to the kitchen and was in awe when she saw all the pots, pans and stoves.

"Wow, I wonder if I could cook Fuso dishes for everyone." Yoshika said amazed.

"Are you good at cooking?" Lynne asked.

"I can't compare myself to anyone, so I really don't know how's the quality of my cuisine, but I like when people eat my food." She responded.

"Don't be so modest, Yoshika. I've heard that you have been helping the cook on the Akagi after that little 'incident' in the canteen, and the food quality improved substantially. I myself could probably only cook beef stew or make onigiri or simple sushi, but nothing fancy, since my family was always kind of poor…" Toshiro said with a small frown on his face.

Yoshika blushed after hearing the compliment.

"Okay, let's continue the tour…" Lynne said, timid as always.

They came to a door, and Lynne started to say something but was stuttering badly and was red as a dark room light bulb:

"U-u-u-u-hm… Mr. T-t-t-oshiro, t-t-this is t-t-t-the b-b-bath s-s-so…"

Crap. There's probably only one bath in this place, and this is an all-girls establishment it seems! Just barging into there while unannounced would probably mean a world of pain to me…

"Say no more Lynne, I'll wait here, give you can show the bath to Yoshika…" Toshiro said while trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Yes!" Lynne grabbed Yoshika's hand and they both rushed into the bath.

Toshiro leaned against the wall and pondered

I think I could take a peek inside… But if I got noticed, I would probably be kicked so hard that I would land in Fuso, with a court martial order to boot. Uh… Discovering the joys of male-female interactions at such an age…

Anyway, I think Lynne is getting around nicely with Yoshika, and it's probably mutual. She loosened up a bit, well, not until we came to the bath entrance that is, I thought she would burn like a signal flare right there, hueh…

This castle is a really nice place, although it feels a bit weird for a Fuso commoner to just waltz around a palace worthy of kings like it's no one's deal…

Toshiro's inner monologue was interrupted by the two coming out into the corridor, so he asked:

"Hey Yoshika, how was it in there?"

"Steamy… And hot… And Yeager's boobs were..." She bit here tongue, but the milk was spilled already. "I… Uh… I mean…"

Toshiro leaned at hear ear and whispered:

"Don't worry, I have my own problems on that account… We can talk about it later if you'd like."

Yoshika's face now had a color that could put a brand new fire truck into shame. Lynne was looking at the Fuso duo without even hiding her confusion. Toshiro seemed to read the moment, and said:

"Lynne, please, let's continue the tour."

"Oh! Okay…" She jumped a bit after Toshiro had spoken suddenly, but then went back to her silent self.

As they strolled around the base, they came to a shooting range. A rough estimate was that it was 500 meters long. Toshiro had the idea to try out his gun, but at that range, it would fail miserably. If he got something bigger, he would probably return here.

As they ended their roundabout, they saw a little crowd of journalists at the main entrance. They were photographing the blond girls whose name Toshiro and Yoshika didn't know yet, and there was the dark brown haired girl standing aside. Toshiro asked:

"Ah, I see the two missing girls have been found, but we couldn't quite figure out their names… Any help Lynne?"

"Ah yes, the blonde girl is 1st Lieutenant Erica Hartmann, her kill count recently went over 200." She answered.

"200?!" Yoshika gasped in surprise. "So you have been fighting the Neuroi for that long…"

"Captain Gertrud Barkhorn next to here has shot down nearly 250, and Commander Minna has slightly over 160. If it weren't for that trio, Britannia would surely be conquered." Lynne carried on.

"Incredible…" Both Toshiro and Yoshika murmured in accord.

"The others are also committed to protecting many peoples' homelands with their magical abilities…" Lynne said. "Pardon me, but what kind of magic are you two capable of?" She asked shyly.

"Well I can only heal…" Yoshika said humbly.

"That's still good, and you Mr. Toshiro?"

"To be honest I'm a little confused about my powers. I know that I'm probably capable of using fire magic, but on the Akagi I also felt that I'm capable of carrying heavy objects when I lugged around a heavy machine gun and about 20 kilograms of ammunition on me…"

"Fire magic… That must be a nice sight. And as for the increased carrying capacity, I think that some of the Karlslandian witches have this inherent power…" Lynne said and paused for a bit.

"Well, my father was from Karlsland, so maybe some of his female ancestors were witches…" Toshiro said.

"You both have such amazing powers… I can't do anything, and just slow everyone down… Ehh… Please, let's continue…" She turned around, but because they were hiding behind a corner for some odd reason, she banged her head on the wall.

"Ow… I'm sorry…" She said.

After a few minutes and climbing some stairs, the sergeant trio ended up at the top of the castle. They ended on the top of a tower, from which the view was truly spectacular: green fields and mountains could have been seen in the north and a clear blue sea from the south.

"This is the highest spot in the whole base." Lynne explained.

"So the whole island is the base, huh?" Yoshika asked.

"Correct. This small island protruding from the Strait of Dover is the 501st JFW base." Lynne said and pointed in the south-east direction. "There you can see the continent, unfortunately most of it has fallen into the enemy's hands.

For a minute, everyone fell silent, and one could only hear the wind blowing.

That concluded the tour around the base, so they split up. Yoshika and Lynne went their way, and Toshiro took departure to the main entrance. He opened the door and went outside, and saw Sakamoto standing on the stairs. However, she wasn't alone. The commander was accompanying her, and as soon as she saw Toshiro she made a serious face.

"Akayama, good that you joined us. I'll have to lay down a few rules regarding your stay here. First: no direct physical contact with the witches."

"Commander, I see a few minor issues with that point – what if I have to grab a witch in battle, so I, for example, can defend her from harm's way, or… I don't know… a friendly handshake between friends? Or maybe… just maybe… the commander's definition of physical contact is 'nothing that could imply or lead to an intimate situation'." Toshiro spoke his mind.

"Yes Akayama, good point, so be it" Minna said with her teeth clenched. "Second point: bathing. You are only allowed to bathe at a select time of day, and you have to hand a visible and clear sign that you are occupying the bath."

"Yes Commander, I fully understand. I have already thought about the possible consequences of corrupting these pure maidens with the sight of my naked male body."

Minna was so upset that steam could almost literally be seen flowing out of her ears, but she tried to hide the fact. Toshiro shot a quick glance at Mio that was standing behind her, she was literally gasping for air while silently chuckling.

"Accurate observation Akayama… Third and final point: until a room is prepared for you, you will be occupying a bedroll in my room. You will be under my supervision at night, and you can only enter the room after knocking, and when I'm in there." Minna said trying to hide her irritation, but she was subconsciously clenching her fists.

"Comm…" – Toshiro started forming a sentence, but was shot down quickly.

"YOU WILL SLEEP WITH ME, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!" Minna finally exploded.

"Hahahahahahahaha!" Sakamoto finally broke into laughter, with tears trickling down her face.

"What… Why are you laughing Mio?" The Commander asked.

"Because… hahaha…" Mio stopped laughing and made a dead-serious face. "Because you said Toshiro is to sleep with you."

Both Toshiro and Minna blushed wildly.

"T-t-that's not what…" She tried to glue a sentence together.

"Commander, tis but a slip of the tongue. I truly believe your intentions were pure and untied to your carnal desires. If that's all, I would like to commence my training with Major Sakamoto." Toshiro spoke like a true gentleman.

"Yes, Akayama, that is all." She shrugged.

"Come with me, Toshiro." Mio said.

Just then, he noticed she was wielding a broom behind her back.

A broom? What will my training consist of, cleaning the grounds to achieve nirvana?

They started walking in the direction of the shooting range.


Notes:

About the quick-draw holster – from what I know, it is something I totally made up. I do not know if it would work, but hey, this is fiction!

Red 9 – a real Mauser C96 variant

Toshiro and Perrine – just to stay clear: that was a master level troll of him

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