As the night drew on Erika was able to sneak away to a quiet spot in between the accommodation trailers and tents. She was feeling quite overwhelmed by everything and needed some fresh air. She was also unsure of how much she'd had to drink. People kept giving her beers and she wasn't sure how many were the non-alcoholic version and how many had been wahres bier. They both looked and tasted the same; the only difference was one of them got you shitfaced.
As she stood there having a quiet moment to herself she heard a noise behind her. A girl in a plastic neck brace was winding her way through the tents and trailers and for a moment Erika didn't recognise her. The black cape, of course, instantly gave it away but Erika was surprised to see that Anchovy had brushed her hair out of her usual twin ponytails and was wearing glasses, which gave her a totally different appearance.
"Anchovy!" Erika said with surprise in her voice.
"Yes?" Anchovy asked, stopping and turning to face Erika.
"Erm… nothing. I just didn't recognise you with your glasses, that's all" Erika stuttered.
"Well… contact lenses dry my eyes out if I wear them for too long," Anchovy explained.
"You're… leaving?" Erika asked, surprised that the brash and loud commander would be leaving the party so early.
"Yes," Anchovy replied. She shrugged. "The food is all prepared, the party is underway… they don't need me anymore."
Something about the way Anchovy said that struck a chord in Erika's heart. She quickly remembered hearing that Anchovy had single-handedly revived Anzio's Sensha-do club when she joined the school and had been their leader from the very start. Now that Erika was herself the Kommandant of Kuromorimine's Panzerkraft team, she understood what a lonely and removed position being in command was.
Erika was suddenly struck with a revelation. Beneath all the brashness and theatrical pomp, Anchovy was probably a very lonely and isolated girl. Her dedication to her team and to the sport impressed Erika deeply and she felt compelled to say something.
"Anchovy?"
"Yes?" Anchovy had been about to leave, but turned again to face Erika.
"Um… would your team like to train with us sometime? We could probably learn a lot from each other. I am sure Kuromorimine's training budget could cover your expenses, if that was an issue," Erika suddenly offered.
Erika couldn't tell for sure, but it seemed as if Anchovy's eyes were glistening slightly.
"We'd love to; that'd be great!" she said enthusiastically.
"We'll discuss it in the morning," Erika promised.
"Thank you!" Anchovy said with sincerity in her voice. She turned to go once again.
"Um… Chiyomi?" Erika said, using Anchovy's real name.
"Yes?" Anchovy turned back a third time, blinking behind her glasses.
"Thank you for all your hard work. And the food, of course!"
Anchovy smiled softly. "Anzio's food is the best!" she chimed. "And it's 'Anchovy'!" she said with a teasing grin.
"Of course!" Erika replied, grinning as well as they parted company.