Chapter 9 – Shooting Star


Well… That was SOMETHING! Yoshika really took the initiative, and the rest almost looked like they're lost, hahaha! And now, let's see… I'm sleeping on my back… Yoshika is sleeping face down on me… Somehow I'm grabbing Adi's ass with my right hand and one of Minna's breasts with my left… I really must have getting some divine retribution for my past shitty life…

"Hmmmm…." Yoshika mumbled and starts opening her eyes. "Heheh… Morning, Toshiro…"

"Hi, Yoshika. How are you feeling?"

"Like a goddess…"

"Probably Venus, heh…"

"Heehee… Hmmm… You sure like to keep your hands busy…" Yoshika said sourly.

"My hands are stuck like that..." he shrugged.

"Ehh… Oh, morning, Adi."

"Mornin', Yoshika… Nice morning, huh? And don't call me Adi just like that before Minna…" Adolfine said with a sleepy voice.

"Oh, why shouldn't she?" Minna asked.

"Bah, whatever now… But you can't call me that, Minna!"

"Yeah, yeah… So, what are we doing now? I'm a bit sour after… last night."

"Me too… You two plowed us good, I have to admit it… You weren't so rough in Neue Karlsland, Toshiro…"

"Hey, you wanted it rough, remember? And Yoshika probably just followed up with those nimble hands of hers…"

"Uhum!" Yoshika confirmed. "Okay, I'll heal you both then. At the same time, might I add."

"At the same time?" Both Minna and Toshiro asked at the same time.

"Yeah. It seems that after I regained my magic and after Sakamoto's training I'm gaining new possibilities… Lemme demonstrate!"

Yoshika's glowed blue briefly in the darkness and placed her hands on Minna and Adolfine. Her whole body glowed green and soon Adolfine and Minna were enveloped in a green layer of magic for a few seconds. The magic receded and Yoshika asked, "Not bad, huh?"

"Damn… Your fiancé is like a Helvetian army knife…" Adolfine muttered. "Next thing she'll be resurrecting the dead and turning water into wine."

That's my field of expertise, Minna. But when did Yoshika learn her Final Art…?

"You didn't tell me about it, Yoshika…" Toshiro puffed his cheeks.

"Oh come on, I wanted to surprise you when the time came…"

"Well, at least now we know that your support strength has increased," Minna said. "Good job, Yoshika."

"Hee… Thanks."

"Now, ladies, let's move or somebody…"

Toshiro's iteration was interrupted by the door slowly opening. Mio's head peered into the dark room. The light that came from the corridor was enough for her to see what's going on.

"Seriously, Toshiro?"

"Heh… You should have knocked, you know…"

"And what would that change? You think if you all were dressed then I wouldn't deduce what you were doing here?"

"I considered that…" Toshiro mumbled.

"Well, whatever. Miyafuji, I wanted you to train a bit with me in the morning."

"Awww… But why?"

"You're progressing so well that we might as well train in the morning. And Toshiro would probably go jogging anyway, so nothing of value will be lost."

"I would PROBABLY go jogging, but you know that I don't HAVE to, right? I could as well sleep longer with my dear fiancé… Well, if it was another day, heheh…"

"Oh whatever…" Mio sighed. "Miyafuji, are you going?"

"Well… I showed the gathered my progress, so I might as well build upon that…"

"Good. And the next time you won't invite me to an orgy, I'll make you run 20 lengths to Sint-Truiden and back!"

"Yes ma'am! The next one I planned will be you and Shirley then!"

"Woah, woah! At least ask me for consent, geez!" Toshiro shouted.

Everyone in the room laughed.

"But… Maybe we could modify it a bit…" Minna said shyly.

"Minna?" Mio asked. "Don't tell me…"

"Well… We could try… I mean… Remember Romagna?"

"Ah… That little incident with the wine… I can't say I didn't like it, although my brain was fogged with alcohol…" Mio reddened on her face visibly.

"Would you look at that…? Mio is talking about her feelings before an audience bigger than one person…" Toshiro said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up you moron… You think I'm a cold statue without a heart or what?"

"Nope. But remember one thing…"

"What is it?"

"There's a chance you'll have to satisfy Yoshika during our little event…"

"Oh right… Hmm… Well, I suppose I could make an exception and be a bit softer towards her… But I'll still be the dominating person!"

"Heehee, okay with me!" Yoshika cheered. "But I believe we'll have to wait with that for at least three weeks, right?"

"Why so long?" Mio asked.

"Periods, Mio," Minna said. "Unless you want to make an all-girls event, but then poor Toshiro would get blue balls…"

"Hahaha! Okay, we'll wait! Now, Miyafuji, get dressed damn you! We're going out!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Yoshika gave Toshiro a quick kiss, and after hastily dressing up, she ran out to the corridor.

"You two should also get dressed… Have some female pride…" Mio sighed.

"I take pride in my body, ha!" Adolfine said, kissing her right biceps.

"And I don't care…" Minna shrugged.

"Whatever…" Mio said and closed the door.

"Simply fucking amazing…" Toshiro said. "What do I have that makes all the girls around me bisexual?"

"You would turn Eila straight with your charisma and good spirit," Minna said. "You probably already heard that each girl had some lesbian experience or fantasy in her life, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And I wouldn't say that it's you entirely… Yoshika is also a major factor…"

"Tell me."

"I can tell you, Minna is probably biased."

"Well, go on, Adi."

"When Yoshika approached me and our naked bodies touched, basically my mind got flushed and I took her on as if it was something natural. It's almost like she's some kind of Gorgon, but instead of turning you into stone, she's turning you on."

"Haha, nice one!" Toshiro laughed. "Well, okay then… I'll leave you two and go for a jog to clear my mind of perverted thoughts. Just be sure that anyone won't see you leaving my room."

"Afraid what the girls would say?" Minna asked.

"Kind of… Most of them don't even know I banged somebody beside Yoshika and Shirley."

"Well, no point in telling them to be honest. I have a reputation to upkeep," Adolfine said. "Ah, crap! I should be training now!"

"I'll go first." Toshiro said and diluted time to get dressed.

He opened the door and went out to the corridor. Nobody was seen or heard. He went outdoors and started jogging to kill the time.


"Boo!"

A cold shiver went down Toshiro's spine.

"Kye, you cheated!" He shouted.

"I am a goddess, after all. I'm allowed to cheat, heehee."

"So, what's this about now?"

"Let's say I want to make you a bit miserable from the morning to balance out your nightly adventures."

"So what do you want to do, huh? Turn me into a woman again?"

"Nah, that lost its novelty after the first time. I told my Erica about that little technique your Erica is trying to develop."

"And?"

"Uh well, she succeeded."

"Oh?"

"In a way different than what will happen here, she pulled of a truly devastating attack."

"Details, Kye, details!"

"She basically took the two Sturm balls, linked them remotely to her magic so they wouldn't disappear, she threw them at a target in the distance, and, also remotely, banged them together."

"Hmmmm… Taking into the account how absurdly overpowered the girls are in your universe, it probably made a SLIGHTLY bigger boom than my ersatz sister's failed attempt."

"I would lie if I said that it didn't make a bang that would make your jaw drop, heh…"

"Whatever," Toshiro sighed and asked, "And in what way will my Erica's version be?"

"I will only say you that it will be less destructive and more direct. That's all."

"I should stop talking with you, you know? You leave more questions than answers each time…"

"I've told you before, I can tell you anything, but that doesn't mean I will. There's certain things I will only speak about with the Allgod, and you're not the Allgod…" She said with a mysterious smile.

"Not the Allgod indeed… If I were the Allgod, I would just poof the Neuroi out of existence… And if I couldn't, I would just fucking rewrite the universe so I could!"

"Well… Nigh-omnipotence… But the last part would probably be more amusing… Anyway, it's nice that Yoshika gained a new power."

"Wait… Is that her unnamed-because-why-bother-but-sort-of-like-an-Ultimate class technique?"

"Heehee… That's a mouthful. You should give it a name…"

"Final Art. I thought about it a bit."

"Sounds familiar… but I guess it's good. So yes, that's Yoshika's Final Art. She can heal two people at the same time, or one person with the same power as if she used you as an auxiliary source of magic."

"Really now? I wonder what would happened if she used me as a battery…"

"That's something you'll have to find out on your own."

"A shame your Yoshika didn't have her healing magic developed to Ultimate grade though."

"Well, didn't exactly need it developed in the past, nor does she need it now. The auras amplified her healing abilities as much as her offensive abilities. Using the White or True Golden Aura, her healing ability was easily at ultimate level or better. As for now, True Zen Magic is basically like my power, just on a mortal scale. Someone has cancer? Poof, not anymore! Someone has a broken… whatever? Poof, not anymore! And so on."

"I can imagine…"

"I'll be going, okay?"

"Yeah, bye…"

Kye disappeared, but immediately, Livy appeared bowing her head slightly. "Good morning, Master."

"And hello to you too, my favoritest of gods," Toshiro smiled. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to great you during a new day, Master," Livy smiled brightly. "And relieve you of some post-Kye-encounter stress."

"Ugh, you can say that again…" he muttered. "Prattling on about everything she's involved in is better…"

"Mmmm…. Yes, it's really a shame my true Master and I were born with the powers we have…" Livy sighed. "That would solve a lot of problems…"

"Yeah, I would like to beat the crap out of Kye, that's for sure… Ah, whatever, time to finish shit."

"Have a good day, Master."

Toshiro finished his roundabout and went to the dining room. There he saw Yoshika sitting half-dead from exhaustion at the table, and Lynne making breakfast.

"Hi, Lynnie."

"Good morning, Toshiro. Do you know what hit Yoshika so hard?"

"Mio."

"I have no further questions. Well, maybe one…"

"I'm coming," Toshiro interrupted.

"Heehee, thanks."

Toshiro stood up and approached Yoshika.

"Hey, Yoshika, you alive?"

"Yeeeees… Sakamoto wringed out the last ounce of energy from meeee…"

"I hope she'll be decent enough not to torture you further after breakfast…"

"She won't have to do the warm-up, hahaha!" Mio said out of the entrance.

"You sure are appearing in inconvenient places and times today…" Toshiro mumbled. "But seriously, don't overexert Yoshika."

"Yeah, yeah… I'll see what can be done. She already has a bonus after achieving such progress on such a short notice."

"Let me guess, she can do half a lap less than anyone?"

"Hahahaha! Who do you think I am, Caligula?"

Toshiro shrugged and went to the kitchen.

"Hey, Mio, maybe I could teach you how to cook, huh? You're not sortieing, so you could find yourself a new hobby."

"Cooking? ME?! Toshiro, seriously, check that brain of yours, it probably has a screw loose. I can only roast a fish, make round onigiri and cut eggs in half with a sword with my Higi – Tamagogiri secret technique…"

"Well, roasting a fish is something… But round onigiri? I prefer mine triangular…"

"By some divine machinations, whenever I want to make onigiri, it becomes round…" Mio mumbled.

"Weird… And you actually named an egg slicing technique?"

"It takes skill to slice a boiled egg perfectly in half…"

"No doubt… So, Mio… Maybe Yoshika could show you the ropes, huh? She taught Francesca with results you could taste yourself. How about it? Better start early, because if by some weird twist of fate you get a man, he'll want some home cooked food."

Mio looked bitterly at both Toshiro and the resting Yoshika and said, "Ah, what the hell… Hey, Miyafuji, did you hear that?"

"Yes, Miss Sakamoto… I'll be glad to teach you…" Yoshika said with a sleepy voice.

"Your lack of enthusiasm is debilitating…"

"It's called fatigue, Mio. Something you probably experience seldom now."

"You don't have to be such a grump, you know…" She rebuked.

"Well, sorry, but after what happened back in the Lorraine province, I have the right to be a bit overprotective."

"I suppose… Where's that breakfast?!"

"Come and make it yourself if you want it faster," Toshiro said with a sly smile.

"Don't bother, I can wait."

"As you wish…" he sighed.


The girls started pouring in slowly, and breakfast ensued.

"Shirley, are you feeling good today?" Toshiro asked afterwards.

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"I've received news that might interest you…"

"Hmmm?"

"There will be a mysterious shipment today, and you were mentioned."

"Oh? By whom?"

"General of The Army of Liberion, Dwight Donald Eisenhower."

"Yikes! Seriously?!"

"Yeah, seriously. I never told you I met Ike in person?"

"I don't remember…"

"Well, now you know. But I don't know the details, so…"

"I'll wait!" Shirley butted in.

"Me too!" Francesca cheered.

"Me three!" Georgina also cheered.

"Everyone can wait…" Toshiro sighed. "Unless he or she has some duties…"

"Miyafuji, Lynne, Perrine and Hattori have training." Mio said, but seeing the daggers almost coming out of Toshiro's eyes she added, "Miyafuji has light training."

"Georgina, and Heidi, since she has shown interest, are also training," Adolfine added.

Toshiro looked at Erica, who caught his gaze immediately. She raised her hand and said, "I want to train with Sakamoto."

The 501st girls looked with wide eyes at Erica.

"Wait, wait, waaaaait!" Trude repeated in shock. "Could I hear that once again?"

"I want to train with Sakamoto. I have my reasons, which I can't disclose right now."

"A new trainee is always welcome under my wings, hahaha! I couldn't expect this in a billion years! Okay then! Erica, you'll join starting tomorrow, rest of you, out you go!"

With some murmurs, the girls vacated the dining hall.

"And what are you three waiting for? Kingdom Come? You bodies won't strengthen themselves on their own!" Adolfine yelled. "Move it, move it!"

The two led by Adolfine went out of the room.

"Toshiro, maybe some paperwork in the morning?" Minna asked. "A good way to kill the time."

"Well, since Shirley and Francesca will DEFINITELY be on the lookout, and since the pilot will have to get clearance anyway, why not."

"Then let's go and fight the bureaucratic monster in another bout."

"Hah, verily, fair maiden. Doth sayeth words of a sage."

"Come on, Sir Fucksalot…" Minna sighed, albeit with a wide grin on her face, making Shirley chuckle.


As the paperwork was going through their hands, Toshiro suddenly heard a voice on the transponder.

"501st come in."

"501st here, identify yourself."

"This is Giftbringer-1. We're transporting a surprise for your unit. I believe we were announced."

"Indeed, you were. Take that bird of yours down from the sky to take five."

"Roger, landing in approximately five minutes."


"I guess the guests are coming, Toshiro."

"Indeed, they are. Want to take a look?"

"A mysterious transport plus you equals fun."

"What's that, the Wilcke Theory of Edelweiss Influence?"

"Hahaha!" Minna laughed honestly. "Yes, you could call it that…"


They went on down the stairs all the way outside. A small group consisting of Shirley, Francesca, Trude and Erica.

"I know why Shirley is here, and I know why Francesca is here. But Erica and Trudy?" Toshiro asked surprised.

"If Elwyn was mentioned specifically, and since it's the Liberians delivering the goods, than my pride as a Karlslander dictates me to be here!" Trude said with fire in her eyes.

"And I'm here because… You know… "True Soldier of Karlsland blah blah, get the fuck out of your bed blah blah"" Erica explained with a bored voice. "Man, I can't even enjoy my forenoon nap…"

"Hartmann! Don't abridge my five minute long tirade to one sentence!" Trude yelled. "And how much naps do you have anyway?!"

"After breakfast nap, forenoon nap, noon nap, before dinner nap, after dinner nap, early evening nap, after supper nap aaaand… that's all."

"You have to be fucking kidding me…" Trude mumbled.

"Yeah, kind of… Only Lucchini can sleep so much," Erica answered indifferently.

"Ahum!" Francesca confirmed with a smile on her face.

"Tooooshirooo, pleaaaase influence this unit somehooow!" Trude pleaded on her knees before Toshiro.

"Come on, stand up. Shirley is laughing behind your back."

"Ghhhheheh… No… No I'm not…" Shirley tried to speak while holding back her wild chuckling.

Trude stood up and said, "Damn it... Why can't everyone be like me?"

"Because it would be duller than a sermon from a hundred year old Alzheimer ridden priest." Shirley answered.

"Oh can it already you two…" Toshiro said and sighed. "Let's just wait for the plane like civilized people. And counting our little dialogue, it should be two or three minutes at most."

"Oh, I see it!" Shirley cheered. "It's… It's… Holy shit tits! A Boeing B-29 Superfortress! Woohoo! At least now I know they won't be delivering the mail, hahahaha!"

"They could always deliver an unusually big bag of mail…" Trude said with a sly grin.

"They would have to transport your ego to fill that plane…" Shirley rebuked.

Ba-dum-tss…

"Why you…"

"Shut up already..." Both Minna and Toshiro mumbled, making the two silent in a heartbeat.

"My, my… I still have it in me, heehee…" Minna said.

A brief while later the gargantuan, tan-painted plane, touched down on the runway.

"Toshiro, can I go?!" Shirley asked looking as if she's in the plane with her mind already.

"Easy, easy… We'll all go together."

The bunch went to the aircraft equipped with four Wright R-3350-23 engines as it stopped on the runway. The bomb bay opened and the lift started descending. Shirley looked as if she was a shaker full of nitroglycerin, ready to be stirred.

The only content of the lift were a few crates, a well-known rectangular shape covered in burlap and a man in his thirties in a suit, with swept back hair and a smile of a car salesman. The group came closer to him.

"Aha! I see that a welcoming committee has arrived!" The man said loudly in a fast manner and grabbed Toshiro's hand. "Clarence Leonard Johnson, but friends just call me Kelly."

"And I guess I don't have to give you an introduction?"

"The blind would recognize you, hahaha! Well, let's get down to business already. You!" He pointed out at Shirley.

"Y-Yes?!"

"Pull down the burlap, now!"

"YES!"

Shirley quickly grabbed the material and pulled it down hastily. The eyes of the gathered shined without exception, but Shirley's jaw would be on the concrete runway if it was physically possible.

"Judging by the reaction, sold! I'm the designer of this baby! This, my dear compatriot, and friends, is the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the torch that will pierce the darkness of the jet Striker age for Liberion!"

A white painted Striker with swept wings, with USLAF insignia painted on them was docked into its own Launch Unit. The two jet engines were fuselage mounted, just like in Toshiro's XF-1.

"And I… This Striker… Me…" Shirley tried to stitch together a sentence.

"Yes siree, missy! You'll be the one flying this one! But there's more! You'll be the first one ever flying the production variant of this Striker!"

Shirley suddenly rushed up to the man and hugged him tightly.

"Hahahaha! This is something I didn't expect! Okay, okay, stop the hugging, start the flying, or my dear Althea will sense this through the Pacific, hahaha!"

"Yes sir!" Shirley shouted and jumped into the Striker. "Ummm… It ain't working…"

"Well, we worked with the Karlslanders a bit on this one and, lo and behold, the SCP-001!" The man shouted and pulled out a device from one of the crates.

"Wait, what?! That's a clear rip-off from the FFG!" Trude yelled.

"I did say we worked together, right? Right! Catch!" He said and threw the device to Shirley.

She strapped it on to her left arm in an instant and pressed the important buttons. The engines of the Striker started slowly in all their jet lagginess.

"Looks like Shirley will finally get her own jet… Finally, I can stop lending her mine, heheh…" Toshiro said.

"Damn Elwyn…" Trude mumbled. "Toshiro, send a strongly worded telegram to Hartmann's sister to hurry the fuck up."

"My sissy is at least fault here, Trudy." Erica said. "It's the Wehrmacht that decides what goes. And the Kaiser I believe."

"Indeed." Toshiro confirmed. "But Ursula said something about miniaturizing my XF-1, so who knows…"

Suddenly, Shirley zipped past them like a lightning bolt and lifted off from the runway.

"Damn you!" Trude yelled after her.

Toshiro approached Trude and whispered, "Come on, Trudy… Give her some rest…"

"Ehhh… You know I have to put up a façade, right?"

"Yeah… But maybe it's time to tear it down?"

"Maybe one day, but not today. I'm busy being envious."

"Heh… Okay, be envious, but don't be so pissed off. I bet she'll give you a go by the end of the day."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I do think so," Toshiro smiled.

"Well okay… But seriously, you could inquire when our new jets will be ready…"

"I'll give Ursula a call."

"Thanks…"

"No problem. Now let's watch."

Shirley was whizzing through the air, doing daring acrobatic maneuvers. Her laugh could be heard, despite her not having a transponder.

"So, what's the speed of this contraption?" Toshiro asked.

"Mach Two guaranteed, or we'll give you your money back, hahaha!"

"I see that you're a bit behind regarding Karlsland in that regard, heheh…" Trude laughed creepily.

"But it's a production model, and you, pardon me, have just a prototype."

"A working prototype!" Trude raised her voice.

"Still, a prototype. And we can mass-manufacture this baby!"

"Ugh…" Trude moaned disconcerted

"What's in the boxes by the way?" Toshiro asked.

"New arms for your busty friend, top notch equipment!"

"Can I take a look?"

"Suuure! Actually, clear the crates off the lift if you can, the Launch Unit too. We only wanted to deliver this puppy and nothing more."

"Well, I guess you don't want a tea then?" Minna asked.

"Nah! I still have supplies of my own beverages!"

"Okay then." Toshiro said. "Trudy, give me a hand and we're letting the good man go."

"Yeah…" Trude mumbled.

They moved all the equipment amongst Francesca's cheers and a predicted sonic boom from Shirley.

"Damn showoff…" Trude mumbled.

"Well, okay then! I came, I saw, I delivered! So long!"

"Yeah, goodbye." Toshiro said and the rest of the girls greeted off the designer as he was hoisted up on the lift.

The plane engines came to life and it slowly started taxying. Trude and Toshiro moved all the supplies and the Launch Unit out of the runway, taking Erica, Minna and Francesca with them. After the enormous plane taxied to the end of the runway, it started pushing forward, and barely lifted off before the tree line.

Shirley was seen flying to the pilots' cabin and waving to the guys inside. Afterwards, she landed and docked into her new Launch Unit.

"Hoooooly shiiiiiiit! That was so intense! Toshiro, I finally can hold a candle to you!"

"The guy only told it goes Mach Two, but I guess with your magic…"

"Oh, I tested that! It went 2999 km/h!"

"Woah, you really can hold me up a candle! Good job, you Liberian engineers!"

"Hahaha! Hey, what are these crates?"

"Supposedly more new stuff for you, Liberion," Trude said.

"Oh, this I want to see…" Shirley said visibly interested. "Toshiro, if you can open them…"

"Yeah, yeah…."

Toshiro opened the first box and pulled out weapon weirdly resembling the FG42, but with some differences, especially the different heat shield and weird iron sights. It also had a bipod mounted, and the mag well was very broad vertically.

"Now what could this be…" Toshiro pondered.

"That's M1941 Johnson Light Machine Gun," Shirley explained. "But this one… Hey, it's a hi-cap mag version, oooooh! I just might bite!"

"So you didn't use this one because hi-cap mags weren't available?" Toshiro asked.

"Yup. It's really a good alternative to the BAR. But I wonder what's in the second crate…"

"Let's find out…" Toshiro said and opened said crate.

Inside, a heavily modified, M1919 Browning was sitting on some hay. Shirley looked curiously at the weapon.

"Hmmmmmm… A T33 variant… I never had one in my hands, but I heard about these…"

"How is it different from a normal M1919?" Minna asked.

"It's basically the AN/M2 variant mounted on planes which is a bit lighter with the butt stock from the A6 variant, and, look closely, the same rear sights as my old BAR."

"Oh, this is… rather nice I think."

"Yeah, maybe Elwyn will have enough firepower now…" Trude mumbled.

"I'm on the fence to be honest… The Browning is a bit heavy, but my new Striker offsets the increased weight… But the Jackson is a no-brainer, I'm hanging my BAR on the nail!"

"You can use the Browning when the situation is known to be dire beforehand," Toshiro said.

"Or you can simply be precautious like me and always use the Browning," Trude said.

"But it's heavy…" Shirley mumbled.

"Hey, Lucchini is a pint-size, and she uses an even bigger gun! And is she complaining? No!"

"Shit, haven't thought of it that way… Well, I'll be taking the Browning then!"

Good ol' guilt trip…

"The rest of the stuff is probably ammo, so I won't bother opening it up," Toshiro said. "Okay now, I'll leave you here, Shirley."

"Heeey, Toshirooo, what was that plane doing here? Did it deliver something nice?" Yoshika came into the hangar with the rest of the girls that went to training.

"Yeah!" Shirley cheered. "I now officially have my own, personal Jet Striker!"

"Woah!" Yoshika shouted. "Please let me have a go!"

"Nope!"

"But why?!"

"I want to have some time alone with my new toy, heheh... Besides, you're second in the queue."

"Second already? Snap… Who's first?"

"Oh, that person doesn't even know she's been placed there, heheheh…" Shirley smiled and looked around, putting only a microscopic bit of attention more to Trude. "You all can look, but not touch!"

"Yoshika, should I start preparing dinner already?" Toshiro asked.

"Yeah, yeah! Pull out everything necessary for miso soup!"

"Okay. You take a good look at the Striker, I have a hunch we will soon be flooded with similar constructions…"

"You do?" Mio asked.

"Well shit! Karlsland is making progress like mad, Liberion coined the first production-ready Jet Striker, then the rest of the world can't be that far behind! My bet is that by the end of the year, all of us will be riding jets without exception."

"Except me…" Mio sighed.

"Oh come on, Mio… I didn't mean to make you sour…"

"No, I understand. But as long as I can educate my successors, I'm happy, hahaha!"

"Hah, that's the spirit, Mio! Okay, I'm going."


Toshiro went to the dining room and saw Siegfriede, Karla and Hanna, all discussing something.

"Hello, Toshiro," She said with a faint smile as he entered the room.

"Morning!" The two blondes cheered.

"Heh, morning you three. So, whatcha discussing?"

"We're talking about yesternight. Since we were in different teams, we decided to exchange some knowledge."

"Ah, don't bother me then, I'm going to the storage."

The girls resumed their discussion as Toshiro went to the storage room. He got enough ingredients for the two units and placed everything around the kitchen.

Might as well start boiling the water…

Toshiro filled the biggest pot he could find with water and put it on the stove. He started a fire under it and returned to the dining hall. The girls were silently waiting for them.

"So, to what conclusion did you all come?"

"That the current setup is optimal," Hanna answered. "Although I wonder where Sanya is…"

"She's probably with Eila as usual…"

"Say… Toshiro…"

"Oh, I can see it in your eyes! You want to ask about their bond, huh?"

"Y-Yeah…" Hanna said with red cheeks.

"Let's say they are very deep friends… If you know what I mean by deep…"

"Oh… OH! Damn, is that legal in the army?!"

"Don't you even try to get in their way…" Toshiro said with a cold voice.

"Wah, sorry! I was just…"

"Yeah, it's a bit of a grey zone…" he rolled his eyes. "There are no official regulations concerning lesbians, as opposed to gays…"

"What a weird world we live in..." Karla said. "Say, Herr Generalmajor, can we call you by your name?"

"I don't think you deserve it… I mean, you were slacking off…"

"Oh…" Karla lowered her head.

"But whatever, go ahead."

"Yay!" Both the blondes cheered. "And you can call us by our names!" They said in sync.

"I think that's obvious. So I heard you two are real mischief makers, huh?"

"Eheheh…" Both laughed dryly.

"Our reputation precedes us…" Siegfriede said.

"But I also heard how to deal with you two. But I'll leave the disciplining to Adolfine, unless you reaaally mess up."

"Oh, okay," Karla said. "We'll try to mess up in a way not needing your intervention, heehee…"

"You two really are something…"

"Morning," Toshiro could hear Sanya's voice from behind.

"Oh, look who came!" Toshiro said after turning around. "And with your plus one, haha! The girls were wondering why you ain't here."

"Because stupid Eila didn't want to let me go…" Sanya looked with a pouty face at Eila. "But I told her I have no duties today and she let go finally…"

Eila puffed her cheeks and looked to the side.

"Okay you two love birds - sit down and let's wait for Yoshika and Lynne to cook something… I'll go stoke the fire."

After that, Toshiro returned to an increased number of witches.

"Oh, Georgina, Heidi, hi."

"Hi, Toshiro," Both of them answered.

"So, how was Adolfine's training?" He asked.

"Different," Heidi said. "She's a real pro when it comes to working out."

"Well, I have to admit that. Where is she by the way?"

"She's doing some quick paperwork," Georgina answered.

"Ah, good. Oh, and Georgina?"

"Yes?"

"You should weasel up to Shirley today, heheh…"

"Oh, right! I saw her flying a new Striker today! What is it?!"

"A Lockheed P-80, the first to-be mass-produced Jet Striker from Liberion, and probably in the world."

This was enough for Georgina to fade away, making everyone in the hall sigh deeply.

The rest of the girls started swarming in. Shirley boasted all the time, before, during and after the dinner.

"Hey, Barkhorn, I have some business with you. Can you follow me to the hangar?" She asked when everyone was dispersing.

"I hope it's not some tomfoolery, of I'll pound some intelligence under that red hair of yours."

"Just come on…" Shirley sighed.

Toshiro gave Trude a wink from a position Shirley couldn't notice.

"Okay, okay," Trude said and followed Shirley.

"Wonder what that was about…" Erica wondered.

"Ten pounds that in an hour, Trude will have her first flight with the P-80 behind her.

"Deal!"


After half an hour, Erica gave Toshiro his fairly won money with a sour face.

"Oh, don't be so sour. I'll invest the money in carbohydrates!"

"Woah, yay!"

"Hey, who told you you'll get some, huh?"

"Broooooo!"

"I so like messing with you sometimes... I'll buy some sweets tomorrow or something. Unless you're private stash is dry already…"

"Nah, I can go on till tomorrow."

"Then okay, tomorrow I'll take the bike and go to the city."

"Maybe I can go with you? Hmmm?" Erica asked with puppy eyes.

"Of course! Unless you'll have something important to do."

"Bro… Please… Did you ever see me doing something important apart from tending to my gear?"

"Yeah, no."

"See? We can take Yoshika with us!"

"Unless we do it in the afternoon, we can't. You know, Mio and shit…"

"Ah, riiiiiiiiight… I'll be training since tomorrow… Well, I signed up for it, I got to pull through. Erica style, heheh…"

"Please, Erica, treat Mio seriously now. You saw how she reacted back in the hangar…"

"Yeaaaaaah… A shame she lost her magic… And I can only imagine what she's feeling now... Oh, Yoshika, sup?"

"What are you two plotting, huh?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing concerning your wellbeing, Sweetie," Toshiro answered.

"Oh, okay. Minna wanted you to do some paperwork. Then we can go for a walk, okay?"

"Kay, will do. Now, behave you two."

"Sure, sure…" Erica shooed him off with a hand gesture.

Toshiro entered the office and saw Minna and Adolfine sitting at the map table.

"Both of you there… So I guess I have a hefty amount of paperwork right now, huh?"

"Of course you do," Adolfine replied. "You have to enter all the new stuff into the papers of the unit, write a report about the receiving, et cetera et cetera…"

"Minna, you're my deputy, have some mercy…"

"A simple deputy like me doing your paperwork? Puh…"

"Simple deputy she says… Still mad about not being the actual commander? You have enough POA's signed for you to run this joint on your own!"

"You know - nostalgia and stuff… I was the commander of the 501st since it was a three witch unit…"

Now I know why Kye had such a negative look towards paperwork… Oh well, I brought this upon myself…


After completing his arduous task, Toshiro went on the promised walk with Yoshika, taking yet another new route.

"So, Yoshika, I wanted to ask you something…"

"What is it, Toshiro?"

"About your newfound magic…"

"Ah, that? Well, what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Okay, I'll start from the beginning. I actually discovered it, because I found an injured deer in the forest while training with Sakamoto. When I concentrated and started healing it, something in the back of my brain told me to do it differently and… there I go."

"I wonder if you've gained it when you regained your magic…"

"Quite possible, Toshiro. I mean, look, I've changed epically! An almost new body, my brain is working on high gear, my magic is better than ever! Who knows what else happened… And what actually happened…"

"Kye probably won't tell me, but whatever. I fully accept the new and improved Yoshika, hahah!"

"You wouldn't dare not to!" Yoshika raised her voice and slapped him gently on the arm.

"Hmmm… Yoshika…"

"Wha?"

"Remember doing it in the forest in Yokosuka...?"

"You think… Now?"

"Sure, why not?"

"But you're on the bottom, there's pine needles everywhere!"

"Your wish is my command."


After enjoying a quickie under the sky slowly turning orange, they returned to the base.

"Ah, damn… I wanted to fly the P-80…"

"Tomorrow's also a day, Yoshika."

"Yeah… Let's get that supper done…"

"Hmm… Actually, I have one more question…"

"Yes?"

"Really not minding Mio in a little… event?"

"Why not… I know that deep inside, she'd probably give me the title of Official Sakamoto Successor, but something's holding her off… Be it her pride or something else…"

"And some horseplay doesn't exactly mean you two are in love, right?"

"Heheh… If that was the case with the rest, then I would keep you and your dick on a chain."

"Frightening perspective…"


"Today was a rather good day…" Yoshika sighed with a smile on her face, tucking herself into Toshiro's right side.

"Duh… Our favorite redhead just got some new stuff, which improved the combat potential of our unit. And I managed to bang you in the free, hahahaha!"

"Oh you… That means you don't need to do it now."

"Kinda…" Toshiro muttered. "But you know how I work, right?"

"Unfortunately yes…" Yoshika sighed and suddenly rolled him over, so Toshiro was on top. "Take it slowly, Bub."

"My dear mistress, it will be a pleasure!"


AN time!

I've decided to name Yoshika's new magic "Rapid Healing" because nothing better couldn't find it's way into my brain.

In case you don't know – Mio's egg cutting technique is canon.

Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson is the "father" of the P-80 Shooting Star, and his wife was indeed Althea. I kind of imagined him as a car salesman or door-to-door salesman from the 50's.

The speed of the P-80 is as it is because of the universe and my choices, deal with it. The next jets will be of comparable capabilities.


If you feel like it, please leave a review. However, I have only one request – if you want to leave something the size of a short story, please consider discussing your points over PM. If you want to leave an anonymous review, I respect your decision to do so, but if you sign in, I can actually discuss anything with you, dear reader. Thanks for reading, and I hope the next chapter will also garner your attention!