Student Council Office, Ooarai Girls Academy
The day hasn't even started yet, but for the three girls of the Ooarai's Student Council, their day has begun much earlier.
One of the girl's Koyama Yuzu is barely awake as she's staring into the screen of the computer waiting for an update from their assignment.
Yuzu lets out a weary sigh. "President... why are we doing this again?"
President Kadotani Anzu, a tiny girl lazily laying back in her office chair spines herself around with ease. "Opportunties like this LITERALLY come around once in a life time, Yuzu. And trust me, this rare wonder is going to be a big welcome to our Sensha-Do team."
"But do we have to be up this early?" Yuzu complains. "We've been here since nine."
"Aww." Anzu feigns her hurt expression. "I thought you liked hanging out at school."
"I do." She mumbles. "But that doesn't mean I would like to LIVE at school!"
"Mumbler!" Anzu teases. "No gold sticker for you!"
Yuzu shakes her head and shuffles herself around to keep herself awake. "I hope Momo-Chan calls us soon. She should've found it by now..."
"Well you try getting a 9.9 tonne tank out of the ocean." Anzu continues to tease her lifelong friend. "Ahh... I can see our battles becoming more glorious with a tank like that by our side."
Before Yuzu could ask what the big deal about this tank is, Anzu's phone goes off on her desk, startling Yuzu.
Anzu answers on the second ring. "Momo-Chan?"
Yuzu looks back at her tiny friend to see her chuckling.
"Gee, so touchy. I'm just curious to see how you guys are doing." There was a pause before Anzu's face lights up. "When can you guys have it here?" A few second pass before her smile stretches across her face. "Okay! Five gold stickers for you!" With that she hangs up and leans back in her chair. "Mission accomplish."
"Soo..." Yuzu tries again of getting her question out there. "What's the big deal about a 7TP anyway?"
"Not just a 7TP." Anzu corrects her. She arches forward with a determined grin on her face. "An actual 7TP tank."
Yuzu is still clueless. "I think we both need some sleep." And with that, Yuzu brings her head down on the desk closing her eyes for just a few minutes.
Anzu, on the other hand, hops out of her chair and gazes out to the bruising purple sky. "It's official. We're the only school ever to have a tank like this."
*Panzor Vor*
Ray sits at her desk not making eye contact with any of the nearby students. All of her attention is in her journal as she hastily documents her thoughts into paper.
I never done anything like this before, writing in a journal or something, but I don't have any sketch paper and I've got a few minutes to kill before first period, so... here goes.
I'm going to be cliche and start with my name: Sun Ray Ling. I used to be a student at Jiangdong Academy. Now, I'm a full-fledge Ooarai gal. So far, it might as well been uneventful with coming to school finding your class and settling in. Y'know, regular school stuff. Except when this is your first time going to a Japanese school, it's a whole lot more exciting.
Anyways, if I have to say anything negative about my first day it's very cold in the morning! So I'm waiting fo-
"Everyone in their seats, please!" The teacher's voice startles Ray out of her thoughts.
Ray closes her notebook and brings out a fresh one ready for her first class.
As the other girls settled down and found their seats, Ray waits for the teacher to begin her dreadful sentence of starting the day and most likely assigning them all work.
As expected, the teacher welcomes everyone back to a new year of school, warmer and more inviting than Ray expected, but what she says next catches Ray's attention.
"We have a new student joining us for the year and she has the honor of sitting at the front of the classroom!"
Ray purses her lips and exhales deeply out her nostrils.
Why do I have to be put on the spot like that?
"Ms. Sun?" Ray's eyes widen when she hears her teacher speaking Mandarin. "Would you stand and introduce yourself to your classmates?"
Oh sure, and why I don't I paint a giant target on my back with the words 'mess with the new kid'.
Ray gives a curt nod and reluctantly stands to view the whole class. All eyes are on her now and it unsettles Ray. Some of the girls started whispering, but Ray couldn't make out what they are saying.
"Ms. Sun?" The teacher gets Ray's attention still using Ray's native language. "Is everything alright?"
Ray forces a smile and nods before introducing herself. "Ogozaimasu. Hajimemashite." She greets in fluent Japanese before continuing in their language. "My name is Sun Ray Ling. But please just call me Ray. I'm not big on formalities."
She quickly sinks into her seat and looks back to the front avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"Xièxiè sūn nǚshì" The teacher responds in rough Mandarin, looking impressed with Ray's bilingual skills.
Ray rolls her eyes, but she admires this pleasant language exchange
With introductions out of the way, the teacher begins class and Ray dives deeps in her notes and listening as much as she can.
Wonder if how long I'll keep this model behavior up 'till I get all tired of school.
*Panzer Vor*
The day is going much faster for Ray than expected. It felt like a moment ago when she was just in her first class. Now, she's outside on a dirt field in the hot sun fending off one of the best volleyball players she's ever met.
Her opponent, a tiny girl with short brown hair, is a very agile player with quick reflexes. Fortunately, Ray is barely able to keep up with her at the cost of the sharp stinging in her arms from the ball.
The rest of the class is sitting on what looks like new and polished bleachers, cheering and exclaiming after each tense serve.
However, Ray is slowly but surely feeling the stinging effect of the ball slapping against her arms, unsure of how much more she can take.
The ball is now in her opponent's court and she leaps into the air ready to deliver a striking ball.
"For victory!" She cries triumphantly as she slams the ball down with her fist.
Ray's could not register the speed of the ball, but her reflexes calculated that the strike was very likely, and probably unintentionally, aiming for her face, allowing her to shield it with her red arms.
"Argh! Sonuva-" The impact of the ball is so powerful that Ray's arm jabbed her nose, smarting it.
While Ray recovers from the pain, her opponent effortlessly retaliates with lightning speed and a farther range.
Ray gasps and springs into action and leaps to the sides stretching her arms out. She then crashes and slides across the field kicking up so much dirt that no one can see if she caught the ball or not.
Everyone gasped as all eyes are glued to the ball flying into the air and over the other side of the net, catching the tiny pro off guard. She lunges forward to return the serve and barely touches it with the knuckle of her index finger.
The result is the ball bashing directly into the net.
Game over. Ray is the winner.
The tiny girl's face is contorted with disbelief and disappointment as if some illusion of her being unbeatable has been shattered.
As the dust settles, Ray scrounges herself up into a ball with raw-looking scrapes on her knees and elbows. Labored breaths and sharp inhales through her teeth are heard.
Everyone on the bleaches, equally as shocked, offers a lukewarm applause for Ray, genuinely congratulating her but, at the same time, hurt that their preferred player lost.
As the class is soon dismissed for lunch, three athletic-looking girls in volleyball looking clothes rush to the tiny girl's aid. They offer her words of comfort and her small smile hints that she's feeling better.
Ray, on the other hand, is still on the ground still recovering from her daredevil stunt she pulled off.
"Man, showering is not going to be fun tonight." She mutters to herself while imagining all of those burns she'll have to endure while cleaning herself.
She grunts in pain as she slowly rises to her feet. "Well, guess it's lunchtime."
"Hey, girl! You wanna get some lunch with us?" A cheerful upbeat voice fills the silence.
"Huh?" Ray's mind is registering if that question is directed at her, and after seeing that no one else seems to be around, she slowly turns her head to see something she didn't expect.
Two girls in the same PE uniform as Ray are smiling warmly at her while approaching her. One of these girls has shoulder-length copper hair and rather short in stature, while her partner, about the same height, has curly chin-length brown hair and looks rather nervous but excited at the same time.
"Umm..."
Ray is unsure how to respond to the question. Why would two girls want to invite a complete stranger to hang out with them at lunch? There has to be some sort of catch right?
As Ray tries to rise to her feet, she quickly forgets of her injuries.
"Ow!" She grunts, holding her bleeding knee.
The two girls' expressions quickly shift to concern. Genuine concern.
"Uh... stay there!" The brown-haired girl exclaims as she rushes forward to Ray's aid. She examines her knee and eyes her elbows. "We're going to have to wash these scrapes."
"Agh!" The copper-haired girl squeaks. "I'm sorry! I didn't know it was that bad. Umm... let's get you to the nurse's office!"
"Right!" Her partner affirms, more confident than before. "Let's help you up, Miss!"
Ray couldn't help but chuckle as two random strangers help her to her feet. "I'm not hurt that bad, guys." She assures them before wincing from taking a step. It's more painful than she expected. "Ah hell..." She curses in Mandarin.
"Just take it easy!" The copper-haired girl tells her gently. "We're taking this nice and slow."
"Here, I'll keep you level. Hop on your other leg if you have to." The brown-haired girl suggests.
Ray does not hesitate on hopping on her good foot as these random girls help her to the nurse's office.
What's your angle, ladies?
But out loud, and being somewhat sincere, she mutters. "Thank you."
*Panzer Vor*
After the brutal stinging of the disinfectants and bandaging her knee and elbows, Ray sits on her bed with these two girls beside her. It's a strange feeling to them still with her. She didn't expect them to actually stay behind and see if she's alright.
But Ray doesn't mind the company. Still, she's suspicious of their purpose of wanting to befriend her.
"It's feeling a lot better." Ray says carefully bending her knee, testing it's mechanical function. "Thank you."
"I'm glad it is." The copper haired girl says. "Honestly, I never thought that Noriko would meet her match in volleyball."
"Ms. Isobe wishes that she can participate in the volleyball tournaments as soon as she graduates." The brown-haired girl explains.
Ray shifts uncomfortable. "I... didn't expect volleyball means that much to her."
The brown-haired girl smiles. "I think she'll see you as a worthy opponent, and she'll work harder to beat you next time."
Ray lets out a chuckle. "Oh boy... competition."
"But don't worry about that right now." The copper-haired girl says. "We haven't even introduced each other!" She eagerly offers her hand. "I'm Takaebe Saori, Ooarai student and expert on boys! So if you're ever thinking of trying to seduce a man I'm always happy to help!"
Ray laughs at Saori's self-proclaimed expertise and shakes her hand.
"Akiyama Yukari." The brown-haired girl gives a sharp salute. "Very nice to meet you!"
Ray's brows arch up, surprised to see Yukari acting all regimental.
This girl gonna sign up for the Defense Force or something?
"It's nice to meet you both." Ray nods to both while returning Yukari's salute with a casual two-finger salute. "I'm Sun Ray Ling. But just call me Ray. No offense, but It's kinda awkward when people are formal with me."
"Sun... Ray Ling..." Saori repeats slowly before smiling. "It has a nice ring to it!"
Yukari gives Ray a curious look. "Did you transfer here to Ooarai?"
Ray nods. "Yeah, just last week! I came from Jiangdong."
Yukari and Saori give each other a look before looks back at Ray.
"I'm... unfamiliar with that school, sorry." Yukari sheepishly says.
Ray chuckles. "It's fine. It's on the School-Ship Three Kingdoms and based out of-"
"Oh yeah!" Saori gleefully interrupts. "I heard gossip that we were getting a Chinese transfer student, but turns out those rumors are true! This is awesome!"
Ray laughs awkwardly. "Well... actually-"
"That also explains your dialect, too." Yukari chimes in.
Both Ray and Saori shot Yukari glares, and the girl realized her error.
"Oh! Uh... It's nothing bad! I just notice it is all! B-but don't worry! I-it's nice and i-it's awesome that you can speak Japanese so well! M-my Chinese is improving though! I prom-"
Saori takes over. "What Yukari is trying to say is that it's nice that you can understand us and vice versa."
"Yeah," Ray says. "I lived in Japan for a bit when I was little, so I picked up on Japanese really quickly."
Ray's leg unconsciously twirls around without much pain to it.
Saori grins. "Looks like you're better already! And I think there's still some time to get some lunch!"
"Oh yeah!" Ray recalls lunchtime. "I forgot. Sorry I made you guys miss half of lunch..."
"Think nothing of it." Yukari assures her. "Meeting a new transfer student from another nation is far more exciting!"
"Yeah!" Saori agrees. "I hope you don't mind if you join us."
"Wha-? Uh... for real?"
"Mmm-hmm." The girls' chorus
Ray hesitates but accepts their invitation. As first days go, this is a very entertaining day so far.
*Panzer Vor*
Ray has not seen herself separated from Saori and Yukari ever since they guided her to the cafeteria. On one side, Ray enjoys the small talk with the two girls, but she can't help but feel there some sort of ulterior motive to them reaching out to her.
Regardless, she decides to let this go not wanting to get too paranoid. Especially on her first day.
The cafeteria is vibrantly lit as the interior feels cheerful and natural, and the natural lighting coming from the glass walls and ceilings. Ray reflects back to her old school where the cafeteria had a bleak and dull atmosphere to it. At least the staff allowed the students to eat outside.
"So, Ray," Saori catches Ray's attention. "Do you need any help with getting settled into Ooarai?"
Ray arches a brow. "Settled in?"
"Mmm-hmm." She nods. "Do you know what kinda activites you like? Or what sort of courses you would like to take?"
Yukari joins in on the conversation. "Our school didn't have a lot of programs not too long ago, but now with the funding, we have a variety of courses and clubs you can join!"
Ray is caught off guard by their curiosity and couldn't formulate a genuine answer for them and herself. And she doesn't want to give them a lame answer like, 'I don't know, yet.'
Thankfully, she has an alternative answer. "Wow... it's pretty cool that you guys got a whole lot of funding now."
With their food paid for, the three girls walk toward the busy center with many occupied tables. Ray is unconsciously following them.
"It's pretty amazing, to be honest!" Saori says. "But really, the only reason we got funding, to begin with, is because of our Sensha-Do team."
Ray is initially confused by what Saori means, "I'm sorry?" But then she puts two and two together. "Oh! Tankery!"
"Yep!" Saori chirps. "Not to brag, but we're known for having a pretty flawless winning streak in every match."
"Well... except a few practice matches with St. Gloriana..." Yukari sheepishly adds.
Saori's face flushes red. "She doesn't need to know that!"
But Ray smiles. "So... you guys are part of... Sensha-Do then?" She slowly enunciates the Japanese word of Tankery not wanting to mess it up.
"Affirmative," Yukari replies. "Not only that, but Ms. Nishizumi is our commander!"
"Huh?" Again, Ray is confused, but again, she quickly figures it out. "Oh! You mean..." The thought sinks in and it shocks her. "Holy... You mean... you guys know, Miho Nishizumi?"
"Know her? More like she's one of my best friends and mentor!" Yukari exclaims.
Saori looks surprised herself. "Wait, you know Miho?"
"Well, I know of her." Ray specifies. "Ever since you guys defeated Saunders, everyone back at my old school watched every match you guys had! Even against Kuromorimine! That's like the best school in all of Japan! Especially with the types of tanks they were driving!"
Saori and Yukari grin seeing Ray being more engaged and open.
Ray continues. "And that match with All-Stars, that was tense!" She realizes that she's becoming a little too excited. "Sorry... I guess I'm kinda a fan of you guys is all."
"It's perfectly fine," Saori assures her. "Honestly, it's pretty cool that we have a fan here! And consider yourself lucky, because you're about to meet Miho yourself!"
"W-WHAT?!"
Trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, Ray follows the girls to a nearly occupied table where three other girls are sitting. Two girls have a similar look with their raven-black long hair, but one is taller and has a gentle expression on her face, the other is shorter in stature but has a mellow and tired expression. However, the last girl, there is no denying that from her short reddish hair and familiar face that it is the legendary Miho Nishizumi!
Ray can feel the butterflies kicking up again and she can feel her legs freezing up on her.
"Hey girls!" Saori calls out. "Guess who we picked up along the way!"
The three girls look up and greet them with smiles and waves. Ray feels uncomfortable being put on the spot now.
"Hey, guys!" Miho calls back before bringing her attention to Ray with a smile on her face.
"We picked her up from the volley match! One she won!" Yukari explains.
Ray greets the three girls with a quick bow. "Hajimemashite."
"It's nice to meet you." The soft-spoken girl greets Ray. "Did you transfer here?"
"Oh yeah!" Saori chimes in eagerly. "She's a foreign exchange student!"
Yukari joins in. "Ms. Nishizumi, Ms. Isuzu, Ms. Reizei, allow us to introduce-"
"Sun Ray Ling." Miho reveals Ray's name. "Born March 24th."
That catches Ray off guard. "Umm... I'm sorry?"
"Miho has a tendency to know people she meets and their birthdays!" Saori explains. "She knew mine and Hana's on her first day here!" She points over at the tall raven-haired girl.
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Sun."
"It's just Ray, please." Ray corrects her. "But nice to meet you, too Hana."
"Hmph! Mako!" Saori cries out at the other black-haired girl. "Say something!"
"Hmmm..." The girl known as Mako hums and gives Ray a nod. "Nice to meet you." She greets in a low and tired voice.
Ray nods. "You too, Mako."
With introductions out of the way, Ray, Saori and Yukari take their seats with Ray taking her seat next to Mako and Yukari and facing Miho. As the girls are engaging in their conversation, Ray's somewhat surprised to see that these girls are not what she expect.
Man, everyone here, including Miho... they're all down to earth and friendly. Not what I expect from Tankery vets.
"Ray," Miho's voice catches Ray's attention.
Ray seems a little surprised that the legendary tankery commander is now talking to her.
"Is it true that you won a volleyball match against Noriko?"
Ray nods. "Well... it wasn't easy. I never played so hard in my life."
Miho flashes a warm smile. "That's pretty cool! I wish I would've been there to see it!"
"It was tense, Miporin!" Saori tells Miho. "I mean there a were a few close calls, and I thought Noriko was going to win this!"
"Yeah!" Yukari joins in. "She was formidable! But we did warn her that Ms. Isobe will be working hard for a rematch."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Mako's low voice is barely heard.
Hana smiles. "It's not every day that a new student wins against one of the best players." She pauses and ponders for a bit. "Is there a term for something like that?"
Mako offers an answer. "I think it's an underdog victory."
"Or David vs Goliath!" Yukari exclaims.
"That's it!" Saori declares. "It's so cool we have her at the table!"
Ray's smile slightly fades from the conversation.
So that's why they invited me to sit with them. At least... I DID get a win in on my first day.
Feeling hurt by all the shallow praises, Ray wishes that lunch can be over soon and off to her next class.
"Ray?" Miho's voice brings Ray out of her thoughts.
"Oh..." Ray feigns a smile. "Yes, Ms. Nishizumi."
"No need for that. Just call me Miho." She says. "But... are you okay? You seem a little uncomfortable."
"Oh yeah... sorry... It's just ummm... this may sound a little weird, but..." She brings a clean napkin out with a pen resting on top of it. "Would it be okay if I got your autograph? Umm... again, you're kinda a legend back at my old school, soo..."
"Oh!" Miho looks taken aback by this but delighted at the same time. "Sure thing!" She giggles. "I never signed autographs before!"
Saori seems excited from Ray's offer. "Miporin, you're really popular!"
Everyone else starts cheering for Miho soon after
Miho blushes. "C'mon, guys, you're embarrassing me!"
Ray smirks. "You very modest, Miho. That's truly unexpected. Not a bad thing. In fact, it's really cool that an undefeated winner can be very humble."
Miho smiles at Ray's praise. However, Saori and Hana give Ray strange glares. The way Ray said what she said, there was a passive-aggressive feeling fuming in her.
Ray continues. "It's refreshing because, for fans, it doesn't matter if you're nice or a total jerk as long as you win." Her fist, hidden underneath the table, starts trembling. "It's kinda weird, because if a winning streak is cut short, all those friends that winner had moved on like nothing ever happened." She bites her lip, threatening to make it bleed. "But it's cool that I got a win like that at Volleyball, because I got to meet you guys."
Miho quickly catches something off about Ray. "Oh... umm..."
A low chime flows throughout the cafeteria signaling that it's time for the next class.
Ray is the first one to rise from her seat. "I have to get to my next class." She gathers her tray and leaves. "Thank you for lunch!"
The five girls remain at their seats puzzled on what happened.
"Well... I think that didn't go well." Mako states.
"Yeah..." Saori agrees. "Ray was definitely upset. Was it something we said?"
Miho frowns. "Let's try and meet up with her after school. Maybe we can take her out for something to eat."
Saori nods. "I think she'd like that."
"Maybe we can take her shopping, too?" Yukari suggests.
Everyone stares at Yukari.
"What?"
"You just want to go down to the tank store." Saori mutters.
Yukari stammers. "That's not true! I didn't even say that!"
"But you were thinking it." Maho mumbles.
"Huh?" Saori cocks her head up, something grabbing her attention. Suddenly, her eyes widen. "Guys! Look!" She points up at the ceiling.
The other girls glance in the direction where Saori is pointing where a new flatscreen TV is located. The news anchor's voice is drowned out from the noisy chatter in the cafeteria, but the bulletin words make Miho's heart drop.
Breaking news: Kuromorimine School to be shut down.
"Oh no..." Miho whispers.
The four other girls come to her aid as Miho's eye are glued to the TV.
All she can think about now is her mother and her sister.
*Panzor Vor*
Kuromorimine Girls Academy
"What sort of idiocy is this?!" Nishizumi Shiho snaps over the phone with a rather condescending financing bureaucrat. "This isn't a common school ship, we are Kuromorimine! We are the best academy known throughout the country, and the bes-"
"Best Sensha-Do team?" His voice finishes cooly. "Ms. Nishizumi, based on your recent track record in Sensha-Do, even your recent tryout match with a foreign academy with limited funding and inadequate tanks, it, unfortunately, tells us that Kuromorimine's golden age has long passed. And lets not forget that incident where a student from YOUR school illegally fired AFTER the match resulting in one dead and another injured?"
A chill runs down Shiho's spine but she grinds her teeth and continues. "May I remind you that Ms. Itsumi is now awaiting prison for her actions. A decision that Kuromorimine handled personally, and let me remind you that our academy has ONLY suffered three losses throughout our ENTIRE history of Sensha-Do. In comparison with other academies-"
"Such as Ooarai?" He cuts her off again. "They have remained undefeated, Ms. Nishizumi. Their reputation for defying all the odds and winning against academies superior to them has made them very popular."
Shiho growls. "I will state the obvious that if my daughter hadn't transferred away from Kuromorimine, we wouldn't be having this pointless conversation!"
"Yet here we are, ma'am." His tone drips with mockery. "Just keep in mind that this is nothing personal, Ms. Nishizumi. However, maintaining school ships is expensive and we need to make cuts. If there was any other way..."
Shiho wasn't even listening to him anymore. Her mind is on something far more infuriating: Kuromorimine is a scapegoat for them wanting to cut funding! Their target was Ooarai all along, but after their string of victories, and a written agreement, Ooarai remains untouched from being shut down. So, it's only natural they decided to target a much more expensive school with high-quality tanks.
That humiliating defeat at the hands of Jiangdong Academy was all the proof they needed to proceed with their scheme.
Now, Kuromorimine will soon be-
"NO!" Shiho screams. "This Academy is renown for delivering quick and decisive victory! It has a huge part in Sensha-Do tradition, it made this sport into what it is today! I will be damned if I have you shut down this academy!" She lowers her voice into a menacing growl. "And you'll have your precious funding when you pry it from my cold dead body."
With that she cuts the line and throws the phone towards the wall making a dent.
Shiho rises to her feet and away from the table pacing back and forth leaving Maho sitting there shocked of what she just heard.
"It's true is it?" Her oldest daughter murmurs. "Our school... will be shut down..."
Suddenly Shiho turns to face her daughter. Her scowl softens into a hopeless frown. "When... Miho left Kuromorimine..." She slowly walks to Maho. "I did not hide my willingness to see her go to Ooarai. I even went as far as casting her out. But now... I see that letting her go was a huge mistake..." A stray tear falls from the woman's cheek. "You were right... Miho... my daughter... she has truly redeemed herself as a commander. More than that, she has exceeded everyone's expectations in every match thrown against her. She truly is the best Japan has to offer." Her scowl returns. "Something I foolishly proclaimed you to be."
Maho is taken aback by this. "Mother..."
Shiho seizes her daughter and forces her to her feet. "Maho... my daughter... Commander of Kuromorimine's Sensha-Do team, through your arrogance and stupidity, you have sentenced our academy into irrelevance AND BANKRUPTCY!" Her voice dangerously rises as she roughly removes Maho's Sensha-Do jacket. "You're... unworthy of this school!" She then seizes her trademark cover hat. "You're unworthy of Sensha-Do! YOU'RE UNWORTHY... of being my daughter!"
Those last words shatter Maho's heart, and cracks in her stoic facade show with a lump throat holding back the urge to sob.
"Get out of my sight."
Maho remains frozen. Her mother's words petrifying her from leaving.
"OUT! NOW!"
Her scream releases Maho from her spell and Maho marches out of the room without looking back. She didn't even have the common courtesy to slide the door shut.
With Shiho alone, all she can do is break down crying and falls to the floor, instantly regretting her actions. "Maho...? No... what have I done?"
*Panzer Vor*
Leclerc Tank Cafe
Everyone is chowing down delicious tank-styled cheesecakes and Miho is feeling a little better after seeing what was on the news earlier today.
"I still can't believe Kuromorimine is getting shut down." Miho murmurs, still plagued by the news.
Yukari gently rests a hand on Miho's shoulder. "If need be, we'll find a way to help them get back on their feet."
Hana nods. "It's still horrible though. All because they couldn't get into the Pacific Tournament?"
"Oh right!" Yukari exclaims. "I forgot! This year is the first annual Pacific Tournament! From what I heard every school is competing to earn a spot in the Tournament. Not just Japan, but every nation across the Pacific!"
Saori seems a little confused. "I don't understand though. Why are they holding a PACIFIC tournament? We never had those before?" She asks not because she was curious, but hopefully to shift the conversation away from Kuromorimine for Miho's sake.
"Well..." Miho ponders this. "I think it's because a lot of Sensha-Do matches are held in the Pacific."
Yukari nods. "Sensha-Do is popular in other parts of the world, but it's true that everyone in the Pacific region loves it."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Anzu signs us up for the Tournament." Hana says before chowing down on a piece of her chocolate cake.
"That would be a huge step up for us." Mako states before flashing a small smile. "So I guess we'll just have to work harder than we have before."
"Right!" Miho nods before smiling feeling excited. "You know, I never thought in participating in a regional tournament. But now I'm ready!" She looks at her four treasured friends. "And with you guys by my side, I know we can give this everything got."
Yukari places her hand over Miho's. "Always."
Saori follows suit. "We're with you all the way, Miporin."
Hana joins in. "This is a whole new journey."
Mako rests her hand on top of everyone else's. "They better give us four times the credits if we win."
Empowered by her friends, Miho beams and cries out proudly. "Panzer Vor!"
"Panzor Vor!" Everyone chorused.
Shortly after, Yukari and Saori begin to debate on whether 'Panzer Vor' should only be reserve before matches. However, Miho soon has her mind on something else. Or more specifically, someone else.
"I hope Ray's okay." Miho says in a concerned tone.
Saori and Yukari, no longer arguing over 'Panzer Vor' express worry as well.
"Me, too. I really thought she was happy with us."
Saori nods. "We tried finding her after school, but I think she left school as soon as it was over."
"Maybe she doesn't like us all that much?" Mako weakly suggests.
Saori shakes her head. "No. Something's bothering her."
"Hopefully, once we meet up with her we can cheer her up." Miho says.
The girls hum in agreement before continuing to eat. It didn't take long before Hana comes up with an idea involving her pristine flower arrangements.
*Panzer Vor*
With her first day done, Ray is enjoying the solitude out by the pier as she watches the sun sink into the water.
For Ray, there's something comforting about looking out a sea. There's something timeless and adventurous about it. It's a view the most beautiful landscape cannot compete with.
It's enough to distract her from lighting her very first cigarette. A nasty habit to help her calm her nerves.
But as she holds that crumples napkin in her hand, she resists the urge to let tears flow down her face.
"Well..." She struggles to produce words. "One step down. One more to go." She sighs before lighting her cigarette. "First day of break, I'll drop this off."
She blows stream of smoke through her lips, hoping to make cool rings like in those mythical movies.
"Better luck next time I guess."
A distant cry startles Ray, fearing that someone has caught her smoking. But as she desperately extinguishes her butt and coughing violently as a result, she discards the evidence in the nearest bin before hearing the same old lady cry out again.
"What the..."
Okay, someone is obviously in pain. But... someone has got her, right?
After hearing the same old lady whimper, and the fact she sounds close, Ray lets out a cry of frustration knowing that she has to help whoever is in trouble.
Please no mouth-to-mouth. PLEASE no mouth-to-mouth!
She races across the street to see the source of the cries and whimpers, an elderly lady clutching her chest while trembling on her side.
"Ahh, fucking hell..." She curses in Mandarin before calling out in Japanese. "Um... excuse me! Ma'am!"
Multitasking, Ray races over to the lady while already having an ambulance on the line. After giving her location, the lady on the line tells Ray to put her phone on speaker so she can instruct her on what to do.
But things take a turn for the worse when the woman soon becomes unresponsive.
"Oh, shit..." Ray whispers before crying out. "She stopped breathing!"
The lady calmly relays a series of instructions to Ray as she desperately rests the woman on her back. She begins a series of CPR actions with 30 chest compressions followed by two kisses of life. She repeats this process several times without stopping, adrenaline pumping throughout her body and sweat beads forming on her forehead.
"27... 28... 29... 30..."
Before she can give the woman another kiss of life, the sirens of the ambulance grow rapidly louder and parked right beside Ray before she could react. The paramedics quickly and efficiently got the elderly lady on a stretcher and into the ambulance. Ray, without thinking, leaps into the back by the woman's side.
Ray watches as the paramedics quickly place IV's on her arms and hook her up to life saving machines, as one of them questions what happened. Ray, still feeling somewhat of a rush, shakily answers to the best of her abilities.
Come on... please don't die... my day was rough enough already!
*Panzer Vor*
Ray must have been waiting in the waiting room for an hour, and there's still nothing on the woman in intensive care.
She can feel her fist trembling and she's taking in several deep breaths to steady herself.
"Well... if the doctor came out just like that, then I know it would be bad news." She tells herself to boost her morale. She forces out a laugh. "Man, she may be old, but looks like she's still got it!"
But Ray becomes paralyzed as she sees the doctor walking towards her. The blood in her body freezes as she steels herself for what the doctor has to say.
He's a tall prestigious looking man that looks somewhat wary look on his face.
Ray stands as he approaches and the pass two seconds feels like an eternity.
"She's stabilized." He says with a content smile.
Ray lets out a shaky breath. "Wow... she is a tough lady."
"Don't downplay what you done, young lady. She's still alive because of you."
Those words sink into Ray and she feels a lukewarm sense of peace knowing the woman is okay.
"W-when will she recover?"
"Likely tomorrow." The doctor answers. "But she'll need to stay in the hospital for a while just to be safe." He chuckles. "And I can tell that she's just going to love that."
Ray frowns. "I see."
"Don't worry about it." He assures her. "Her heart is doing much better now, thanks to you."
Ray sighs. "Well... thanks for stroking my ego, doc. Guess I needed it."
The Doctor smirks. "Well, her granddaughter is going to be relieved." His smirk falters. "Poor girl. They may not show it but her granddaughter her love each other very much."
Ray nods. "Well... have a good night, Doc."
With that, departs from the waiting room and toward the exit. She can see the exit doors in front of her until they slide open.
"Wait! Mako!"
Ray gasps seeing the four girls she hung with earlier at school today. "Gāisǐ de!" She swears before seeking covering in the nearest bathroom.
She can hear Mako, the sleepy girl, pleading for the room number her grandmother is in before sprinting forward with her friends not far behind.
With them out of sight, Ray slips out of the hospital and begins her long walk back to her apartment.
*Panzer Vor*
Jiangdong Academy
The auditorium is packed with every student in the school. Sun Ying Shang scans the girls sitting on the floor.
Unmotivated, unsure, and unwilling to compete in tankery.
That has to change soon. Otherwise...
Ying, flanked by her new lieutenants Vicky Fang and Hei Mei Jin, adorns herself in a crisp olive green uniform with her cap sandwiched between her arm. She looks over at Vicky and gives her a nod, signaling her she's ready.
With that, Vicky steps forward to silence the chattering students.
"Everyone please..." She begins sheepishly. "We're about too..."
But she couldn't get the girl's attention. She tries again, pleading louder, but to no avail.
Suddenly Ying steps forward and positions herself in front of the mic.
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" She snaps.
Everyone, paralyzed by her shout, goes silent.
"Now then," Ying begins in a calm professional tone. "As all of you are aware, Jiangdong has secured its spot in participating in the Pacific Tankery Tournament. But as you all know, our match against Kuromorimine has left much of our medium tanks currently inoperable, and we do not have the funds to have them repaired." She turns to Mei and she responds with a sharp nod.
Mei steps forward stealing the Mic. "That means we'll be taking on our next opponent the hard way! We've scrounged up what was left of our funds and have ourselves a series of Vickers, Panzer I's and CV.33 Tankettes. And a WHOLE lotta them, so we won't have to worry about running out of those bad boys anytime soon."
Ying watches as the students' spirits rise hearing the news. But the reality is that the majority of their tanks, even with their high numbers, are weak in armor and firepower. One of the main reasons Jiangdong got them so cheap.
"But these tanks will have to be commandeered by new recruits. So it's our duty to inform the students and staff of Jiangdong that Tankery is a full-on Mandatory course. Failure to sign up for Tankery within the next 48 hours will result in students being expelled."
"What?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"That's fucking bullshit!"
"BOO!"
"You guys suck! We didn't sign up for this!"
Everyone in the auditorium is growing more and more hostile, almost ready to charge up the stage and personally beat the crap out of the three girls.
But Ying remains unfazed and takes over. "Do you idiots have aNY IDEA WHAT FACING?!"
Her menacing tone pacifies the mob and points to the slide show in front of her. "Our next opponent, Chi-Ha-Tan Academy," Video footage appears of WWII Japanese medium tanks swathing through metal corpses of numerous Vickers and Panzer I's. A sharp chill races down the spines of every student. "They've been wiping out our neighboring schools in every match so far. Wuzhang, Hulao, Hefei, and every other school, they've been massacred against Chi-Ha-Tan. And now, we're going to be going up against them." Her brows furrow. "Let me repeat our situation: We're going up against a fierce and fanatic opponent. Our job is to win... no matter what the cost. Because if we lose... we lose everything."
The students are now being filled with a grim sense of determination.
Seeing their faces makes Ying nod. "We have two weeks to prepare for our match. Everyone will be assigned duties and roles tomorrow." She turns to Mei again. "Dismiss the students."
She salutes sharply. "Yes ma'am!" She takes over the mic again. "Dismissed! Get to your dorms and be here on time tomorrow! Move!"
As the students begin scuttling out of the auditorium, Mei, Vicky, and Ying are left alone on stage.
"I don't know how we're gonna win against them though, Ma'am." Vicky tells Ying. "It's going to be a slaughter."
"Don't be a wimp!" Mei scoffs. "We still got three Shermans with us."
"I'll need a full review of where we'll have our match. Terrain, starting points, everything!"
"Yes ma'am!" The two girls salute as their tank commander marches out of the auditorium.
Vicky sighs. "I really miss Ray..."
Mei scowls. "She made her choice." She growls. "And we made ours. And right now, our job is to win this Tournament."
Vicky nods reluctantly. "Right."
Phew! Another chapter done!
So to those who don't know, when Miho says Saori's and Hana's birthdays on episode one, those were important battles during WWII. This means that Ray's birthday, March 24th, is the beginning of a very important battle.
I won't reveal what that battle was but one of the most important battles in Chinese History. Hope you guys enjoy the trivia :)
Panzer Vor!