Chapter 6: On Another Difficult Journey
After Oarai's victory, they an BC Freedom came together once again near where they had met before the match. The teams bowed to each other, and Miho and Kei shook hands while exchanging congratulations.
Yasuko approached the assembled Oarai tankers, along with Hisa, having an expression that was warmer than it had been at this point a year ago. She realized she was no longer looking a team foolhardily plunging into a competition they could not win, but at a group of tankers prepared to face the odds against them, and quite possibly overcome them again.
"Congratulations on your victory," Yasuko said to the Oarai tankers. "Winning despite being outnumbered three to two is not an easy victory by any means, and few people can do it with any regularity. Of course, this is more or less common for you, and a disadvantage you will have to overcome in the future, even if continuing to do so is by no means easy."
"I appreciate this, Coach Fujita," Miho said. "But why exactly do you think so?"
Yasuko paused to consider what she had to say. Miho's tone indicated that she was at least partly aware of what they were up against, which struck her as a far cry from Hisa's colleagues on the student council, so Yasuko hoped to give her an informative answer that would help her better understand what she was facing.
"To be honest," Yasuko said, "it may be difficult to accomplish again what you did last year. You will still be outnumbered in the semifinals and finals, and many of your opponents in the first two rounds have tanks that are of better quality. And people are no longer underestimating you, since the possibility of losing to an opponent that seems to be at this much of a disadvantage is no longer something they can assume will never happen. Perhaps it did take a good amount of luck to win the tournament, but luck isn't all there is to you. In the end, the result matters most of all, so your victories in the past are a better indicator of what you can do than the kind of tanks or prior experience that you have."
Kei nodded approvingly.
"The coach doesn't usually give this positive an assessment of a team's performance," Kei said. "You've earned her respect, just as you earned mine last year."
"Yes, you have," Yasuko said. "I talked with Hisa last year. and I realized that she wasn't deterred by the odds. Perhaps what was at stake was relevant in hindsight, but it wasn't the entire story."
"You could say that," Hisa said. "The truth is that, regardless of whether the school was on the line, I was glad to get back into tankery and do it along with my friends again."
"Moreover, I may have said that it will be difficult for you to win this time, but I won't say that it's impossible," Yasuko said. "You've proven that you could do it before, and I realized before long that I was overly hasty to judge you. I can't say with absolute certainty that you'll win again, but I certainly won't count you out."
"The same goes for us, too," Kei said. "And I do hope to meet you all in the tournament, even if the result is no different than this time."
Miho smiled and nodded. To her, this was the most pleasant part of tankery; fighting together with her friends, against rivals who respected them and shared their passions. She hoped to never lose sight of what she enjoyed about it in the tournament ahead, even as she worked to ensure that future Oarai students would be able to share these joys.
Miho met with Kei after the meeting ended. The rest of Anglerfish Team stood off in the distance, waiting for Miho to finish asking a question that had been at the back of her mind since the previous match with BC Freedom before the five girls went shopping together.
"Do you have a minute, Arakawa-san?" Miho said. "I have something I'd like to ask you about your school."
"Go ahead, Nishizumi-san," Kei said.
"It's something I've been thinking about throughout all of last year," Miho said. "You seem like a person who would get a spot on a more prestigious team, even if you didn't necessarily become commander, so why stick with a school like BC Freedom?"
"Funny you should ask that, Nishizumi-san," Kei said. "I still remember you from when you were vice-captain at Black Forest."
"It's a bit of a long story," Miho said. "The short answer is that Oarai is a better fit for me as a person and as a tanker. That's why I'm curious what about BC Freedom fits you better."
"Good question," Kei said. "I went to middle school at Stars and Stripes. It was a good team, but it was large and somewhat anonymous. I managed to get a regular position, but I can count on one hand the number of people I knew who were on the team, but weren't part of my crew or fellow commanders."
What Kei was saying sounded familiar to Miho, but it did not remind her of the American-themed high school, Saunders. Saunders' team was perhaps even larger than Stars and Stripes', but Kay, the former commander, was lively and exuberant, able to talk to virtually everyone as though she had been friends with them for a long time.
"That sounds a little like my old school," Miho said. "Of course, apart from my sister, I knew some of the people there and had some friends."
Kei nodded, having heard the story about the events leading up to Miho's departure from the school.
"This isn't to say that there aren't downsides to this school," Kei said. "BC Freedom isn't as well equipped, trained or motivated as Stars and Stripes, at least when you compare it to others of its level. BC Freedom would probably beat Stars and Stripes, as well as most of the others on the middle school level, even if there are few high schools we stand a chance against. In spite of that, it's genuinely fun being around these girls, and I find myself relating to them more easily than I did with my teammates at my old school."
"That's good to hear," Miho said. "But do you ever worry that BC Freedom won't stay the way it is in the future?"
"Sometimes," Kei said. "But since I'm graduating at the end of the year, I think about those things a great deal. You might have heard this before, but our school used to be two schools- BC and Freedom Academies. I've done my best to do right by each of the sides, but not everyone shares my sentiments, and I fear that if someone who thinks of their half ahead of our school takes command, our team will stop working together well."
Miho nodded. Her team had little in common, but there were no outright rivalries or bad blood. Sodoko had proved somewhat disagreeable in her overzealous enforcement of the rules, but because she had little actual power, the others thought of her as an annoyance at worst, and while she disliked their behavior, she did not take it personally. From her own experience, and what she had heard about BC Freedom, she had some appreciation of the difficulty of Kei's task.
"I know what you're talking about," Miho said. "It can be a difficult task to keep a team together, so even if our schools are rivals, I'll be rooting for your successor's success in that undertaking."
"Thank you, Nishizumi-san," Kei said. "But going back to your question, I'd like to ask it to you. Is your mind on the future, as well?"
"You could say that," Miho said. "Last year, we were fighting so that our school could remain open. This year, I'm hoping to keep the tankery team around for the long term."
"That makes sense," Kei said. "Of course, while this is a goal worth trying hard for, you shouldn't lose sight of what people value about Oarai's team or why it can win. Perhaps my school has different standards of success than yours, but if you keep that in mind, the rest should largely take care of itself."
"I see," Miho said. "Perhaps that will work in the future."
Miho glanced to see her friends. Having heard what she needed to hear, and not wanting to keep them waiting, she decided to conclude her conversation with Kei."
"It was nice talking with you, Arakawa-san," Miho said.
"Kei, please, Miho-san," Kei said.
"I'll see you again, Kei-san," Miho said, before leaving.
Miho understood that the Student Council's essential goals, shared by the Kadotani and Mikado administrations in spite of their differences, were essentially the same. They wanted to keep Oarai running and ensure that it continued to be a good school, which were separate but related goals. Miho had a similar goal in mind for the tankery team, to ensure that it was both fun and successful, and she believed that if she succeeded on those regards, she could help the student council achieve their goals of helping Oarai Academy in the long term, just as she had helped their predecessors save the school.
Since the ship was in port, the Oarai girls had some time to explore the city before they headed back. They did so on a more celebratory note than before, having won the match that they had lost the previous year, and were eager to see more of Osaka. The BC Freedom girls, in high spirits despite their loss, visited the city that some of them called their home town.
As BC Freedom and Oarai went their separate ways, Hisa met with Shizuru in a tankery hobby store, while Ayano browsed in the back of the store. Shizuru had encouraged Natsumi and Shiina to go off on their own, wanting to give the two old friends some time alone, and fearing that her presence, as their direct superior, would put a damper on their enjoyment. The two of them had accepted Shizuru's explanation for her absence, albeit with a note of disappointment as they replied with a "Yes, ma'am."
"So how have things been going for you, Mikado-san?" Hisa said. "I recall hearing that you're not just the new president, but also the new commander of Turtle Team. When I told Anzu about this, she became quite interested in hearing more about how you were doing."
"According to the commander, I've been doing surprisingly well at tankery, Takei-senpai," Shizuru said, "although I do sometimes find it difficult to fill your and the rest of our predecessors' shoes."
"Well, we did come a long way from where we first started in the tournament," Hisa said. "Yasuko told me that of all the seven initial teams, only three were anywhere close to pulling their weight. Momo couldn't hit a shot to save her life- literally, to some extent, since it gave Arakawa-san the opportunity to defeat her. Rabbit Team fled from their tank in the middle of the battle. Hippo Team's bright paint job and decorative flags nullified some of their tank's advantages. And, of course, Duck Team had trouble making the most of its tank."
Shizuru sighed, and paused, at a loss for words. She was not satisfied with Hippo Team's performance as it was, but she realized that it had never been this bad.
"Few of those sound like average rookie mistakes," Shizuru said. "I must say that I am surprised that Oarai has come so far."
"Well, this not only gave them experience in actual battle, but it also gave them some idea of what the competition was like," Hisa said. "As such, it was a failure that inspired us to improve and win in the future."
"I understand," Shizuru said. "We, particularly the weaker performers in practice, have been working on honing our skills and learning from our mistakes. But I am curious about one part of this 'motivation.' Did you really dance the Anglerfish dance, Takei-senpai?"
"Indeed, Mikado-san," Hisa said. "The president's logic was that we shared victory and defeat, which is why she had Miho dance it as punishment for losing it, with her friends joining in out of solidarity. The four of us on the student council, however, believed that we couldn't make Miho bear the consequences of defeat without joining in, too."
Shizuru nodded. Since Turtle Team's blunders had greatly hindered Oarai at crucial moments, it seemed only fair that they should take responsibility. Of course, others shared the responsibility for the defeat, and possibly deserved the same punishment.
"So... what about the rest of those who got taken out?" Shizuru said. "Did they have to dance it, too?"
Hisa shook her head.
"Originally, it was something that Anzu used to motivate Miho," Hisa said. "We were hesitant to reveal the truth about our school being on the line to Miho, so she decided on something that would get her motivated, but not put too much pressure on Miho. Anzu hoped to get Miho to take this seriously without buckling under the pressure."
Shizuru paused, trying to find a away to tactfully express her disagreement.
"I see what you mean," Shizuru said. "But was that really the best way? One could say that Kadotani-senpai was simply bullying Nishizumi-san into compliance merely because she did not have the courage to publicly disclose an uncomfortable truth."
Hisa sighed. The previous student council had its share of disagreements and internal debate, and in this case, she and Yuzu had opposed pressganging Miho into joining. In spite of the fact that she found it difficult to argue in favor of a decision she did not support, she felt as though Shizuru still did not fully understand what her predecessors were up against, and so endeavored to enlighten her.
"Honestly, I can't say for certain," Hisa said without hesitation. "The entire time we were fighting to save the school, we were practically blindly thrusting ourselves into a fierce competition when most of us were untested newcomers. It's a bit like betting all your chips on a single spin of the roulette, but for one thing."
"What difference are you thinking of?" Shizuru said.
"We would have lost if we'd refused to play," Hisa said, "which is why we saw no reason not to try. Very little was guaranteed back then, so while it's tempting to take our success for granted, I try not to do so. But it was a chance to stay open, a faint light of hope that prevented this from being nothing more than a year to close up. Hindsight is 20/20 after all... no offense."
Shizuru let off a soft chuckle. Having worn glasses since elementary school, she was quite used to them, so if Hisa had intended some friendly teasing, she took no offense. While serious and professional, she was by no means humorless, nor did she have the desire to come off that way.
"You raise a good point about your circumstances, senpai," Shizuru said. "In spite of that, a part of me wondered whether you should simply have been honest, informing students of what was coming and allowing them a year to plan their futures should the worst happen. After all, all of you would be graduating at the end of the year, barring any unforeseen developments, so the outcome of the tournament last year would not have affected you."
"True," Hisa said. "We did debate this issue, but Anzu decided in the end that if we announced it in advance, too many people would have jumped ship, so to speak, to keep the school afloat for the rest of us." As Hisa paused, Shizuru shrugged noncommittally, considering the point. "On the other hand, Mikado-san, perhaps you could think of this another way. Momo said that we could leave things as they were, without risking anything, but she wanted to be able to keep the school open for future generations, or, failing that, leave without regrets. Momo may be impulsive and not especially bright, but she understood what we had to do here, and no one was more committed to doing it than she was."
Shizuru paused thoughtfully. The fact that the Kadotani administration had more internal debate than she thought was an interesting point to consider, but it was beside the point for now. Her predecessors all had the same goal in mind, one that Shizuru and her colleagues shared as well.
"I suppose that choosing to save this school matters most, even if I disagree with how you chose to do it," Shizuru said. "In the end, because you succeeded, we stayed open, even if the efforts to keep the school open are far from over."
"I know," Hisa said. "I do wish I could do more, but I realize the effort is one that I'll have to entrust to you, not unlike how you will have to do so with your successors when you graduate at the end of this year."
Shizuru nodded. She did not believe Hisa spoke for the Kadotani administration, but found herself agreeing with what she heard. Perhaps she could draw some insights from what her predecessors said and did, because even if she did not always agree with them and her circumstances were different, she and her colleagues now had their senpais' positions and responsibilities. Until the day when they graduated, Oarai Academy was in their hands, and it was up to them to run their school well.
Duck Team stopped at a sporting goods store and looked at the volleyball related goods.
"Wow, this is quite a selection," Noriko said. "This store's a lot bigger than any sports store we have in Oarai."
"There's another one like this at the next bus stop," Shinobu said. "If we get in line now, we should be able to make it over in time to do some browsing."
"Ah, yeah, that one," Noriko said, having researched the city while preparing for the possibility of an urban battle. "I was actually hoping to stop by the tankery club next door."
"I agree completely, captain," Akebi said. "It's fun doing things with the four of us, whether shopping, volleyball or tankery."
"We're no longer just doing volleyball," Taeko said. "We're also passionate about tankery. I'd certainly like the volleyball club to come back, but it'd be a bummer if we had to stop doing tankery."
"Yeah," Noriko said. "Of course, I won't have to deal with this, since I'll be graduating."
The conversation ground to a halt. One of the reasons why Duck Team enjoyed tankery as much as they did was because they could do it as a team. Soon, their leader, their friend and the one who had inspired them to accept the former student council's offer to do tankery, would be gone, and they had to wonder where their volleyball team or Duck Team would stand then.
But Duck Team was nothing if not determined, and their resolve soon was revived. They saw the closure of their club as a challenge to get it restarted again, the Type 89 as a potential tactical asset, and the previous tournament as one in which an underdog could prevail. Where there was a will, there was a way, and they would find a way to persist onward, no matter what the future held in store.
As Saki and Nodoka looked in a local bookstore, along with the rest of Octopus Team and Maho, they marveled at the selection of tankery-related books, some of which they could not find on their school ship or in their home port.
"That was fun," Saki said. "It's nice to face off against another school in a match with nothing on the line."
"I agree, Saki," Nodoka said. "When it comes down to it, days like today- doing tankery together with my friends- were why I wanted to stay at this school."
"The same goes for me, Nodoka-chan," Saki said. "Days like today bring back good memories about tankery."
Nodoka paused, but her mood soon turned somber.
"Of course, I know that things won't be going on like this forever," Nodoka said. "We'll be entering the tournament again soon, and will have to take those matches seriously. Granted, we succeeded last year, but the odds are not in our favor, as Coach Fujita said."
Saki nodded.
"But that's not all there is, is it, Nodoka-chan?" Saki said. "The odds of success have never deterred you."
"Quite right, Saki," Nodoka said. "I suppose that's a minor concern compared to what the future holds for all of us. We don't know how long Oarai Academy will remain open, but one thing is certain; we'll be going our separate ways at the end of this year, next year, or the year after that."
"But you were able to meet your friends again, Nodoka-chan," Saki said. "And I was able to reconcile with my sister. Both of them were goals we didn't know whether we'd accomplish, and only had one chance to do so, but we ultimately succeeded"
"True," Nodoka said, "even if Yuu-san is now at university, along with your sister. I honestly hope to become a professional tanker in the future, but I'm not certain how many of my friends can keep up, or if we'll end up in the same place. You and Hisa-senpai will almost certainly do well, and I'm fairly confident in my old friends, Yuuki and Someya-senpai, but I'm less certain about others, such as Maho-chan and Hanada-senpai."
Nodoka thought back to her father's opposition to her doing tankery and an ultimatum. Perhaps he did have a point to some degree, although she believed that she deserved to keep doing tankery, and have a shot at doing it professionally. And while she had succeeded in persuading him by winning the tournament, she realized that there were some problems that could not be solved by skill alone.
Saki laid a comforting hand on Nodoka's shoulder. Nodoka had always been by her when she doubted herself, so the least she could do was return the favor, now that they were on another difficult journey through the tournament together.
"I can't say we can predict the future, Nodoka-chan, much less make it go the way we want," Saki said. "But we can savor the present and do what we can. I'm sure the rest of our friends are trying hard in their own way."
Nodoka nodded, reassured. Upon recognizing their teammates, Mako and Yuuki browsing nearby, with Maho and Hiroko elsewhere in the store, Nodoka decided to drop the subject. She was satisfied for the answer for the moment, and decided to enjoy the rest of her time in town with her friends, just like she hoped to enjoy the rest of high school with them. She would be hard at work planning for the future, but she would still enjoy the present.
As the groups returned to the ship that would take them back to Oarai Academy, Natsumi and Shiina, who had decided to go out with each other, independent of their respective teams, returned in advance of the others.
"You're remarkably early, Fujino-san, Teradaira-san," Saro said as she took attendance. "Might you have returned early to keep me company?"
Shiina laughed and Natsumi chuckled softly, but to Saro's surprise, Shiina nodded.
"You know, that's actually it," Shiina said. "I've been curious about something, Saro- what makes a 'good girl' like you choose a sport like tankery?"
"You mean that it isn't a perfectly respectable activity?" Saro said. "The girls of St. Gloriana are both quintessential ladies and exceptionally skilled among the high school-level tankers in this country."
Natsumi nodded. Her parents had considered sending her to St. Gloriana, but were unable to afford the tuition.
"Well, there's one of two possibilities," Shiina said. "The first is that you were forced into it, but since you didn't show up for the first day, that's unlikely. The second is that you managed to somehow convince your parents to let you do it."
"You're rather perceptive," Saro said. "What gives you such insights?"
"Natsumi did," Shiina said, gesturing at her long-time friend to prompt her to elaborate.
"For a long time, I've been forced to conform to the expectations of my parents and other people, acting in a way that's appropriately respectful," Natsumi said. "Both Shiina and I were interested in tankery, but couldn't get involved with it except for under the pretext of it being part of our student council duties."
Saro let off a soft sigh of disappointment, realizing that Natsumi's cheerful smile, her pleasant demeanor, and even her politely calling her "Hirose-san" while on the job, were all parts of a facade that she adopted when she had to and discarded when it was no longer useful. But she also realized that they understood her, in particular where she was coming from.
"You're right," Saro said. "And the same is true to me, to some degree. My cousin Sumire got me interested in tankery, but my parents forbade me from doing it." As Sumire paused to let the point sink in, Natsumi and Shiina nodded, since it sounded quite familiar to her. "But you're wrong if you think that I'm head of the disciplinary committee because my parents want me to be, or as a way of becoming Mallard Team's commander. Both the disciplinary committee and tankery are fulfilling pursuits to me on their own, even if I do not have Sodoko's zeal for the former or Akiyama-san's enthusiasm for the latter."
"I get what you're saying," Shiina said. "As far as my work for the student council goes, it's not that I hate it, but..."
Shiina stopped short, realizing that she was having trouble coming up with an answer. It was no longer so simple for her to say why she did not find student council work appealing as it was before she joined... or perhaps she had never understood why she had been reluctant to join. Natsumi remained silent, choosing not to answer.
Saro simply nodded. She remembered Shiina's attitude as one she herself had once possessed, and so chose to give her the same answer she might give to her younger self.
"In short, I'd say that you should do your best on the student council, not because your parents expect you to do it, or because President Mikado orders you to do so," Saro said. "You should do it because it's the right and most fulfilling thing to do."
"I will," Shiina said. "Thanks, Saro."
The two members of the student council parted from the head of the disciplinary committee and began milling about the boat. Within minutes, Anglerfish Team was the first of the others to return to the boat.
Natsumi, idly wandering around, noticed Hana briefly stop to chat with Saro. She immediately recognized it as the sort of pleasantries that had been drilled into her. She also remembered using those lines on Saro once before, only for Saro to, with some annoyance, tell her to drop the act. From that point on, Natsumi had started speaking to Saro more informally, including using her nickname instead of her last name, and dropping the "-san" completely.
But Saro seemed more open to Hana's politeness, and Natsumi had to wonder what the difference was. Perhaps Hana was not reading off a script like Natsumi had been, whether because she was a better actor than Natsumi was, or she wasn't acting at all.
Natsumi hoped to meet with Hana and find out what the difference between them was.
Soon afterward, Sparrow Team boarded the ship. As they did so, the team members checked their cell phones, as they had texted their former commander and driver about their victory soon after the match had ended.
"I got a response from Yumi," Momo said. "She's glad to hear that we won today, and was impressed with the role we played in it."
"Satomi-chan felt the same way," Kaori said, "even if she, the optimist that she is, always knew we could do it."
"Yeah," Mutsuki said. "As a team, we're certainly doing better than last year. I'll do my best to keep up with everyone else."
"I've been thinking~su," Momo said. "It was around this time last year that we, as a school, doubted whether we would win at all. It was also around this time that I started wondering what the future would have in store for Yumi and for me, when she graduated at the end of the year; unless the team failed to win and we parted ways even sooner."
"Yes, I remember that too, Momoko-san," Kaori said. "I also did not expect much out of our team in the tournament. And when Satomi-chan, who's a year older than I am, went off to middle school for the first time, I was worried that we'd lose touch."
"Not all problems can be solved," Momo said. "But we do sometimes make mountains out of molehills, and falsely assume that our situation is hopeless~su."
"That sounds like good advice, Momo," Mutsuki said. "But I'd like to point out that I'm not most worried about myself this time."
"Who else would it be, President~su?" Momo said. "The commander?"
"Your friend, Isobe-san?" Kaori said.
"Not really," Mutsuki said. "The commander's a bit like me, but she's always had more talent in tankery and has become more confident recently. Noriko has more confidence and guts than the entire mahjong club combined, and her team does better than most would expect from a bunch of amateurs with an awful tank. Both of them, like us, have a team they can trust and count on. The three of you and Hiroko did quite well today."
Anko smiled, touched at being considered one of those members.
"I believe that having a strong team that trusts each other is the most important, and do my best to be worthy of that trust," Anko said. "So which team do you think lacks this spirit, President?"
"Quite perceptive, Anko," Mutsuki said. "I'm thinking of a club that had to struggle with a tank that's strong but less reliable, on top of helping all the rest of us. And now they have three new members to break in. Specifically, Leopon Team."
The conversation quickly died down as the four girls realized that not only were the technical parts of the auto club's repair work beyond them, but it was never their place. This was a problem that the Auto club would have to work through on their own, even if their success or failure affected the entire team.
The last group to return to the ship was the four auto club members, which had briefly stopped in an auto shop, and browsed the bookstore for books about automobiles. Tsuchiya's purchases were different from those of the others, as she had bought a book on tank repair, another on commanding a tank, and another about leading student-run organizations. The four of them wore the school uniforms with the Panzer jackets that served as the team's tankery uniforms, changing into the white school uniforms for class and wearing the orange coveralls when working on vehicles. Taking a moment to think about how their time was divided, the newcomers realized that they had relatively little time for the latter that was not being used for the student council's benefit.
Nanami, who had chin-length light brown hair, paused at the gangplank and looked out into the city, where the sun was quickly setting.
"C'mon, Nanami," Goto, a short-haired brunette, said. "It's not like we can avoid doing the post-match repairs by staying out here forever."
"Oh, right," Nanami said. "Coming."
Rokubungi, whose dark hair was tied in a short ponytail silently nodded. They were running late, but at the rate they were going, they would not be in serious trouble. In spite of that, she found it difficult to put a positive spin on everything else. The team had been victorious, but Leopon Team could not wholeheartedly say they had helped much in the match. After the match, the team would be expecting their tanks back in working order as soon as possible.
If so much was asked of them, and they seemed so unprepared to give it, at least as far as tankery went, was there any reason for them to continue? As difficult as they found it to say yes, they also realized that resignation was not a decision to be made lightly, particularly when if they stopped working for the tankery team, they would likely have to leave the auto club as well. A part of them believed that making such a decision for such reasons would be unfair for both organizations, so they were no happier with that possible choice. In spite of their unease, they knew they had to make a decision soon, for things could not continue as they were.
Saro took their attendance, merely giving a "You're late" to acknowledge their presence. After taking their names down, Saro, with a tap on the shoulder, and silent ushering her aside, stopped Tsuchiya as her subordinates filed past her. As the three of them gave a backward glance, Tsuchiya gave a forced smile and gestured for them to go on their way.
"What's up?" Tsuchiya said. "Are you going to get on my case about my team being late?"
"As if," Saro said with a slight chuckle. "I'm no Sodoko, and you're no Reizei-san, either. I've noticed, however, that the problem isn't with your punctuality, but with your team's morale."
Tsuchiya softly sighed. She and Saro held the same rank, as crew commanders, so she hoped Saro did not think herself to be higher ranked by virtue of heading the disciplinary committee.
"Thanks for the concern, but I have apprised the commander of the situation," Tsuchiya said. "At the moment, repairs are being on time and to the team's satisfaction, so it hasn't had any concrete ramifications... yet."
"That's good," Saro said. "Just make sure that if any of your subordinates aren't willing to do what we need to, they know where the door is, so to speak."
"Perhaps that's easier for you to say," Tsuchiya said. "The disciplinary committee has over 100 members, while we have only four."
Saro nodded. She could not say the actual number of members without looking at the list, but Tsuchiya's guess, and the statement about how the disciplinary committee had people to spare, were accurate.
"And we need every one," Saro said. "In spite of this, we don't have room for those who aren't both willing and able to get the job done. If there are problems with your conduct or your performance, we'll give you a warning, and if you don't improve, you're out. If you don't want to be part of us, you know where the door is.""
Tsuchiya paused. Saro had never sounded more like Sodoko than at this point, as she was demonstrating the iron will necessary to lead a large student organization with strict rules. Was this what Tsuchiya was lacking? Or were things different for the auto club, and might the solution lie elsewhere?
"So what would you suggest that I do?" Tsuchiya said.
Saro shrugged.
"Sadly, I understand the problem a lot better than I do the solution," Saro said, "since I actually do have some idea of where your subordinates are coming from. What little I know about the solution is that it's a decision that your subordinates will have to make for themselves- do they care about the auto club and tankery team, or not?"
"I guess," Tsuchiya said. "But it's a leader's duty to inspire her subordinates, right?"
Saro nodded.
"Sodoko was the one who inspired me to take passion in my work, but now she's gone," Saro said. "The closest example I can think of, as someone who was once reluctant but became inspired, and went on to inspire others in turn, is Nishzumi-san."
Tsuchiya nodded, and decided to speak with Miho at her first convenience, hoping to find a solution to improve her clubmates' morale for their sake and the sake of the entire team. If they continued halfheartedly or resigned, no one would benefit.
Perhaps Miho would understand, since she had initially refused to do tankery, yet her decision to participate had helped save the entire school. Perhaps just as she had rediscovered her love of tankery, the other Auto Club members would come to love it.
Author's Notes
While Oarai's defeat against St. Gloriana (and Oarai's equivalent loss to BC Freedom in the first Necessary to Win) was, to some degree, a way of showing them losing without getting eliminated from the tournament, it also served some nicely practical purposes. Their victory this time is proof that they have come a long way since then.
I decided to have a scene between Hisa and Shizuru to reflect some of the differences between the previous and current student councils. They will be elaborated on more later.
Next up is an Interlude focused on Oarai's clubs.
Edited to remove one case of Natsumi speaking when Shizuru should be, and to give a bit more description to the auto club, as well as fix some incorrect names.
