[A/N]: Oh my Lord this chapter was a slog. I must've tried four different routes before I settled for this one.
It's short, but the story needs to go on!
Having said that, ONWARDS!
"Alright Sako, start 'er up. Let's head home. Y'all can stay at our dorm tonight."
"Got it."
…
"Aaand contact!"
When the engine turns over I notice something doesn't sound right, and turn around to find almost the entire engine deck aflame.
"Shit! FIRE! Turn off the damn engine!" I yell, dropping down into my cupola before being handed a fire extinguisher by Tetsuki.
I clamber out of the cupola and start hosing the flames with the extinguisher while the others do the same. Eventually the flames are put out, and upon climbing back down into the tank I find Sako looking like a kicked puppy, expecting me to verbally lash her.
"Sako…" I sigh, putting my face in my hands.
"Y-y-yes Commander?"
"You're in charge of making sure she's operational by the time I get back from the tournament drawing. If the Panther isn't in mint condition when I get back we'll decide your punishment then."
"O-of course."
"Megumi, get on the phone with the recovery team on the ship. Have them send a Dragon Wagon, since we're not going anywhere under our own power."
"On it."
*BZZZZT* *BZZZZT* *BZZZZT*
Groaning I pull my phone out from under my head and shut off the alarm, rubbing my eyes while I sit up. I swing my leg out of bed and set to work putting on my prosthetic. Upon fitting it properly I set about the rest of my morning routine: pills, clothes, and hair care.
I start out of the bedroom to get breakfast before I trip on something soft, and look down to find Serena curled up in a sleeping bag on the floor.
'What the…? Oh, right. I told them they could all crash at our place for the night.'
I look down the hall to find everyone else in various states of rest on the floor. Tama and Tetsuki chose to share a blanket while Serena used a sleeping bag from the jeep. The younger Megumi is in a sleeping bag with Rumi, being nearly smothered by her hungover older sister. Sumiko opted to take the couch and a blanket while leaving the older Megumi to fend for herself on the floor under the coffee table with a blanket.
Azumi is passed out in the recliner, covered only by her tankery jacket, and all four of Serena's crew members are passed out on the futon in the middle of the living room.
Sighing, I pick up Serena and carry her into the bedroom, laying her cocooned form on my bed before navigating through the maze of sleeping people in the hallway to the kitchen, where I start making breakfast. It's a simple meal, consisting entirely pre-packaged items and coffee. I've barely got enough for everyone, and they've barely got time to get out of our dorm before Kay and I have to report to the makeshift runway by the school.
Not caring about the hangovers the university students probably have I gather two pans and enter the living room before banging them together crudely. "Everyone get up! Up! Up!"
The university students all flinch and groan, with the older Megumi even sitting up quickly and bashing her head on the underside of the coffee table, while my classmates sit up one by one. The non-morning people like Tetsuki and Tama give me glares, but ultimately get up.
"Breakfast and coffee in the kitchen. One package per person please." I instruct.
Everyone slowly files into the kitchen and gets their 'rations', standing around grouchily as they consume the pastries. Thankfully Serena's crew seems like it's full of morning people, so I have them collect their stuff, their commander, her sister, and leave. Sumiko rounds up her older sister and her hungover colleagues, then leaves, promising she'll make it up to me for the mess left behind.
Tetsuki, Megumi, and Tama eventually drag themselves out, having snatched three of my precious energy drinks from the fridge.
Finally it's time for the last and possibly most difficult task of the day: waking up Kay.
I go into the bedroom and don't waste time with trying to shake her awake. This time 'plan E' becomes 'plan A'.
Cue the water bottle.
"Alright I get it! You didn't like my method of waking you up, but we were short on time!" I yell as we drive onto the airstrip, where the Saunders Airlift Squadron C-130J sits at the end, the ramp lowered.
"So long as you get the point! You ready to fly?!"
"Of course I am!"
"Good!" We slow down before Kay wheels around at the rear of the C-130 and backs up the ramp perfectly, stopping before she backs up into a M20 armored car. She turns off the engine and gets out before pulling a headset off the wall and tossing it to me. I barely start to ask what it's for when one of the engines outside roars to life, drowning out my question as my cue to put the headset on.
{Let's get this jeep strapped down.} She orders.
"Roger."
I climb out and grab the nearest D-ring that is bolted to the floor, holding it up while Kay attaches a come-along to a hard point on the jeep, and then hooks onto the ring.
After she completes tightening down the ratchet we perform the same task three more times, then head up to the cockpit, where Alisa and Naomi sit.
"Welcome aboard Chris!" Naomi cheers, throwing a wave over her shoulder while Kay sits in the pilot's seat and starts helping her with the startup.
"Morning Naomi." I respond while looking around for a spot to sit.
"There's a seat across from Alisa's station, that's the Radar Operator's station, but don't touch anything please." Kay fluidly flips switches and turns dials while speaking, not looking away from her task for even a second.
"Got it Sis."
With a yawn I sit down in the seat, and upon finding it really comfortable and well-padded I strap myself in for the ride and decide another couple hours of rest are in order.
*SPLASH!*
I wake up rather suddenly, sputtering and coughing with a familiar feeling on my face, hair, and shirt.
"Damn it Kay! You didn't need to do that!" I yell, wiping water out of my eyes.
"Sure I did! Consider us even after this morning."
I glare at her for a second before groaning. "Fine. Let me change my shirt before we go."
I get out of my chair and leave the cabin, climbing down the staircase, which leads to the cargo bay. I find my new duffel bag in the jeep, and grab a fresh shirt from it before drying my hair off with my old one.
After I'm done getting changed and dried I grab my day pack from the jeep and move it to the M20.
"Okay! So our first order of business is swinging by that place to get your prosthetic fixed." Kay informs me as she starts removing all the chains holding the vehicles in place.
"Sounds good. Where are we staying the night?"
"There's a hotel that's reserved by the tankery federation. Naomi and Alisa are heading to Maebashi to pick up some spare parts for the Unicorn, and they'll be spending the night there. So there will be enough beds for us tonight."
"Oh, alright."
We get the vehicles unhooked from the plane and drive them off, with Naomi and Alisa taking the jeep after Kay and I get our stuff transferred to the M20.
Having loaded up and left the airport Kay and I head to the manufacturer where my other prosthetic was made. We park out front and I shoulder my bag before jumping out.
I've been here before, but it was when I was first learning to walk with a prosthetic. I was very adamant that I wanted to see mine get made, mainly so I could know how to fix stuff like the ankle joint. I learned a lot that day, and now that I'm back it feels kinda nostalgic.
Upon entering I approach the service desk, where a woman in her early thirties sits, happily reading a book until she notices me, then she smiles even wider and sits up, bookmarking her page. "Hello! How can I help you?"
"Hello. I need some repairs done." I respond, offering a friendly smile.
"Of course. Can I have your name please?"
"Christina Schultz. It's been awhile since I was last here."
She types my name into the computer and nods. "I'll say. You've been due for remeasuring for over a year now. Would you like to do that while you're here?"
"Yes please. Might as well."
"Excellent, please follow me."
She stands up and waves us along, leading the way through a set of double doors, then down a long hallway, to a door on the right.
"Here we are! Please wait in here and a technician will be with you shortly!"
"Thank you very much." I bow respectfully to her prior to entering the room, only sliding the door closed once Kay is inside.
"So… what now?" Kay asks, sitting down in the lightly padded chair in the corner.
"Now? We wait."
The entire measuring process takes a half hour, and then we get to go to the observation room and watch my new prosthetics be made. As a replacement for the one that broke I'm offered a new model, with included shock absorbers built into the calf. It's an experimental system that they hadn't been able to properly test due to a lack of volunteers, so I figured I might as well give it a try.
The entire manufacturing process takes just short of three hours, then assembly and fitting takes half that. By 1730 Kay and I are out the door, and she's looking at me like I just told her that she looks like a guy.
"What?" I ask.
"You literally just spent half a million Yen. Don't 'what' me. Where did you get that kind of money?"
I sigh and shrug after climbing up onto the M20. "Settlement money."
"... How much do you have?"
"Not nearly enough." I snap, having been asked this question in the past. "... To answer directly though, I have roughly five million Yen left in savings."
"Wha- how is that 'not enough'?!"
"We're talking about putting a price on my dead parents and a piece of my body! No matter how much they gave me it would never be enough!"
Kay recoils slightly at my outburst, causing me to stop where I am and check my attitude. "... Sorry… money's not something I like talking about."
"No it's fine, I was the one who pried. It wasn't my place to ask-"
"Stop that. We're family now, and you had a right to know. I just didn't know how to break it to you." I snap at her, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"Alright, sorry. Now I know, so let's go get something to eat."
"Sounds good to me."
The next morning Kay and I get dressed in our best tankery uniforms, going through our morning routine as we normally would. Then, at noon, we load up the M20 with our bags and set about the commute to the beginner bracket selection, parking out back among other familiar surplus vehicles, including a Cromwell "Kangaroo" personnel carrier, trucks, and multiple half tracks of various national origins.
"So, do you want to draw? Or do you want me to do it?" Kay asks after we get into the bleachers and sit down.
"I have no clue what to do, so you do it. Whatever you do don't pick Ooarai." I wink at her jokingly before my phone starts going off. I pull it out of my jacket pocket and answer, plugging my other ear with my finger so I can hear.
"Hello?"
{Hello? Is this Christina Schultz? I'm Kaylee Schultz, your aunt?} A feminine voice asks in English, clearly uncomfortable and nervous.
"Oh, hello! It's nice to finally talk to you! Are you in Japan now?"
{Yes we are. We're actually up above you somewhere on the bleachers. Could you stand up?}
"Of course!"
I stand up and turn around, looking up at the massive crowd gathered as people file into the amphitheater. Out of the corner of my eye I catch the movement of someone waving, and direct my attention to a skinny chestnut-haired woman with a phone held to her ear.
"I see you. I'll be up in a minute!"
I hang up the phone and jam it in my jacket pocket before turning to Kay. "I'm going to go sit with my aunt. That way when this is over we can meet up at the M20."
"Sounds good! I'll see you there!" She chirps happily, flashing me a thumbs-up.
I sidestep my way down the row and jog up the aisle to the row she's sitting in, walking down the mostly empty row of chairs to her with a smile plastered on my face. "Welcome to Japan!"
"Thank you. It's nice to meet you again. You were so little when I last saw you!"
We skip the formalities and go straight for a hug, holding it only for a brief moment before she breaks from it and motions to the girl dozing off beside her, who has a striking resemblance to the woman. "This is your cousin Alison."
"It's nice to meet you. I know you both must be exhausted from the flight."
"It's well worth getting to meet you." Alison smiles back as a tankery federation instructor walks up onto the stage. We all take our seats and listen as she goes through a gigantic speech. I listen attentively, making note of anything she says are changes.
Then towards the end of her speech she starts to wrap things up.
"The bracket this year has been enlarged, and the Sensha-Dou federation would like to thank Saunders Girls High School for helping small schools procure tanks to participate with."
Applause breaks out throughout the amphitheater, and she calls the first school, Maple High school.
As the school's representatives go up front I notice Alison paying good attention, occasionally looking up stuff on her phone. I eventually catch that it's an English-Japanese dictionary.
"Alison, do you speak any Japanese?" I ask as Kay goes up front, waving and hamming it up for the cameras.
"Yeah. I've taken three years of it, but there's still a lot I don't know."
"Saunders Girls High School will be fighting Chi-Ha-Tan Girls Academy in the qualifiers!" The announcer applauds, being joined in by the rest of the crowd as Kay waves one last time and walks back off stage.
Then, my phone vibrates with a text message.
[Kay: This is taking a lot longer than it normally does. Round 'em up and meet me out back. We've gotta bounce.]
[Me: Kk, en route.]
I shove my phone back in my pocket and look to the two sitting next to me. "We need to go. Follow me."
Alison nods and shakes my Aunt's shoulder, bringing her back from the edges of sleep. They stand up and follow me up the aisle, then down the hall to the service entrance that Kay and I came in through.
We find Kay sitting on the back of the M20, and after a short few minutes getting them on and situated we're off to the airport, having learned that Alisa and Naomi met them at the baggage claim, taking their bags to the plane so they didn't have to carry them around everywhere.
"I'm really sorry for not coming sooner! Money's been tight lately and-!" My aunt yells over the sound of the engine, I cut her off before she can finish her sentence.
"It's actually a good thing you took so long! I've gotten to meet so many cool people! So don't worry about it!"
She smiles in response, and I can tell I've said the right thing to put her at ease. From my spot standing in the ring for the anti-aircraft mount I can see the entire interior of the vehicle, and all of our surroundings. However, in Tokyo there isn't much to see, just skyscrapers and traffic. We probably get another four blocks before Alison wakes up from a brief nap and looks up at me from her spot in the floorboards. "Hey Christina, why does your tankery jacket say 'fear the unicorn'? There's gotta be a meaning behind it, right?"
"Oh, that? It's a design by my crew. You'll understand when we get aboard the carrier."
"Welcome to Saunders you two! One of the richest schools in Japan!" I cheer as the ramp lowers after Naomi parked the plane. Immediately the first thing that sits in view is the Panther, with all four of my crew sitting on top of it, waiting for us. Beside them sits a Chaffee, two M36B1 tank destroyers, and some Shermans. All look ready for a skirmish, and once we drive out of the plane the crew of 'Unicorn' all clamber into the tank, quickly starting up before falling in line behind us.
The roar of the Maybach engine is a welcome relief after the recent breakdown, and it even brings a smile to Kay's face as we lead the way through the streets to the dorm.
"Alison! That's the Unicorn! Does my jacket make sense now?"
"Yeah! It's really intimidating!" She yawns back, looking exhausted, but also still interested.
"Once we get you used to the time zone we'll see if you can come along with us on some exercises!"
Upon seeing my aunt's scowl I know that won't happen with her knowledge.
'Good thing practice is on a need-to-know basis'
"Chris!" Kay calls over her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the road.
"Yes!?"
"Keys are on the seat next to me! I'm going to go take this back to the school once we get offloaded!"
"I've got my own keys! Put yours back in your pocket or you'll forget them!" I respond, ducking out of the anti-aircraft ring and grabbing my backpack. I slip it on my shoulders and grab my duffel, along with Alison's bag, as we pull up in front of the house. The scout car rolls to a stop, and behind us Unicorn pulls in, the stop being slightly more abrupt than ours.
After Sako shuts down the engine she climbs out of her hatch with an awkward grin. "Well, the new brakes work!"
I sigh and shake my head with a grin as I climb off the M20, placing the bags on the ground to first take more as Kay passes them to me, and then to instruct Alison and my aunt on how to get down the more joint-friendly way.
We all grab our bags as my crew walk over. Tetsuki offers to carry my Aunt's bag, and that's where we run into our first snag. My Aunt looks at her with a confused expression while Alison walks up the stairs with Sako and Megumi.
Then it dawns on me. Tetsuki asked in Japanese, not English.
"Aunt Kaylee, you don't speak any Japanese, do you?" I ask.
"No I don't. None at all."
"Oh. That's… problematic."
"How so?"
"Tetsuki doesn't speak any English. She was asking if she could carry your bag for you."
"Oh um… no thank you, I'll get it."
I relay the message, and Tetsuki bows in apology before my aunt starts up the stairs. I follow close behind, and at the top of the steps I find Megumi and Sako standing there impatiently with Alison.
"Come on, we're gonna be late to practice!" Sako whines in Japanese.
"We'll be fine. Kay's holding practice for another half hour." I respond before unlocking the door and pushing it open. I stride in as I normally do and drop my bag by the bedroom door as my crew pass me, heading into the living room. I wave my aunt and Alison in, and direct them into the living room, where Kay and I put two futons before we left.
"Is this what we're sleeping on?" Kaylee asks, motioning towards the futon after putting down her bag.
"Yes. Well, it's that or the hide-a-bed in the couch. I'm sorry we don't have any actual beds for you."
"Would it be possible to…?" She motions towards the futon, then at the couch where the fold-out bed is hidden under the cushions.
"Move the futon onto the bed? Yes. I'd actually recommend it." I giggle. "If you'd like, we can get your beds set up, and you can sleep until Kay and I get back from practice tonight. I'll fix dinner then, and you can sleep until we get up for school tomorrow."
"That sounds great." Alison yawns, her response being bolstered by Kaylee yawning.
I quickly boot Megumi off the couch and move the coffee table before removing the cushions from the couch and extending the fold-out bed. Within seconds of it being fully folded out Tetsuki and Tama grab one of the futons and drag it on, placing the cushions so they function as pillows while Sako and Megumi pull the blankets into position.
In less than fifteen seconds the bed is ready, and the turret crew exchange high-fives with the hull-dwellers as my aunt and cousin stare in surprise.
"That was really fast." Alison mumbles in surprise.
"And they didn't say a word to each other." Kaylee mutters in amazement.
"If there's one thing that Sensha-Dou helps with, it's group coordination!" Sako boasts in English.
"Yeah yeah. Come on Sako, go get Unicorn ready to go. We'll be out in a bit." I grumble, shooing her towards the door.
"Yes ma'am!" Sako chirps, running out the door.
I giggle and head into the bedroom, changing into my field uniform before heading back into the living room.
"Here's some Yen and my house key in case you two want to explore." I tell the nearly asleep Americans before laying said objects on the counter and grabbing an energy drink from the fridge.
"Alright! Let's go see how these new Jacksons stack up!"