The days continued to go by. Yogurt's team was experiencing its first change that they had since the beginning of the year. Their team was expanding, more students seeing their Sensha-Do program decided to sign up for it. And with this came a few changes in the team's line up to show off their new tanks despite being made of light tank designs. Even with that came a few upgrades to the tanks to make them more viable as well as the team's expansion. Sima was attending the school to give Popovo a hand.
"So the upgrades to the LT-35's will be mostly done to the engine?" Sima asked as she was busy upgrading the tank's engine. She was using her wrench to tighten some of the bolt down so they didn't become loose.
"Yep. Seeing how we have an expansion with the team, we decided to put tanks with cannons forth seeing how Tankettes aren't really doing a good enough job. The CV-33's while they are good for irritating the enemy team, have very thin armor and can be easily taken out so they will be pushed to secondary roles of the team." Popovo told her as she was observing her progress. She soon saw the last of the engines had been upgraded and overhauled. She soon closed the hatch as Srebarna walked up to her.
"Very nicely done. The LT-35's will come in handy when we start the matches up with these tanks. Also the R35 has been upgraded the other day so we should be ready to rework our team. So the line up will be the LT-35's, the Vickers 6 ton, and the R35." Srebarna told Popovo what the new layout was. Popovo nodded as she was more than eager to find an opponent to test them out on.
"So who are we testing these tanks on?" Popovo asked. Sima had gathered her tools as she began walking along their side. Srebarna knew that she didn't make the decisions but someone else did.
"That is entirely up to Kuromorimine to decide, it's part of their agreement." Srebarna told Popovo, reminding her what they agreed with when they joined. Popovo nodded as she began to scratch the back of her head. Pomorie soon walked up as she was beginning to shiver.
"I don't exactly know what is happening but many of the freshmen are beginning to shiver." Pomorie's teeth were chattering as the air was colder than usual. Srebarna remembered what she was talking about as she looked at her.
"It's starting to get cold as winter is very much near. The crops will have to wait until next year seeing how they won't be able to grow. It's best we use our reserves to try to keep ourselves fed for the winter." Srebarna told Pomorie what she knew about the change of seasons. She huffed as she looked at Pomorie as she knew she needed to let her know about this: "It's best we start bundling up with winter approaching." Srebarna turned as she walked away. Pomorie was left on her own as she walked along Popovo's side.
"Well it's best we start training our crews while we still have the time seeing the day that Kuromorimine wants to get the ball rolling very soon." Popovo advised Pomorie to train the crew up to their highest extension. Pomorie looked at Popovo as she expressed her concern.
"Even with the expanded team of ours, I doubt we will be able to find a way to try to match Pravda alone with our tanks." Pomorie told Popovo. Popovo shrugged as she knew that this wasn't any big disaster looming over their heads.
"Kuromorimine and the other schools have our back so Pravda will be one easy stretch, it's just how many matches they're going to whack that iron with their hammer and anvil." Popovo knew she was correct on that matter as they would be about the six schools that have agreed to help out with their endeavors. "If we need the team to get expanded upon again, I'm sure Commander Nishizumi will be understanding enough to lend us some tanks." Popovo soon left the scene as Pomorie shivered again, she was right about what Srebarna was talking about, winter was indeed coming.
Srebarna had entered her room as she went to check her emails to see what had landed in her inbox. She soon saw a letter from Kuromorimine's commander. She opened it and began reading it to herself as she soon figured out what it was, an invitation to another match. And the requirements were to bring the Croatian gang with them to see their skills on where they lay. Srebarna nodded as she had to rally the school together.
The Sensha-Do club had been called for a meeting as Srebarna, Kamchika and Popovo walked along as they had a few things to discuss.
"Good morning students of Yogurt Academy's Sensha-Do club. I've just received the message that Kuromorimine has invited us to another match and by the looks of things with the weather, I didn't know how to respond since the weather is getting sour on us. By the looks of things we might have a snow storm coming so I heavily advise that you bundle down with heavy coats, mittens, hats and anything else that can block out the snow as well as keep you warm. We are heading into hard times and I would wish you all that we are getting our winter gear out. Be careful of what you will be doing for the next few months until the snow clears." Srebarna made the announcement as she had checked the weather. She was right. Pomorie turned her head as she saw thick black clouds gathering over her head. This match was going to be a nightmare.
The designated ships had arrived in the area where the battle was taking place as the terrain was covered in hills with mountains off in the distance. Pomorie was in a heavy brown winter coat with a large hat on her head. She also had some winter gloves as well as a pair of winter boots. The only standout from the crowd was Varna who had her winter scarf around her neck. The air was frigid as thankfully the storm didn't arrive yet.
"God it's freezing, what's the temperature out here?" Koprinka asked as the air was too cold for her to light her match for a cigarette. Kamcika looked at the thermometer she kept with her as it was useful for judging the temperature of the air around her.
"It's 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Which doesn't make sense, it's still October and we're already getting snow." Kamchika shivered as she wasn't expecting it. Soon two more teams of tanks pulled alongside as it was the Croatian gang that brought their 8 tanks with them and Kuromorimine, the most prepared of them all. The Kuromorimine students were well prepared as many of them had brought out their winter coats with them. Maho looked at Pomorie as she was the first to greet her.
"I'm glad you've accepted the match, I wasn't expecting this storm to come this early. I guess the weather isn't really for our side." Maho sighed as her exhaling breath was visible from the cold air. Olivia was decked out as she came prepared, around her neck was a light blue silk scarf as well as a pair of chestnut fur gloves on her hands.
"Yeah a lot of us are freezing as we knew about it. Tocai didn't even want to get out of bed as of today. Thankfully she's changed as she's feeling a little bit better." Istria told Maho. Maho gave her a nod as this cold weather was thankfully benefiting Istria. Dalmatia saw Erika as Erika began approaching her.
"I got the news that you managed to impress Solti with your skills of being a gunner. Good job and I hope that these skills come in handy for today's match." Erika told Dalmatia as Dalmatia looked at the vice commander. Dalmatia didn't know how to respond as she stood with her mouth open. Dalmatia was thinking for words to come out of her mouth as she closed it.
"Uh... thank you?" Dalmatia responded awkwardly as Erika looked at her. She was expecting more from her but Dalmatia remained silent. The rumbling of tanks was heard as their opponents were coming to them from the other side. They were the two French themed schools that they had agreed to fight with. BC Freedom, a larger and much more prestigious school and Maginot, a smaller, lesser known school. Both schools shared a few things in common, the design of their tanks and the nation their schools were based off of to name two of them. The tank leading the pack was a French Renault FT-17 as their commander was riding on the back of the tank. Pomorie looked at her as she was wondering.
"What is she doing on the back of this tank, you'll freeze out here in this type of weather." She waved a fan around as the tanks stopped alongside.
"I reckoned we met in that match against SSISSN, also look at them, did you guys give them a makeover of some kind?" Marie asked as she noticed the stark contrast of their entire school's tank line up. They were truly using tanks from other schools. Maho walked over, her boots crunching on the ground.
"Yeah we have, and we agreed to help them out in other ways as well so don't be going around and getting your uniform in a twist." Maho warned Marie not to get too cocky this match since the FT-17 was just a paper tank and could be taken out very easily but Marie wasn't too worried about that.
"I promise you there will be cake at the end of this match." Marie told Maho. Erika and Dalmatia burst into a fit of laughter as they knew Marie was joking, cake. What was she giving them cake for? Marie soon turned her head to Erika and Dalmatia as she spoke again. "I was being serious." Marie told them to stop their laughter and focus. Olivia looked at Erika and Dalmatia calm down before turning back to Marie.
"Who are you giving cake to and why?" Olivia asked. Soon the rumbling of a Schützenpanzer Sd. Kfz. 251 half-track made its appearance in the snow as it drove along. It was carrying today's judges. Her question was going to be answered. The judges numbering five of them came out as they were going to be observing today's match. These five girls were bundled in thick brown winter coats and on the top of their heads were fur caps. Ooarai's Panzer IV crew were here to oversee today's match. One of the judges stepped forward to address the participating teams.
"Good morning," greeted Miho Nishizumi. "I never really saw myself as a judge but when I was presented with the role, well, why not?" She said with a little laughter. "Trying new things is fun and all."
Miho brought her hands together and went straight to business. "Today's match will be a three versus two. Kuromorimine, Yogurt, and SSISSN-"
"Ah, we prefer being called the Croatian gang," Dalmatia corrected.
"Gang?" Miho repeated. After some moments of thought, she shrugged. "Well. If you so prefer. Kuromorimine, Yogurt and the Croatian gang will be team one. The other team will compose of BC Freedom and Maginot," she paused to look up at the gray sky that was only getting grayer. "The weather today will not be friendly, in fact, it's getting meaner by the second. But, wild weather is just part of the sport. You'll do great!"
Another of the judges stepped forward. Despite her heavy clothing, all could still notice her long black hair.
"The match begins at the top of the hour," Hana Isuzu reported with a voice nothing short of grace. "Let's not have a tardy start. Proceed to your starting positions."
All the athletes on the field mounted their vehicles and a series of engines whirred to life. One of the athletes lingered. She approached one of the judges and two entered into a brief conversation. At its end, they both smiled. As the tanks departed to their designated positions, the five judges entered their tent where they would oversee the match.
"A pleasant chat with your sister, Miss Nishizumi?" Yukari asked her.
Miho nodded with a smile. "Just some catching up and other sweet things."
"That's wonderful to hear." Saori remarked all sunny-like.
"Anything new if you don't mind sharing?" Yukari asked a bit shyly.
"Well, there is this one thing about the Croatian, ah, gang."
"Why do they call themselves a gang?" Mako then asked. "Do they see themselves as delinquents?"
"My sister said it was all complicated. Now, about the gang is that the members are afflicted with some mental or physical disability."
"Fascinating," Yukari said with a bit of awe. "Curious to see how they perform today."
"Their last outing was, well, let's just say less than ideal. Hope that today is a much better day for them."
Hana focused her attention on the monitoring equipment. "Looks like they are approaching their positions now," she informed the group. "An odd feeling to watch a match rather than be part of it."
"That it is," remarked Miho. She then referred to the time. "The action is gonna start soon. Let's get focused now."
Kilometers away from where the judges were, in a location that has become dusted with fresh white powdery snow, Kuromorimine, Yogurt, and the Croatian gang were in their starting position awaiting the final minutes before the match would officially kick off. The tracks of their tanks sunk deep into the snow and its steel was cold to the touch. Inside their Vickers, Pomorie blew into her hands to warm them up.
"Oh my god I'm freezing," she whined. She had brought a blanket with her for additional warmth but she felt like it did nothing. "The faster we finish this match, the faster I can relax by a roaring fire."
"With a piping hot beef stew with our school-grown vegetables." Rila dreamed aloud.
"And a nice cup of hot chocolate to top it all off." Varna added.
Pomoire rubbed her hands repeatedly to get them warm again. "God, any more talk like that and I'm going to lose it."
Parked nearby was Erika's King Tiger. Unlike most of the team, she was out of her hatch in defiance of the deteriorating weather. She paid no mind to the bone-chilling wind that hit her exposed face, looking at the map. Erika analyzed the environment to predict where the two French schools could possibly head to. She felt that a direct confrontation will be the best course of action. They have the numbers advantage, though Kuromorimine were the only ones fielding truly capable tanks. She had some level of optimism for how Yogurt will perform today, though as for the Croatian gang, well, at the very least, they'll serve as excellent cannon fodder. Erika's mind raced over the strategy. From her analysis of the map, she found a grand hill that oversaw a large swath of the battlefield. A good place to make their presence known and practically scream to be engaged. She relayed this information to Maho, who agreed with the plan. Once it was the top of the hour, their mass of machines drove on, tearing the snow behind them, to seek and destroy the opposition.
Their drive to the hill was a particular brutal affair. The temperature continued to plunge as the storm strengthened and the winds grew more fierce, with every icy gust feeling like knives when they hit bare skin. Snow fell from the sky at a pace where the tracks their tanks were leaving behind were already starting to fill back up with fresh snow. Every member of the team wore mittens or gloves as bare flesh on frozen metal was a bad combination. Nonetheless, they drove undeterred and determined to not only beat the enemy, but the weather as well.
It took them an hour to arrive at the location Erika had selected for them. The Croatian gang received some jokes from supposedly friendly tanks on how by this point in time, their own match was already over. SSISSN's quick and humiliating defeat has already spread fast in the Sensha-do world. Dalmatia and her friends just ignored all the jokes. Better to show people that they can be effective rather than devolve in a shouting match that would result in nothing but bad blood. At the top of the snow covered hill, all the tanks formed a firing line looking in a north-western direction. To save on fuel, their engines were ordered to shut down. The silence in the area was profound. The snow acted as superb sound absorbers so the battlefield exuded this calm yet eerie energy. At Erika's and Maho's insistence, all the commanders were out of their hatches to have good vision on the terrain ahead of them. Those that complained about the cold were told to 'suck it up'.
Pomoire scanned the land ahead through her binoculars, her vision shaking as her hands were shivering. She set them aside and cupped her hands in front of her mouth to get them warm again. Her crew fared only marginally better. They weren't the ones braving the harsh winds, but as their tank has essentially become a refrigerator they too were shivering and doing whatever they could to feel a shred of warmth. The storm had worsened and soon visibility began to plummet. Yet, before any of their vision had become too obscure, the far off unmistakable silhouettes of enemy armor came into view.
"Ah! There they are!" Pomorie reported. "At our twelve o'clock, I see a few of them!
"Acknowledged," Maho reacted plainly. "All tanks aim at the twelve o'clock heading. Hold your fire. They need to get closer."
At a distance away Maginot along with a portion of BC Freedom came to a stop. A girl popped out of her Somua S35 and looked at BC Freedom. She shook her head.
"Where's the rest of you?" Eclair, commander of Maginot, demanded.
Marie, in her FT-17 merely shrugged. "Some members of our team must've gotten lost due to the weather. No matter. They shall join us in due time."
In another Somua S35, its commander revealed herself. "Yeah right!," yelled Fondue. "You want us to do all the heavy lifting. You want our less armored tanks to suffer the slaughter while you leisurely eliminate the enemy, and thus, securing the honor of victory!"
Marie was offended over such an accusation. "That is not true at all. Some of us got lost, but we still have enough tanks to execute an effective assault. In fact, if we time it right, when we attack, our remaining forces can arrive and flank them."
Fondue wasn't hearing a word of it. In her mind, she already had a truth to believe and stick to religiously. "And with us as meat-shields, hmm? I knew this partnership smelled rotten from the start."
Eclair, listening to her faithful right-hand girl, nodded in approval. "The lack of respect for us is repugnant. More likely than now, you have ordered those 'lost' tanks to actually halt their advance and wait."
"This is all a huge misunderstanding-" Marie began but was cut off by one of her vice captains.
"This is slander!" yelled Oshida. "You girls can still apologize by assisting in our attack and proving your worth."
"We don't have to prove a damn thing," Eclair retorted. "Further participation would validate your deceit and lies."
"What are you saying? You are not going to attack?"
Eclair crossed her arms. "Nope."
The rest of Maginot showed solidarity with their commander.
"Cowards," Andou said, another one of BC Freedom's vice captains. "Each and every one of you! Don't you want to win?"
"Not at the expense of our dignity."
Oshida let out an exasperated sigh. "You girls are frustratingly dense! You are mad at us for no good reason!"
Eclair turned her back to them and remained silent.
"Oh how mature," Andou remarked with a sigh, then pointed to the hilltop. "The enemy is up there! Not down here!" She glanced at the hill and did a double take. It was empty. "Hey...where'd they go?"
The snowstorm had descended upon the battlefield and it was the pure definition of fierce. The forces of Yogurt, Kuromorimine, and the Croatian gang had lost sight of BC Freedom and Maginot from their elevated position as a result of the storm and decided to change the plan. They drove at speed down the hill and charged toward them.
Visibility was worse than poor. Tanks could only see about 50 meters in front of them. Beyond that was just a flurry of snow and cold. The three-school team moved quick, doing away with caution as they wanted the French schools in their sight as soon as possible. In her Vickers, Pomorie stared forward ahead through her gunsight looking for anything to shoot at.
"I just see white," Pomorie remarked. "It hurts my eye a little."
"Like staring at a blank canvass." uttered Varna.
Then, explosions peppered their surroundings. Columns of snow were thrown into the air and showered upon friendly tanks. The French schools have quickly figured out what has occurred and were shooting blind in the storm in the hope that their shells will be blessed with fortune and score a hit.
"This is where the randomness of the sport kicks in, " Maho remarked over the radio. "Anyone that gets hit is just plain unlucky. Let them waste their ammo. Do not deviate from your course. Could inadvertently drive into an incoming shell. We need to get a clear visual on them to return fire."
Pomoire thought about what was just sight and pondered. There must be some way to fight back sooner. Next to her tank was Dalmatia in her LT-35. She too was wondering the same thought.
"Pomorie," Dalmatia said over the radio. "I think I see these...flashes."
"Flashes?" Pomoire repeated. "What do you mean?"
"The flash of the enemy's guns," Dalmatia explained. "This storm is thick, but I can just barely make them out."
Pomoire scrutinized the obscured terrain ahead. With careful tuning of her binoculars, she too saw the flashes Dalmatia has spoken of.
"Yeah...yeah! I see them!" Pomoire exclaimed. She got on the radio. "Maho, me and Dalmatia have spotted the enemy's gun flashes. We can return effective fire by aiming right below those flashes."
Maho sported a small smile. "Very good."
The elder Nishizumi ordered all tanks to a halt and to take aim right under the gun flashes. As Pomorie reared the 37mm of the Vickers, she wondered if Maho already knew of the flashes and just wanted someone either from her school or from the Croatian gang to catch on as well as some sort of test. She didn't wonder for long as she had work to do. At Maho's command, the team unleashed a salvo of cannon fire and unlike the French schools, their shells have found their marks. They still couldn't see them, but could see that the flashes were less numerous than before.
"Now that is some effective fire" Maho declared
The three-school team managed to fire another salvo before the flashes ceased complete, but whether or not they had completely wiped them out was yet to be confirmed. They drove for another few minutes when they then came across the wrecked vehicles of the French. An ARL-44, Hotchkiss H35, B1 Bis, among others. But Maho could tell that they haven't beaten them all. Tread marks in the snow revealed that the survivors have made a hasty escape.
"Pomoire, you take your school and the Croats north, following these tracks. I'll lead the rest of the tanks east in case the enemy has split off from the remnants."
"Got it, we're off!" Pomorie exclaimed.
The three-school team split into two platoons and headed into their respective directions. Pomorie's Vickers formed the tip of their echelon as they hunted down the remnants of the enemy's forces. The tracks in the snow proved to be a wonderful guide, and good luck continued to bless them as the storm, as quickly as it arrived, was now starting its departure. The blue sky was seen again as the clouds moved on and the winds calmed. With their visibility back, Pomorie and the rest of the friendly forces spotted the enemy who were heading right for a forest in a bid to hide.
"We got eyes on them!" Pomorie cheered. "Let's go right at them!"
Her Vickers, along with the rest of the friendly tanks, opened fire on the move. Their accuracy was poor but that didn't matter. Their presence was known and the enemy turned about face to meet them. What ensured was a fierce firefight that only got more intense as the two sides drew near. Amid the cacophony of cannon fire, Pomorie spotted Marie's FT-17
"BC Freedom's captain," she said to herself. "Knocking her tank out would be something nice to brag about."
The Vickers made a beeline for the FT-17. Marie noticed this advance on them almost immediately and countered by firing a shot at them scarcely missed and exploded right next to them. Though visibility was better, the stress of close combat, and the fact that incessant cannon fire erupted around them, made both Pomorie and Marie to miss with their guns. Pomorie no longer complained about the bitter cold as she was now sweating. The two light tanks were dancing with each other as they looked for an opportunity to land the finishing blow. That opportunity would come moments later. A Renault R35 from Maginot suffered a hit and was knocked out, but as it was driving, its momentum carried them forward several meters right into the path of Marie's FT-17. A loud metallic bang was heard and the FT-17 was now still, the crew within dazed. They were vulnerable and Pomorie was happy to exploit that. With glee, she trained her gun onto the FT-17 and brought an end to them. With that shot, the area fell into silence. She popped out of her hatch and took stock of the situation. Some members of Yogurt and the Croatian gang had been hit but they fared much better than the enemy. News then came over the radio that Kuromorimine had located the forces of BC Freedom that had gotten lost before the shooting started a few minutes and, unsurprisingly, wiped them out without suffering a loss. What Pomorie had done was deal the final blow to the French. Another victory secured and that was enough to keep her nice and warm.
After the match had ended, the students all agreed to meet up on the Zuikaku as Marie did promise cake after this match. The students were all curious about what was happening as cups of warm tea to soothe them. Some of the students were still freezing from the match but, it wasn't going to dampen their spirits. The students were more than eager to express their victory over the match.
"Yeah no kidding, we were all cold as even though we all tried to prepare in the best way we could. We're going to have to pay more attention to the weather when we plan matches as we were fortunate enough for this storm to pass by us quickly." Erika told them as Pomorie looked at her as she laughed a bit but Erika was right. Some days were going to be considered perfect for matches while others were going to be nothing but snow.
"I'm afraid we brought the wrath of the Bering strait with us when we helped Saunders earlier this year." Olivia gave her reply as Erika decided to ignore her. Maho looked at the Sophomore.
"Well I'm impressed that you managed to knock out two ARL-44's with your Tiger 1." Maho soon patted her head as Pomorie looked around. There were presents everywhere in the room but for who. Olivia turned her head back to her commander as responded with something simple.
"Thank you." Olivia replied. Marie soon came in with the cake as Maho turned to her again.
"Marie's here and I think my younger sister will be as well, I think you should go get yourself prepared." Maho whispered as she remembered what she was going to put on to make her proud. Olivia nodded as Erika got the same message. They soon both went off together. The next few seconds ticked by as they were waiting on her to come. Soon the door opened as Anglerfish team students were surprised.
"You guys didn't!" Miho smiled with excitement as everyone had gathered to throw a party for her. Pomorie was a little confused about this.
"I know we're all excited but what's this all about?" Pomorie asked Maho as she didn't know what was going on. Maho turned to her as she knew Pomorie and her friends were still new and didn't know about the other schools too well.
"My little sister Miho just turned 16 today. I wanted to make it up to her seeing last year wasn't anything spectacular since mother didn't throw anything good. I wanted to make it up to her." Maho gave her reply as she was excited. Marie looked at Miho as she wanted to explain what the cake was.
"This is a special vegan cake since I know one of Kuromorimine's students has health problems. And I hope it's just as good." Marie told her what it was but soon Olivia made her reappearance in the mascot clothing Maho told her to put on. Miho looked over as her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Boko!" Miho raced over to give Boko a hug. The battered teddy was her favorite thing growing up and he had shown up to this party to make her excited. Olivia, who was wearing it, felt Miho hug her as she patted Miho on the head. Miho wasn't going to release her teddy anytime soon. Soon Erika entered the room in a cat as Miho looked over. "Uh oh one of Boko's rivals. You could do it." Miho called out as she released Boko from her grip. Olivia turned to Erika as Erika swung first. Olivia ducked before kicking Erika down. Erika stumbled before she swung at her again. Olivia got clocked on the cheek but she didn't flinch as the Boko she was wearing acted like a shock absorber. Olivia swung at Erika multiple times clocking her on the head before she stumbled back and fell over. Erika got up a moment afterward as they both bowed down after giving their performance. They left as everyone was clapping with excitement as the door opened up as someone came to visit.
"I thought I was going to get grounded by this snow storm but I'm more than glad to be able to make it." She soon looked at Miho and Maho as Miho looked at her.
"Shiho you made it!" Miho went over to give her mother a hug. Shiho laughed as she felt Miho's arms around her.
"How are my daughters doing?" Shiho asked as Maho looked at her mother too.
"We're a little cold from today's match but we're fine." Maho gave her reply. Olivia and Erika finished taking off their Boko related clothes as Shiho sat down.
"I'm glad to hear that. Also if you want to begin opening your presents Miho, I will allow you to." Shiho gave her the right away as Miho excitedly tore into the present that Shiho had gifted her. Inside was a large Boko related plush which Miho hugged intensely.
"This is the newest model of their line-up. Thanks Shiho." Miho squealed with excitement. Olivia sat down next to Shiho as Miho continued ripping into her presents.
"How are you doing, miss Kaya?" Shiho asked. Olivia looked at her friend's mother as she began the response.
"I'm a little cold from today other than that I'm fine." Olivia gave her response. She soon took a sip of her tea. As Shiho continued the conversation.
"I heard you guys went to see an Opera over the weekend, how did that go?" Shiho asked her as they were lighting up the candles.
"Yeah it was interesting, Maho learned a few things in German and my father Frederick took us out afterward. He gave me some nut pastries since those are the only ones I can have without feeling sick. Other than that we had a good time out." Olivia told Shiho as Shiho smiled at her response.
"I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourselves and having my eldest daughter speak another language? I think this will be important since I plan on sending her to university abroad." Shiho told Olivia as she got excited.
"Where?" Olivia asked excitedly. Shiho looked at her as she wasn't sure where Maho would get accepted to.
"That I don't know for sure but I think if you were going to get sent abroad, your family will be thinking of the country that you didn't get to grow up in." Shiho gave her response as Olivia was born and spent the first few years with her parents before moving to Japan.
"Yeah, father would be pleased if he could return there for a few days." Olivia gave her response as Miho blew out the candles. Everyone clapped as Shiho decided to assist with cutting the cake. Miho was given the first piece before everyone was given their own.
"Hey I never had vegan cake like this, this is actually very good." Pomorie told them as Varna just remembered something.
"Oh yeah remember back when I said my half-sister was 13? I was wrong. She's turning 13 tomorrow but I sent her a present out early because of the snow storm that was coming today. Other than that, I cannot visit her due to the snow. I will mostly facetime her to see how she's doing." Varna told Pomorie and Rila.
"Well at least you get to spend time with your family." Pomorie told Varna as Varna smiled.
"I know but I wonder if the winter snow will drown out many more things." Varna was getting worried about the winter that was approaching. She would be right, the snow was going to ruin everything.
[A/N]: Apologies for taking so long with this, was just waiting for my friend to complete the battle part of the chapter while everyone was freezing. Other than that we should have another chapter down.
Was originally going to have this released on the 23rd but we got bogged down so we pushed it back a few days, hopefully chapter 10 will come out very soon. That is all. Goodbye.