Italica Shooting Range, Italica
The hill outside Italica had been hastily renovated into a shooting range. JSDF and IJA soldiers get around to practiced their marksmanship together and to see how each others' firearms work.
"Great shot!" The IJA and JSDF soldiers cheers when Kurata score a direct hit on target with his Type-64, the target falls down to the floor.
"Let's see if my shooting skills is still as good as it's before." Takagi said before he took aim with his Type-99 Sniper rifle at the preplaced target 400 meters away, taking in a deep breath as he zeroed in on the center of the target.
"BOOM!" A 7.7mm bullet went direct through the helmet which falls down to the ground.
"You cheat! You have a sniper scope." Kurata reply jokingly, letting out a laugh before tossing an Imperial Japanese hand grenade at the preplaced target, no explosion.
"Why the hell won't it explodes?!"
"You forgot to bang it into your helmet, dumbass. It won't blow you up, they fixed that flaw a few years back, back then we would rather use captured Soviet or Chinese hand grenade rather than our own." Satoshi said before sliding his Arisaka's bolt backward and shoot at a target which he missed. That's when Kurokawa walk in with her Type-64 rifle.
"Oh Kurokawa-chan, I haven't seen you since morning. Where have you been?" Kurata asks.
"At the general headquarters, lieutenant had left to Alnus without finishing his report so I and Kuwahara had to do all the work in his place."
"That guy again?!"
"Sucks to be you, lieutenant Seiji always send his report on time. No late, no mistake, nothing." Takao reply before drawing out his Nambu pistol and fire but only after one shot the gun jammed, as anybody would expected from a Nambu.
"Yeah, I still couldn't believe the fact that they are related to each other. Another proof that generation gap is real I guess." The JSDF Medic said,
"Oh, how's Tomita?"
"He's getting better, I wanted him to stay until his wound is healed but no, that ox of a man wanted to go with the Lieutenant despite recently having a 7.7 rifle round removed from his hand.
"Being the one who shot him I must admit, taking a 7.7 Arisaka and still keep going is not a small feat." Takagi comments, knocking another target over with his Type-99 before cycling back the bolt.
"Well, things change. We are 70 years in the future, everything is different. Now, can I try that one out?" Takao continued before asking Kurata to use his Minebea P-9 for a change. Kurokawa sighs before putting her bags on the floor and walk back to the shooting range.
"I wonder what the Lieutenant is doing now?"
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On the way to Alnus Hill
"Have massive comic fetish, screwed up on parade, terrible grade at the academy, graduated the 2nd worst of class because the worst was wounded, never committed to job in the JSDF and care more about the comic show more than national security. So, that's how retarded my grandson was?" Seiji asks as Kuribayashi nods her head. Itami was facepalming shamefully as Kuribayashi and Tomita explains all the shameful stuff Itami did right infront of him to his very own grandfather.
"Hey son, next time try to behave like a soldier and not like some random kid on the street OK?" Seiji said with a fake sense of seniority in his voice, two IJAAS Ki-43 whizzed over their head along with the Huey blowing a significant amount of wind.
"Oi, remember your age and who's older. You are 25, I'm 33."
"That doesn't made up for the fact that I'm your biological grandfather you know?" Seiji replies, every let out a laugh, the convoy was accompanied by a single Imperial Japanese Isuzu truck. Inside it, squads of Imperial Japanese Army soldiers armed with rifles and SMG were checking their equipment and preparing for action. Some of the soldiers wave their hands to the locals who waved back. The truck departs on the other route, allowing the convoy to continue to the hill on full speed.
"So, anything else?" Seiji asks, it might sounds like a normal question but it's more important. Seiji himself is on a mission for the Imperial Japanese Army. His mission, to gain any information about the JSDF, its equipment, doctrine and more. Since the IGHQ don't trust the JSDF in their newly established treaty. It's his job to try smuggle out some equipment that the JSDF hide from them. They will then examine it and find a solid counter for it in case the JSDF attack. No matter how unlikely it's. Seiji still remember what General Kuribayashi said to him before departing.
"Use your cunningness as a weapon, the more information you gained. The more lives of Imperial soldiers you saved." The general's order still echoes in Seiji's mind, taking a deep breath before turning around. The convoy had just entered JSDF base on Alnus as Seiji saw JSDF personnel and refugees running around doing their work.
"Am I really going to try squeeze information from my very own grandson?" Seiji thought, staring at his Gunto lying on the other side of the seat. The car stop as they reached the headquarters. "Alright, we're here. Welcome to Alnus everyone." Itami announces as everyone start packing up and prepare to leave. Seiji put on his officer cap before opening the door. Cold breeze on the hilltop hit the IJA lieutenant as he put his hand on to prevent the cap from flying away with the wind.
"I can think about it later." Seiji walked off the car. Imperial Japanese diplomats and officers are greeted by their modern Japanese counterparts. Leading the modern Japanese is a man in his late fifties wearing a suit, accompanied by JSDF officers wearing their dress uniform and behind them was a line of JSDF soldiers in full battle uniform standing in line facing the arrivals. Their appearance are totally different from the Imperial Japanese, the diplomatic team wear tuxedos with a hat and are guarded by officers of the IJA and IJN also wearing their dress uniform. Couple of old WW2 era Isuzu trucks stopped outside of the base. IJA infantry and special forces in full battle gear start dropping out of them and form up in line facing the JSDF as part of the ceremony.
"Mister ambassador, it's an honor to meet you. My name's Kano, Foreign Minister of the State of Japan." The old man introduced before shaking hands with both the Imperial Japanese ambassadors and Princess Pina.
"The honor's mine mister Kano." The Imperial Japanese ambassador replied.
"Greetings, to all personnel and VIP from Empire of Japan and the Empire. I, Kano, Foreign Minister of the State of Japan welcomed you all to Alnus. Please follow me, we will talk inside." Kano said to the group before he lead them inside the building.
"You all wait here." The Imperial Japanese ambassador said to Seiji who replies with a loud "Hai!" before bowing down and turn around to the company. "Company...Dismiss!".
The company reply with a unison "Hai!" before saluting to Seiji and spread out. Some of them going to the truck and some of them chat to other JSDF and IJA soldiers. Seiji himself go back to Itami to talk regarding the accommodation for the troops.
"We had already provided the troops place to stay. We will let your troops camped out inside the perimeter, near the refugee camp. Try not to make problem with the locals. I hope the Kempeitai corps is good enough to get the job done this time." Itami explain to Seiji with a clear intention inside. Any crimes committed by IJA troops will not be tolerated.
"I'll inform the men...Mr.!" Seiji replied, turning around and calling out a Kempeitai officer who was arranging the supplies as he dropped off from his job. "Spread the order, if anyone mess with the refugees and the local in the bad way, they'll be shot. No exceptions." The Kempeitai officer salute the IJA Lieutenant before going back to his work. The armband alone is enough to scare the hell out of the men.
"This should do the trick. If anyone try shit I'll shoot them myself. I won't let the Imperial Army be a bunch of genocidal maniacs like it was in your world." Seiji affirms Itami, pointing at the Nambu in his holster. "Now if you won't mind, I'd like to go back to my men."
"Of course, no problem." Letting the IJA lieutenant walk away, Itami turns around toward Kuribayashi and Tomita, whose right hand is completely wrapped in bandages from Takagi's sniper shot. "Well, my grandfather was quite a man."
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"Do you get what I ordered you to?" Seiji asks the IJA soldier, who pulled an NVG out of his bag.
"I managed to sneak out one of them. It looks like just a camcorder, what do you wanted them for Lieutenant?" The private asks, holding his Type-99 Arisaka on his other hand. Seiji take the goggle before putting it on his head.
"I saw JSDF soldiers using these during the night at Italica. I just wanted to know what it is." The IJA lieutenant replies as he
"Everything is green, it's easier to see in the dark." Seiji describes what he sees through the goggles, seeing as far as his eyes can see when everything should be draped in black darkness, as his experience in Manchuria had taught him.
"Wait, we Imperial Army valued our night fighting skills, many of our land doctrines involve night and infiltration attacks to overwhelm enemy positions and wreak havoc in their rearguard. The JSDF can afford to issue these night detection gear to every single soldiers, if my prediction is correct, they must have one on tanks, vehicles and aircrafts as well. Attack during nighttime and we're done for, our men are blind while they can see us very well. This is going to be bad, very, very bad." Thinking to himself, Seiji remove the goggles and give it back to the soldiers.
"Send these back to command, they will do the deep down examination and find counter to it. Good job by the way. You can go, dismiss." Seiji orders, the private bowing down before he put the goggles back into his bag and go back to the campfire chatting with his comrades. Seiji stares up into the sky, the Japanese Hinomaru flag flying in the wind as two JSDF Huey flyover the base on a patrol.
"What are you hiding from us? JSDF..."
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Libyan-Egyptian border village, North Africa
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was having a great day, most Allied forces were unprepared for his surprise assault and were quickly swept aside, though some British, Australian and Japanese units manage to offer a much more serious resistance but they're forced to retreat when they are about to be encircled by his Panzers or risk being wiped out.
"Report to Tripoli." He orders, one of the officer start typing on the typewriter. "Our offensive is a rousing success, enemy division swept aside with little losses. Japanese and Commonwealth troops are on full retreat. We will be heading strait for Tobruk and capture the port so we can unload our supply there. Erwin Rommel." Rommel said as his aide type down follow his words. He do still have some worries though. The Italian fleet docking at Taranto was almost wiped out by the British and Japanese air attack, there are also Japanese and British fleet sailing in the Mediterranean hampering their supplies delivery. Making things much more difficult for him as supplies struggle to reach the frontline. If there's going to be one thing that defeat the legendary Erwin Rommel, it's going to be logistics.
"Arrange a meeting with the staff, I'll be there in five minutes." Rommel said before walking out of his headquarters, some Wehrmacht soldiers were chatting outside, playing with the Japanese Gunto they took from dead Japanese officers after the battle.
"This blade is damn sharp!" One soldier said, swiping the sword in the air infront of his comrades. "I'm sure we can slice a man in half with this bad boy."
"Ja, and Japs are good at using them as well. Their bayonet is like a fucking sword by itself already. And then they have dedicated sword for officers, they are good at it as well. So don't get melee, just keep the distance and shoot them instead. You dumbass..." The sergeant replies, his MP-40 SMG slung on his back. In his hand a Japanese Type-30 bayonet, a bayonet so massive that it's almost the size of a shovel. Fixing it to the end of the already long Arisaka rifle and you can get yourself a spear.
"How's it going?" Rommel asks the soldiers who quickly salute their commanders. "We're good sir."
"Sir, I take this from a dead Japanese officer. I read through the book and I think you might want to see it." The private informs Rommel, holding a book in his hands. Rommel takes the book and start reading, seeing the map of Libya and Tobruk with arrows pointing in various directions. Most likely an advance route. Some of which is exactly the same as his plan. Turning the book to the next page, he saw his own portrait imprinted onto it. Most of the texts were written down in Japanese and he couldn't understand it. But Rommel's curiosity get the best of him.
"Do you know anyone who understand Japanese?"
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Author's note: Hello everyone, I'm back. I had been studying hard as of late so I don't have much time to upload new chapter. I'm just done with midterm exam and start having some space for rest. I would like to thanked everyone for reading this. As you know, Thailand's a Buddhist country and Christmas isn't an officially celebrated holiday, our vacation only start around December 30tj for schools. I also would like to inform you that, after I'm done with this story, I'll make the another part of the story featuring real-life crazy Imperial Japan who's losing the war, and how they and the JSDF interact with each other, the main character would still be Seiji but the theme will be much darker and brutal. I will also add in elements from "Letter From Iwo Jima" and my favorite animated movie, "Grave of the fireflies" into this version and I will hopefully fix all the twenty-million plot holes this story have. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!