Chapter 9: Duty And Family

The Oarai team cheered as the announcement of their first victory over another school came over the loudspeakers. This was an encouraging sign for them, in showing that they were able to overcome superior numbers in spite of their inexperience. They realized that Anzio was nowhere near the top of the heap, but if their defeat against BC Freedom showed them they how far they had to go, their winning against Anzio was proof of how far they had come.

"Great shot, Hana-san!" Miho said.

"It's all because you believed I could do it, Miho-san," Hana said.

Rabbit Team breathed sighs of relief. While unable to fight back against the enemy without risking losing everything, they realized that, as flag tank, staying in the game was their only job. As such, all else was secondary to it- they should only fight enemies that threatened to take them out, flee if their current location was unsafe and their destination would be, and stand their ground if they were in a safe place and not at risk of being found.

Perhaps if they could do this much, tankery no longer seemed as intimidating. Perhaps Miho was right to keep them around.


The post-game ceremonies began, and both sides exchanged bows, with Anzio's bows more forced and reluctant than Oarai's. Afterward, Anchovy walked over, glaring at Miho.

"Nishizumi Miho!" Anchovy shouted while pointing an accusing finger in Miho's face. "I do not accept your way of tankery!"

Miho froze, taken aback by Anchovy's sudden hostility.

"I thought you had some resolve in you when your subordinate infiltrated our school," Anchovy said. "But then I heard that it wasn't even your idea. What was your idea... was throwing away victory back when you were vice-captain at Black Forest!"

The rest of the Oarai team reacted in surprise. Some were surprised at the notion that Miho would cast aside a position as second-in-command at Black Forest to come to a school like Oarai, one that did not even have a tankery team. Others were surprised that Miho was the girl at the center of the incident that cost Black Forest the championship last year.

Still others, like Yukari and Hisa, were not surprised at all; they knew of the decision that Miho had made. In fact, that was why they chose to trust Miho as their commander, in spite of how people like Anchovy would question their logic. Miho herself had suspected that this had been the root cause behind Anchovy's contempt of her, even though Anchovy had not come out and said it.

"Yes, it is true," Miho said. "I chose to save my teammates last year, valued doing so over winning, and Black Forest was defeated. But the reason I did it was because there are things more important than victory- namely, those you fight alongside."

"H-how could you say that?" Anchovy said.

"I made many friends since I came to Oarai," Miho said. "Two of them played a large role in convincing me to do tankery again because I knew my new friends would stand by my decisions. They all have different reasons for getting involved, and mine is to fight alongside them."

Anchovy paused. She had misjudged Miho- Miho was not as foolish as Anchovy had assumed her to be, merely idealistic. And while Miho still did not see things Anchovy's way, they had at least some common ground. Perhaps Miho could be reasoned with- Anchovy believed that while placing victory above all else might be a foreign concept to Miho, helping her friends was not.

"...Don't you get it?" Anchovy said. "The duty of a commander is to lead her forces to victory. If you care so much about your comrades, you owe them at least that much. Whatever they're fighting for, I'm sure they're all striving for victory, whether out of a sense of loyalty to the team, or because it serves their own purposes. By sacrificing victory to help the crew of that one tank back then, you betrayed the trust all the others had in you."

Rabbit Team pondered what Anchovy had said, and Azusa shook her head. They understood that even if they were not the flag tank, their efforts played a role in the outcome of the battle, and they had a responsibility to do their best. So what should a commander do about those who were unable to fulfill their responsibilities? Obviously, tolerating incompetence was not a feasible decision, both for idealistic and for pragmatic commanders. But would Anchovy have given them the opportunity to improve, like Miho had? Azusa was unsure about Anchovy, but was sure about Miho, and as such, knew which commander she preferred to follow.

Miho remained silent. She had made her point, and saw no point in preaching to someone already set in her ways, especially when Anchovy was in no mood to hear it. But she was surprised to hear that for Anchovy, while winning was most important, it was for her comrades. Clearly, trying to educate Anchovy about the importance of one's friends would be superfluous. And just as obviously, Anchovy had a very different idea about how to support her comrades, one that Miho could not so easily persuade her to change.

"You lack the resolve necessary to win for those comrades…" Anchovy continued, biting her lip as she did. "And yet, despite our best efforts and your halfhearted resolve, we…no, I… could not defeat you. What does that say about me? About you?"

Anchovy began to walk away, hanging her head in despair and shame and forgoing the encouraged post-game handshake. She had been defeated, but she could not accept her defeat against someone like Miho or congratulate her by winning with a mindset that went against her most strongly held beliefs.

Miho's expression turned downcast, unable to say anything else in response. She had made her choice in the past, and, even now, stood by it. But while Miho was not one to be intolerant of or judgmental towards others' views, she had to wonder- had she been making assumptions about those who placed winning above all else in the past?

Hisa, noticing Miho's discomfort, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Miho, you can't help it when people react that way," Hisa said. "The only thing we can do now is help us become a team that's strong enough so that there's no shame in losing to us. "

"That's not it," Miho said. "I've been told to win so many times that I was expected to win a given match without being told why I had to do so. As such, I forgot why I wanted to win, and saw it as something that I could give up if necessary. This is the first time I've heard of winning being described this way- perhaps this is Anchovy-san's way of tankery."

"Perhaps," Hisa said. "There's a fine line between dedication and obsession, but there are some battles that can't be lost, regardless of what one may be fighting for. At the same time, however, like I said back at the cafe, you should never forget why you don't want to lose."

Miho nodded.

"That's true," Miho said. "And it's not as though I don't want to win, either."

"Neither do I," Hisa said. "So why do you want to win, Miho?"

"When Hana-san's shell hit the flag tank, and I heard the announcer call out that we'd won, I enjoyed it," Miho said. "And, like Anchovy-san said, all of you wanted to win for your own reasons, right?" There were several reasons Miho's friends had for competing that Miho did not want to openly disclose to others, wanting to respect her friends' privacy. And Miho knew that she did not know every single member's reason for wanting to do tankery, but she believed that her statement spoke to all of them.

Hisa nodded, and none of the other tankers contested what Miho had said.

"In that case, by winning, we were able to achieve our respective goals," Miho said. "So good work, everyone; let's keep it up in the next round!"

The rest of the Oarai tankery team cheered.


As the last of Anzio's tanks were loaded onto the Anzio school ship, Anchovy turned to Carpaccio.

"This is all my fault…" Anchovy said.

"No, Duce," Carpaccio said. "Many of your subordinates, myself included, failed to rise to the occasion. Perhaps if I'd attacked the Cromwell instead of the Pz 38, I would have survived long enough to attack the rest from the rear."

"Maybe that is true to some extent; if I was the crew of that Black Forest tank that fell in the water last year, I'd be ashamed of myself," Anchovy said. "I'd offer the commander my resignation."

"Would you accept our flag tank commander's resignation if she offered it?" Carpaccio said.

"Only if she had no chance of improving herself as much as we needed, or worse yet, had lost the resolve to continue," Anchovy said. "Nishizumi Miho threw away victory last year, and now she's the core of the team- the one who inspires them and, to an even greater extent than most schools, guides them."

Anchovy took a deep breath, and composed herself.

"For better or worse, they have a chance to continue now, to fight more difficult opponents," Anchovy said. "Winning the first round proves little, but maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe, when the chips are down for them, we'll get to see what they're made of. Maybe, just maybe, they deserve this opportunity more than we do. We shall see."


Maho, Erika and Teru discussed the end of the match from their seats.

"Bah, Anzio was nothing special," Erika said. "If they had to field those tankettes, it's either due to them thinking those things were tactically viable, or not having enough good tanks to make a 10-tank crew, neither of which is indicative of a serious contender in the tournament."

"Of course, Oarai couldn't even field a full team of 10 tanks, much less 15 or 20," Teru said. "And in spite of that, Anzio lost against Oarai."

"Oarai triumphed over them, even with its disadvantages, and even when many thought it had no chance to do so," Maho said. "I wonder what they could do if they had tanks of our caliber."

"Still, Erika's right," Teru said. "Two years ago, Anzio's performance against us was not even good enough to help me warm up. Oarai has a long way to go before it can threaten us."

Maho could not deny what Teru was saying. It took more than a collection of tanks and enough girls to crew them to make a team. The strength of the tanks determined how well they would fare against those of rival teams, and the skill of the crew would determine how effectively the tanks could be used. But Miho was talented in her own way, as were some of her new schoolmates and Maho hoped that someday, others would acknowledge this as she had.

"Miho, even separated from Black Forest's powerful tanks and my strategic guidance, you still can lead a team to victory. Well done," she thought.


After Anchovy's departure, Anglerfish Team's focus shifted to celebrating their victory, thanks in large part to Saori changing the subject. The girls of Anglerfish Team had changed into their school uniforms, and were wondering what to do until the ship returned to pick them up

"Wow, that match ended quickly," Saori said. "It's too bad, though, that the ship's not coming around until later; we must have won too quickly."

"As soon as I find a good place to sleep, I'm going to take a nap," Mako said. "Wake me when it's time to go."

Suddenly, the meowing of a cat was heard. Miho turned around to see where the noise was coming from, but it was from the pocket of Mako's uniform.

"Mako, your phone's ringing," Saori said.

Mako retrieved the cell phone from her pocket, and checked the caller ID. She did not recognize the number for the person that was calling her, nor did the caller ID provide anything that would have jogged her memory.

"I don't know who it's from," Mako said. Mako's group of friends was small, and the group of people who knew her cell phone number was not much larger- only said friends, her grandmother, and a few other people who had her as a contact in the event of an emergency.

Maho pressed the talk button and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?" Mako said.

Her friends did not hear the person on the other end of the conversation or understand what Mako was saying, but they saw Mako's face twist in shock. As such, when Mako claimed that the call was "Nobody important," no one believed her, especially when she dropped her cell phone immediately afterward.

"It was important!" Saori said.

"It was the hospital," Mako said. "My grandma collapsed and has been rushed to the Oarai hospital. I've got to get over as soon as possible!"

"But the ship's not back yet," Yukari said.

"Then I'll swim if I have to!" Mako said with a sense of urgency uncharacteristic of a relatively lethargic and unmotivated individual like her, as her teammates tried to restrain her. Despite her intelligence, she forgot for the moment that even if she had the ability to get that far, it would take a long time- and perhaps, in a worst-case scenario, she would be too late.

"You can use the helicopter we took to get here," a voice said from behind Miho and the others, one Miho recognized as her sister's.

Miho turned as soon as she recognized her sister's voice, and the rest of the team followed suit once they noticed Miho turning.

"Commander, are you just seriously going to lend these girls our helicopter on a whim?" Erika said. "They're not even from our team!"

"This is also part of tankery," Maho said, giving Erika a resolute look that indicated that she stood by what she had just said, and believed it required no further explanation.

Erika sighed. The entire idea of having to be a taxi service for a school that she had recently disparaged- specifically, the girl whose comment had most gotten under her skin- was utterly humiliating, and exacerbated by the fact that she, the pilot for Black Forest's helicopter, would have to fly them. But she could not refuse a direct order from her commander, even one she disagreed with.

To some people, Maho's statement would have come off as an excuse. But for most of her life, Maho had to balance what she wanted to do with what the Nishizumi family expected her to do. The Nishizumi creed dictated that its practitioners do anything and everything necessary to win on the battlefield, but said nothing about how to act off of it. Maho recognized the rules of good sportsmanship, which she believed were necessary to uphold the family's good name, as well as the idea that rivals on the field could be friends off of it. But she also could not necessarily turn away people who needed help when it was in her power to give it, especially not her little sister and her friends.

"Onee-chan…" Miho said. She understood that actions spoke louder than words, and while her sister often had to consider how others, especially her mother, saw her, the fact that she would do something like this for a rival team mattered more.


Maho led Team Anglerfish to the helicopter. As Erika got into the pilot's seat, Mako, bowing in appreciation to Maho, boarded the passenger section in the rear. Moments later, Saori followed her in, with a hasty, "I'm going, too!"

As the helicopter prepared for takeoff, Maho and Teru took their leave.

"Thank you…" Miho said to Maho.

Maho said nothing in response, merely giving a slight smile to Miho and nodding in acknowledgment. Erika was unable to see or hear it, with her back turned and the sound of the helicopter propellers spinning drowning out any sound it might have made. Neither could Teru, who was following a few paces behind Maho.

Mako glanced out the window of the helicopter, at Miho. She had not heard much out of Maho, but she found the dearth of talking between the sisters to be telling in and of itself. She might have been tempted to write Maho off as simply cold and distant, but her being willing to loan a helicopter to a complete stranger proved otherwise. But was Miho happy with the way things were with her sister? Was Maho?

Mako understood what she herself was feeling now- the same sort of concern for a friend that Saori felt when she boarded the helicopter with her. She turned to Saori as she sat next to her in the back of the helicopter.

"Mako?" Saori said. "I'm sure your grandmother will be all right, if they got her to the hospital."

"I hope so," Mako said. "But surely you noticed, Saori? Miho and her sister don't seem to have a normal relationship."

"Well, I suppose you're right," Saori said. "They seem as though they haven't seen each other for a while, so you'd think Miporin's sister would look happy to see her."

"Maybe something happened between them," Mako said. "Of course, Miho never said anything about this."

"I have no idea," Saori said. "Miporin doesn't seem like the type to do something to make someone else mad. Of course, Miporin's sister is not necessarily a bad person, either; she did help us out here, even though we're relative strangers."

"True," Mako said. "Maybe she cares and, for some reason, just can't show it well."

Mako paused a moment, realizing that she was not the most expressive individual as far as affection went, and neither was her grandmother. As such, Mako had learned to read between the lines, to recognize the feelings people did not openly express and the things they left unsaid. She believed she had to, after failing to recognize an act intended for her own good until it was too late.

"Oh, and Saori?" Mako said. "If Miho and the others ask, you can tell them about my parents."

"Why not tell them yourself, Mako?" Saori said.

"I'm... kind of hesitant," Mako said. "Maybe for the same reason Miho hasn't said much about her family until now. Maybe because if I said it, I'll sound like I'm making an excuse. Maybe because I think you'll do a better job."

"Ok," Saori said. "But what brought this on?"

"If something happened between Miho and the rest of her family, then my story might be educational for her," Mako said. "At the very least, I hope she doesn't make the same mistake I did."


The helicopter took off and flew off into the distance. Anglerfish team, sans Mako and Saori stood around and waited, in uneasy silence. Even if the incident with Mako's grandmother had not happened, they would still need to wait for the ship to come back.

Suddenly, Hana's cell phone began to ring with the default ringtone. Saori was the one who had convinced Hana to get a cell phone in their first year at Oarai, around the time they became friends, and Hana, not familiar with technology, only knew how to make and receive calls with the cell phone, as well as check her voice mail.

"That would be my cell phone this time," she said. "But why would I get a call like this now?"


Elsewhere, at the end of the match

At the Isuzu household, Isuzu Yuri, Hana's mother and head of the family, was watching the news in her home, a spacious and traditionally Japanese house in Mito, which was located in a part of the city close to Oarai. The Isuzu family had been reluctant to get a television; Yuri's mother, the person to first purchase one, only used hers for the weather, for news and for the occasional movie.

Yuri wore a green kimono- what was for most people a garment they wore for formal occasions or for the sake of tradition was for her an everyday attire. She was somewhat aware of how most people would view her attire as slightly quaint at best and anachronistic at worst, but she often advised her daughter to not let popular opinion and peer pressure influence her values.

Yuri frequently made this point regarding manners, stressing that while some people would think Hana stuffy or overly polite for talking as formally as she did, she should not let it deter her. Yuri addressed most of her friends and even her daughter as "-san" and used "sir" and "ma'am" on strangers. While she was aware not everyone did what she did, she would gently correct anyone who she believed presumed too much familiarity with her, politely asking to be referred to as "Isuzu-san," or "ma'am," a degree of respect to which she believed she was entitled.

Yuri had a similar opinion about flower arranging, believing that those who saw it as an outdated art with no practical use, or disliked it for other reasons could stay away from it, while she, her daughter and those who came after her would uphold the tradition and teach it to those who wished to learn it. Unlike those who were not as well-mannered as she was, she did not judge those who did not share her appreciation for flower arranging, merely hoping that they would not disparage her art. There were many things that Yuri considered barbaric or repulsive, particularly tankery, and as much as she hoped they would be outlawed, realized that trying to make her desire reality was unfeasible. Therefore, she decided to tolerate them, but ensure that her daughter Hana would not be exposed to them.

On the television, a woman dressed in a charcoal gray business suit with a white dress shirt and blue necktie, was anchor for the news.

"And now for local news," the woman, Satou Yuuko, said. "Oarai Academy has kicked off its return to the national tankery scene by defeating Anzio Academy in the first round of the national tournament. Oarai second-year Isuzu Hana-san was the one who delivered the game-winning shot."

"Th-this has to be a joke…!" Yuri said. "Hana-san would never…" Yuri then saw a picture of her daughter on the screen.

With a shriek, Yuri toppled to the side, onto the floor, as she fainted from the shock.

"MISTRESS!" Shinzaburou cried out as he, hearing the sound of Yuri's scream, ran into the room and quickly moved to try to revive Yuri.


Present day

Hana fished her cell phone out of her pocket, and noticed that the caller ID said "Isuzu Residence." Hana's brow furrowed. "But why would Mother or Shinzaburou be calling me now? I did not tell them where I was going or what I was doing today."

Miho and Yukari froze, as they were dreading yet another unpleasant call.

"Hello, this is Hana," Hana said.

"Hana-san, this is your mother," Yuri said, having come to almost immediately before placing the call. "I saw a news report about Oarai's victory in a tankery match against Anzio that included your name and picture. I could not believe it at first, but... is it true that you are doing tankery?"

"Yes, Mother…" Hana said, quickly walking away from the others. She quickly got far enough away so that they could not see her, but unbeknownst to her, they could hear her side of the conversation.

"Did something happen?" Yuri said. "You seemed to be satisfied with flower arranging until now."

"I was satisfied," Hana said. "But I no longer feel as though it's enough."

"Your flowers have followed the Isuzu style until now," Yuri said. "You have produced many high-quality works since you started, and I have always let you know how much I approved."

"That is true, Mother, but I still do not feel as though it is good enough," Hana said. "I am looking for an outside influence, one that can revitalize my flower arranging."

"Through tanks?" Yuri said incredulously. "They are loud, vulgar, barbaric weapons of war! If every last one of them were reduced to scrap metal, the world would be a better place!"

"Akiyama-san would be unhappy to hear about that proposal, much less see it come to pass," Hana thought.

Hana realized that she was now faced with a choice. Her mother did not approve of her doing tankery, and clearly wanted her to quit the team. But if she gave it up now, she would let down all her friends who were counting on her. She could only hope that her mother's reaction would be easier to bear than her friends' feelings of disappointment.

"I am sorry, but I will not give up tankery, Mother," Hana said, steeling herself for her mother's reaction. "My friends are counting on me, and I believe that it is the only way to settle the doubts I have about flower arranging."

"Is that so?" Yuri said, her voice turning icy as she summoned the resolve to repress her emotions. "In that case, I have no wish to see or hear from you again as long as you are involved with tankery. Please do not contact me unless you wish to tell me that you have recanted your decision."

In the background, Hana heard a faint, "Mistress, please!" from Shinzaburou, then an angry, "SILENCE, SHINZABUROU!" from her mother, loud enough to be audible despite not being spoken into the receiver.

"Very well, Mother ," Hana said. "I will show you the results of my improvement one day. Goodbye."

After a moment of silence, Hana hung up, realizing that there was nothing more to say, at least not at the moment.

Yuri took several deep breaths to calm herself, before turning to Shinzaburou.

"Please leave, Shinzaburou," she said. "I need some time alone with my thoughts."

"As you wish, Mistress," Shinzaburou said.

Shinzaburou bowed, and left the room. A few moments later, he took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Hana's number.

Hana was reeling from what had happened. She was not surprised that her mother would reach her decision, but was unpleasantly shocked to hear that she had learned of Hana doing tankery before she had anything to show for it. Perhaps things would be different if Hana had been able to revitalize flower arranging first, but for now, she suspected tankery was nothing more than a distraction at best in her mother's eyes.

As soon as the "Call Terminated" sign faded from Hana's cell phone, it was replaced with a sign indicating that a call was coming, this time from Shinzaburou.

"He must not be happy with Mother's decision," Hana thought, realizing that Shinzaburou could not speak out of turn when his mistress was concerned, much less openly criticize her decisions.

"Hello, Shinzaburou?" Hana said

"Miss, will I never see you again?" Shinzaburou said. In his training to be a servant for the Isuzu family, Shinzaburou was taught the importance of decorum, but Hana could hear him barely suppressing his tears.

"Please do not think that the rift between my mother and I will be permanent, Shinzaburou," Hana said. "Someday, my mother will come around once she sees the flowers I can make for her. I am sure of it."

"Is there nothing I can do for you, Miss?" Shinzaburou said.

"There is something," Hana said, hoping to reassure him. "Please keep me apprised of any developments regarding my mother. And please, if you can, let her know that I will be moving forward in the tournament."

"I will," Shinzaburou said. "I hope to hear from you again, Miss."

"This will not be the last time we talk, Shinzaburou," Hana said decisively. "I look forward to our next conversation. Goodbye."

Hana hung up.

Near Hana's location, Nodoka, who was taking a walk with Saki, could not help but overhear the conversation, and understood enough to know that Hana's mother had cast her out. The thought of her relationship with her parents degenerating to that point frightened her, but she saw that Hana had stood firm. Would that time come for her, and what decision would she make when it did?

Nodoka, lost in her thoughts, and Saki, preoccupied with the suddenly distracted Nodoka, failed to notice Hana as she spotted them at a distance.

"Is that you, Haramura-san, Miyanaga-san?" Hana said.

"Isuzu-senpai…" Nodoka said. "Are you… alright? You seem troubled."

"I will be," Hana said. "My mother did not approve of my taking tankery. I expected that she might react this way, and was careless to assume that she would not find out, before I was ready. But as I said, I believe my mother will come around one day."

Nodoka paused to consider what Hana had said. A part of her dismissed it as something she would say to reassure a mere acquaintance or servant that she was not distressed, not being close enough to either to confide in them her problems.

Miho and Yukari glanced at each other as Hana turned back to them. They both knew that she would downplay her own situation, and instead focus on what she could do about her mother. With that in mind, Miho chose to view Hana as less a victim of ill treatment, and more as someone who was undertaking a task of great difficulty and personal importance.

"Hana-san," Miho said, knowing that Hana most likely knew that she had overheard much of the conversation, but unwilling to take the bull by the horns. "I'll do my best, too."

Hana smiled and nodded as she and the rest of the team prepared to return to Oarai. Shinzaburou would help serve as an intermediary with her and her mother, and her friends would help her continue winning tankery matches, just as she had pledged her help to assist in their achieving their goals. She was not alone, and found the burden of the task she was faced with easier to bear.


Elsewhere, as Shinzaburou hung up the phone and got back to his chores, he pondered the difficult situation ahead of him. He was in the employ of the Isuzu family, specifically Yuri, the family head. He was expected to do what he was told- nothing more, nothing less. For the most part, this seemed to be a reasonable arrangement for someone like him, who knew the terms and accepted them at the beginning. But with his mistress and his daughter at odds, and him at an optimal position to mediate their dispute, was it right for him to sit passively by and obey his mistress' orders?

He wondered if he could have done anything to prevent this, but knew that he had been as surprised as Yuri to hear that Hana was doing tankery, albeit far less opposed to it. And while Hana seemed more receptive to what he had to say, he understood very well that if there was nothing Yuri could do that would dissuade Hana from doing tankery, he could not do anything to convince her to give it up and apologize to her mother.

There were only two options left- accept that the rift between mother and daughter would be permanent, or find some way to convince Yuri to come around. But Yuri was, at least at the moment, in no mood to hear anything he had to say. She would have to first understand why Hana chose tankery, as well as what tankery was all about, but Shinzaburou did not know what he could say to convince her to understand either without stepping out of bounds.

Perhaps it would be too much to assume that it would blow over. But in time, Yuri would be calmer, and easier to talk and reason with. If that was true, perhaps Hana was right that things would get better in the future. Perhaps Yuri would eventually forgive her.

"I'll wait for you, Miss... for as long as it takes!" Shinzaburou thought.


Back at the landing zone near the battlefield, Maho waited as Erika brought the helicopter in for a landing.

"You're back, Erika," Maho said. "How did it go?"

"Both of my passengers have been dropped off at the hospital," Erika said. "I don't know whether I made it in time, though, but they seemed to be hopeful."

"I see," Maho said. "I suppose that's the best we can hope for."

"Get in, Commander, Teru," Erika said. "I do hope you have an excuse ready; the coach will not be happy about us being late."

"I'll take responsibility," Maho said. "Did that girl and her friend get to the hospital where her grandmother is?"

"She did," Erika said. "I imagine after our little exchange in the café, she's less than happy to get help from me, but she was willing to accept it nevertheless, and thanked me for it."

"That's good to hear," Maho said. "For what it's worth, I appreciate you doing this, and I'm sure that the girl you helped, for all she seems to dislike you, feels the same way." Maho then dialed the coach's cell phone number. The coach, wondering why Maho was late getting back, had been listening for any phone calls with information, and picked up immediately.

"Kubo speaking," Kubo Takako, tankery coach for Black Forest, said, after she picked up the phone.

"Coach, we're on our way back," Maho said. "On my orders, Erika dropped off one of the Oarai girls at the hospital, to get to her hospitalized grandmother quickly. That's why we're running a little behind schedule."

"Is that so, Maho?" Takako said. "I hope you're not trying to cover for Itsumi like you did for your sister last year."

"Erika protested, but the Commander told her that there was no conflict between Nishizumi tankery ideals and helping opposing teams outside of the battle," Teru said. "Erika was not fully convinced, but could not refuse a direct order."

"I see…" Takako said. "It sounds like you're telling the truth, Miyanaga. What about the girls from Oarai? Did they make it in time?"

"From what I heard from Erika, they did, Coach," Maho said.

Takako could not help but smile, although Maho never saw it.

"Just get back as soon as you can- Kubo out," Takako said, unusually pleasantly.

As Takako hung up, she pondered what Maho had done. There were some who would discipline her on principle, but the team had lost nothing. Perhaps no one would mind if she "forgot" to talk to Maho.

As the helicopter took off, Maho thought back to what it meant to be born to the Nishizumi family. By her knowledge, none of Miho's teammates had anything comparable to the Nishizumi's fervent devotion- perhaps obsession- with tankery. Maho briefly wondered if Hana was, perhaps, related to the same Isuzus who ran the family's school of flower arrangement, but believed it unlikely- no Isuzu would be allowed to devote herself to anything other than flower arrangement, much less tankery.

Perhaps to those people, Maho came off as cold and aloof. To them, family mattered more than anything else, especially more than a game they had only recently started to play. Fooling them was an unfortunate side effect of appearing to be the perfect Nishizumi heiress. And while Maho knew the story of the Prince and the Pauper, as well as its moral, there were times when she wondered what it would be like to be in their shoes.

Maho had to wonder- just who were those girls on Miho's team? Why were they trying so hard? And what were their family lives like? But Maho was certain of one thing.

"Girls of the Panzer IV's crew, thank you for looking after Miho," Maho thought. "And, naïve as it may be, know that there are times when I wish my and my sister's lives were more like yours."

Maho realized that her turn in the first round would come up soon and she would have work to do before, during and after the match. But for the moment, while she could she rested, and continued to think about Miho.


Author's Notes

Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows.

It's somewhat telling that as Maho is walking away while Miho is thanking her for loaning her their helicopter, that you can't see her face. Her response is my interpretation; a subtle gesture of appreciation and affection toward Miho that no one else can see.

According to Saori, Mako privately expressed worry for Miho, and Mako can be seen looking out the window of the helicopter at Miho and Maho. Perhaps Mako had already started to suspect something had happened with Miho's family; I decided to explore this in their conversation in the helicopter.

Hana's mother finding out about her doing tankery is different than in canon, but I imagined that, whatever the case, Hana would not be able to keep it a secret for very long.

I'm not entirely sure why Hana's mother uses "-san" on her daughter, apart from having an extremely formal way of speaking.

Character Analysis: Yuri Isuzu

Yuri is in many ways in a similar position to Shiho, even if she's a very different person. Both of them are heads of families dedicated to teaching a craft, who raise daughters to do the same, but that's largely where the similarities end. Yuri's traditions go back farther than Shiho's, as she wears a kimono while Shiho wears a suit, and rides a rickshaw rather than a jeep. Yuri's significantly warmer than Shiho is, pleasantly greeting Hana and asking her to introduce her friends to her, while Shiho offhandedly remarks that "So Miho's here as well," and dismissively refers to her friends as "those girls." And when their daughters defy them, Shiho coldly preaches her family's doctrine, while Yuri breaks down and desperately wonders what's wrong with Hana.

As such, it can be extrapolated that Yuri reached her decision to disown Hana while still angry with her. It will, however, take more than just calming down for Yuri to come to terms with her hatred of tankery, and come to an understanding of why Hana knowingly defied her without confiding in her.

Character Analysis: Shinzaburou

Shinzaburou has a surprising amount of characterization for a simple servant. He is employed by Hana's mother, but also is loyal to Hana outside of his role as a servant, as he protests Yuri's decision to disown her. Of course, he's also willing to advise Hana of her mother's perspective, such as when he tells her to tell her mother how she feels about tankery.

Some of his actions are dictated by his circumstances, as he cannot openly defy Yuri; she yells at him to be quiet when he protests. He does, however, try to politely encourage her to open up to tankery and consider her daughter's point of view, out of the belief that her decision is a mistake and should be rectified, for her sake and for Hana's. As such, Shinzaburou doesn't take a side, but does what he can in his position to achieve an optimal possible result for both mother and daughter.