Later that day…
With officials from the Japan Sensha-Do Federation on their way, and the battle in Aomori Harbor being chalked up as 'A possible power struggle between the Pravda Leadership and a rumored popular uprising', the girls of Ooarai hoped that all would be well. Upon their return, Saori was tackled by the Rabbits, save of course for Aya. As they had to stay behind to dampen any backlash, the Student Council graciously thanked Mika, Kay, Maho and Darjeeling, with Momo nearly having another breakdown. The Ducks stepped on deck wearing Saunders tanker jackets, followed by four Saunders students wearing their volleyball jerseys, the result of an apparent trade. The Anteaters came up with some new friends, and left with a few new games, all six rather excited at both accomplishments.
The commanders and a few of their friends decided to pay a visit to the Leclerc Tank Cafe, a trip Maho hoped went better than the last one. The group even hosted a small eating contest between Kay and Hana, much to the nearby patrons' enjoyment...and the staff's ire. It had been close, with the two matching each other plate for plate, but Kay began to lose steam after her tenth slice of cheesecake. She finally gave up about halfway through the fourteenth, with Hana finishing hers victorious.
As the excitement continued at other parts of the rather large table, Erika, seated across from Miho, got her attention by tapping her plate with a spoon.
"Miho...I think this goes without saying, but I still need to say it."
Unbeknownst to the two, Erika saying this got Maho's attention. She decided it best not to interfere, and instead to eavesdrop on the conversation while pretending to listen to a story Darjeeling was telling.
"I was wrong about Ooarai. About it's Sensha-Do team, and about you."
Miho blinks a few times, surprised at the Kuromorimine girl's words, as she continues.
"During the ride here from the Zeppelin, I was thinking about the last year. Before the operation, I had a conversation with Maho...It wasn't a pleasant one. Suffice to say, I was skeptical about Ooarai's involvement in this whole situation. Then, I looked back on everything you and your friends have done for your school. It made plenty of...conversations we've had seem rather ridiculous to say the least. It made my conclusions about you more childish than I claimed you were, as Maho put it." She gestures to the older Nishizumi, who pretends not to notice. "I was wrong about you, Miho." Erika lifts her bandaged arm and rests it on the table. "And now...I'll have a nice reminder of that for the rest of my life."
"I didn't mean to get you hur-" Miho begins to apologize, but Itsumi cuts her off.
"No no. Don't. Don't do that. I deserve it. I...I was a bitch. I was a mean, arrogant bitch. And I'm sorry."
Miho gazes into Erika's silver-blue eyes for a time, remembering all of the awful things she had said to her friends in this very cafe not too long ago. Constantly insulting, berating and looking down on her since day one on the Kuromorimine team. After a match against each other, Erika had even slapped Miho after she admitted to letting her win, calling her very presence an insult to the sport of Sensha-Do. Now, she was learning that Erika initially did not believe Ooarai's innocence during this conspiracy with Pravda.
Erika was right, she was an awful person for no good reason, and she very much deserves the injury she received. If anything, she deserved a worse one. Miho certainly hoped it would remind her of how mean she was.
Miho also knew she was not good at being angry, or at holding grudges, but she didn't feel like Itsumi deserved forgiveness. Not yet, at least.
"Erika…" Miho begins. "You've said and done some very mean things to me and my friends. With me, your bullying goes back to before Kuromorimine." Erika closes her eyes and dips her head regretfully. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for all of that, but I will try." Miho concludes. "But I do accept your apology."
Erika looks up and smiles, hesitating for a moment, before shrugging and using her injured arm to offer a handshake. Miho smiles back and accepts it. Upon letting go and sitting back, Erika is surprised by Maho quietly patting her back. Had she heard the whole thing?
Not long after reconciling, the group parted ways. The Automotive Club finished repairs to Erika's helicopter with the materials they had, fixing the damaged engine and replacing some of the windows. They didn't have any fabric on hand, so Kuromorimine would have to handle the rest. Giving thanks, Maho and Erika climbed in and took off, making way back to the Zeppelin high above.
"Don't tell me you only said all of that because I was there." Maho says, making her companion jump.
"What?"
"You know what."
"No! Of course not! I-I meant every word."
"And it only took half a year and a suicide mission, huh?"
Erika looks down. "You've always said I was thick headed…"
"As much as they come."
"Well...I meant it. You were right, I was wrong. Happy?"
"Yes I am. It means alot to me that you said all that. I know it meant alot to her, too"
"Better late than never, right?"
"Better sooner, or not necessary in the first place, but yes. Thank you, Erika."
The Kuromorimine vice looked out one of the intact windows at her side, watching the Ooarai carrier fade into the distance with an unfamiliar feeling in her chest. It was as if a slate had been wiped clean. As if something hugely important had just been accomplished. It felt good. Flexing her hand, she looked forward again as Maho prepared to dock with the Zeppelin, a smile forming on her lips.
Kay opted for her submarine to stay in the neighborhood until at least the following day, when a supply ship was scheduled to arrive, to restock and allow the crew to spend some time on the surface. Sasebo was an Ohio class nuclear powered sub, so they didn't need fuel, but it was tough to stay at sea for too long with nearly two hundred girls from Saunders on board, especially when one of them is Kay. She was almost always eating something, no matter what was going on or what she was doing, and many on the crew operated similarly.
Darjeeling would bunk with her, since they had, as Kay had put it, "Some catching up to do.", much to the former's embarrassment.
Mika, Aki and Mikko left in the small boat they had arrived in, the latter two wishing they could stay longer. Aki in particular had taken a liking to Ooarai, and considered Miho's team her comrades, especially since a few of them had been present on the mission. She had personally spoken to the Rabbits, particularly Aya, about how well they had done, saying that they could almost pass for Jatkosota material. That definitely raised Aya's spirits, and all of the Rabbits, save for Saki of course, gratefully thanked Aki for speaking to them, and for her team's help.
That only left Anglerfish wandering the street deciding where to go next. They juggled the idea of visiting either Yukari, Erwin, or the Pravda girls they had rescued.
"Klara was brought to the Student Council." Saori had said, moving herself in preparation to sidestep a girl with her nose buried in the Ooarai newspaper. "That just leaves Erwin and Yukarin." Unbeknownst to the girls, the anonymous girl in front of them was listening, and poked her eyes up over the page. Upon immediately recognizing Miho, she lowered the paper further.
"Attack on Aomori Harbor, eh?" She asks loudly, getting the girls' attention. "What could've been going on there?"
"Excuse me?" Hana asks, understandably confused.
"Almost like what happened on the Eighth of March…"
The pieces suddenly click in Miho's head. "You're the Pravda contact." She says.
"That I am." The girl folds up the newspaper and tucks it under her arm. "I see all of you made it out." She says, gesturing to the Ooarai girls to continue walking. "How'd it go?"
"Well, Yukari and Erwin managed to pull out Ishida and another girl...Utsumi?"
The girl nods. "Good. Good."
"They were attacked by Nonna." Saori continues. "But Klara helped them get out."
"Really? They survived 'The Blizzard'...and took her lapdog with them?" Suto shakes her head. "Those two are the real deal. You don't want to know how many of our people have been pinched by her. At least now, it'll all be over soon." She stops at a bus stop, turning to face the girls. "Nishizumi…" Suto extends her hand to the Ooarai commander. "On behalf of the Frost Conglomerate, I sincerely thank you for you and your comrades' hard work. Thanks to all of you, some very bad people can be served the proper justice, and some very good people have been given some peace of mind."
"What about you?"
"Me? It's time for me to go home. By the time I get there, the shipping lanes will be wide open. If not...I hear someone around these parts has a submarine. That could come in handy. I'm sure you girls and the Federation can handle things from here."
Suto leans out into the street and waves to the slowly approaching bus.
"Here's to no more revolutions at Pravda." Mako says tiredly.
"I doubt there will be one any time soon. But if there is, now we know who to call."
"But, what if it's against you?" Hana asks.
"Should that come to pass...I wish you the very best of luck...You'll need it." She says with a wink. The bus pulls up to the stop and Suto steps aboard, turning around and giving Anglerfish a sharp salute.
"Do svidaniya, Nishizumi Miho. Until we meet again." The doors close and the bus pulls away, leaving behind puffs of diesel exhaust as it vanishes around a corner.
"Well...now where do we go?" Mako asks.
"Looks like the decision has been made for us." Saori answers, peering at her phone. "Yukari says she's at Erwin's house. Miss Chono is there, too."
"Tell her we're on our way." Miho says with a smile.
Reki-jo Residence
Ten minutes later...
In the time it took Miho and her friends to arrive at the house shared between Erwin, Oryou, Saemonza and Caesar, Yukari and Riko had done their best to explain what they had done on board the Kiev To Captain Ami Chono. What Nonna had been doing for who knows how long, what Ishida and Utsumi had been through, or at least what they had said, and the complexity of the operation and everyone involved. They had told her everything, with Captain Chono jotting down their words in a notebook. Yukari was nearly finished covering Starfish Team's escape when Miho arrived. Once she was, Ami nodded and looked at Miho for a moment. Oryou eyed the girls as well, before standing from the table and heading in the direction of the kitchen.
"It's good that we have the 'Conglomerate' as a scapegoat, and that they seem to be willing to play along. Any other points worth noting?"
"One of the girls from Pufferfish. Aya, one of the Rabbits?" Saori says. "She was hit by a machine gun during the escape. Saunders took care of her, and she's okay now." Ami nods, writing Saori's words down.
"Miho, I understand that you acted as you saw fit, and that your mission was successful." Chono begins. "But I have to say that this is the single dumbest thing I have ever heard of a school doing. Do you have any idea how many of your friends could have been killed last night?"
"Yes, ma'am. I do." Miho answers. "Everyone was told exactly what the stakes were, and how dangerous or potentially deadly this operation would be. No one backed out, no one refused. Hell, if anything, just about everyone volunteered. We wanted to defend ourselves from what Pravda was doing. Accusing us of murder."
"We were dealt this hand, and we played it the best we could." Hana adds. Ami nods. Despite her own opinion, the girls' reasoning was understandable. Satisfied, she continues.
"So other than testimony, did you get any physical evidence of...anything at all?"
"Plenty, Miss Chono." Erwin says, sliding a large envelope towards her. "Earlier, I mentioned a Pravda contact. This is what she gave me. What started this whole thing." Ami opens the envelope and looks through the papers inside. "You'll find a prototype blueprint for a T 34/85 in there. The very same one that we destroyed in the match." Ami finds the print a moment later and looks over every detail. In that time, Oryou returned with a kettle of tea and more cups, which Miho, Hana, Saori and Mako accepted, each of them finding a spot to sit, or in Mako's case, lay down.
"Hmm." She hums with a nod. "I see now why you went to such lengths. That explains the SABOT fiasco, too. I'll find out who in my office leaked that, if any did at all. Hard to figure how Pravda could've done that on their own." Ami looks up at the girls around her. "Unless you're speaking to me, and me directly...from this point on, last night didn't happen. Anyone outside of your team asks, all of you were here for the entire night. Feign ignorance to everything, or say things that are already in the news, or else all of this will have been for nothing." The girls nod. "I'm sure that goes without saying, anyway. Just make sure to tell everyone else. In person." Ami adds pointing to Saori, who was picking up her phone. "No paper trails of any kind." Takebe sheepishly puts her cellphone away. "My office will do everything it can to deflect any backlash that may fall upon you, but since everyone believes this 'revolution' story already, I doubt you'll hear anything." Ami tucks her notebook away and places the papers back inside the envelope. "I'll bring in some people to have a look inside your munition storage, something that should have been done before that report came out." She murmurs. "Other than that, it would appear that this is where your job ends and mine begins." Ami stands, causing Miho to do the same. "While my previous statement about your mission still stands, it is still a very brave thing all of you did. You went above and beyond to find justice, and now it can be served. I'll get all of this to the Federation. In the meantime, no more infiltrations of this magnitude, and for goodness sake, take a break. You all deserve one after what Ooarai has been through."
Following Ami Chono's departure and continued conversation between the Ooarai girls, Miho and her crewmates bid farewells to the Reki-jo club. The group splinters once again, with Hana, Mako and Saori going to visit the Pravda girls, Ishida and Utsumi, and Yukari accompanying Miho back to her dorm room. She wears a beanie to cover the bandage around her head, and stuffs her hands into her pockets to hide the ones there.
"How am I going to explain this?" Yukari asks, looking down at herself as the pair walk. Her parents didn't know about any of her previous scouting missions, and they likely would not be pleased with Miho if they learned she had nearly sent their daughter to her death.
"I'm sure we'll come up with something." Miho says hopefully.
Meanwhile…
USS Sasebo
As one of the few girls still on duty, Alisa lounges in her seat at the radar station on the Bridge. Thanks to the earlier sighting of unknown aircraft, she had leaned to the side of caution since Kay had stated the possibility of a Pravda retaliation. The Conglomerate was still sowing chaos back at Kiev, but with such a massive arsenal, anything was possible.
Aside from the beeping and clicking of the various machines and computers around her, and muted idle conversations elsewhere on the ship, Alisa found herself in a peaceful silence as she munched through her sandwich. On the other side of the Bridge, Naomi's co pilot Rosa was quietly keeping the sub nearby Zuikaku, albeit at a depth of twenty meters. Thanks to the Federation officials on board, and the one poking around in Sasebo, which was apparently them 'Just being thorough', the Ooarai carrier was slowly steaming in a lazy circle about 30 kilometers off the coast. Naomi herself, as the boat's XO, was given the wondrous task of following the Federation official Sasagawa Kanon around during her inspection. Ooarai was moving anticlockwise, while Saunders was sailing clockwise, a few kilometers north, a defensive strategy plotted by Kay. If Pravda did try something, which still seemed unlikely, Sasebo would be the first to know.
For good measure, Alisa leaned forward and sent out a pair of sonar pings, sitting back again to watch her screen. All that came up on sonar was the outline of Zuikaku, as she had expected. She switches back to the radar screen, which is blank as well. Satisfied, Alisa stuffed the last of her sandwich into her mouth and leaned back in her chair. Listening to the beeps and whirrs of the nearby computers and the dull droning of the engines, Alisa begins to doze off until she's awakened again by Naomi, with Kanon in tow.
"Where's Kay?" Naomi asks. Alisa looks around at the mostly empty Bridge for a moment.
"Process of elimination." Alisa answers sarcastically. "She's not here, she's not in the Galley. There's only one place left. Why?"
"An issue with the inspection. It would seem too much of our crew is away on liberty."
Alisa blinks at her friend for a moment, then shrugs. "Kay said she didn't want to be disturbed, but if you really need her to fix what any of us could with a phone call, you know where she is."
Naomi shakes her head and heads for the Officer's Quarters.
"Make sure you knock!" Alisa warns. "She may be having a 'conversation' with Darjeeling."
Chuckling under her breath, Naomi leads Sasagawa to the Officer's Quarters and loudly knocks on Kay's door.
"Kay? Commander, open up. Your presence is requested by the Federation."
"Oh, Jesus." Kay mutters from behind the door. "What now?"
"A personnel issue." Kanon answers. "Your ship is currently understaffed."
"Do you really need me to remedy that? What the hell do I have an XO for?" Naomi glances at the Official at her side, who presses on undeterred.
"Liberty for the crew was your decision, Commander." Sasagawa explains seriously. "So yes, it involves you. Regardless of your request to not be disturbed."
"Ugh...alright. Fine. Just a minute."
Some rummaging can be heard, among some muffled grumblings about the Federation, to Darjeeling's amusement, before Kay finally emerges. Her blouse is untucked as usual and not fully buttoned, the tie is simply draped around her neck and her hair is rather disheveled. She tugs on her officer cap, shooting a glare in Kanon's direction, before following Naomi back to the Bridge.
"You did this on purpose." Kay says over her shoulder.
"Once I learned you had a guest in your cabin, yes." Kanon says. "Fraternization of any kind is-" She's cut off by Kay spinning around on her heel and pointing her finger within an inch of the Federation Official's bespectacled face, forcing her to step back and into a wall.
"Hey, sorority girl. This boat belongs to Saunders, and by contrast, to me. It's not affiliated with Sensha-Do, ergo, not under your jurisdiction. I let you on board as a show of cooperation to the investigation, but there's nothing stopping me from throwing you overboard right now."
Obviously shaken by Kay's sudden hostility, Kanon looks down her nose at the commander's finger, then back up at her.
"I'll bring some essential people back on board, but you'd best be on the way out when they get here." Not waiting for a reply, Kay continues down the corridor, catching up with Naomi when they reach the Bridge.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Her XO mumbles cheekily. "Or should I say, 'On the wrong side of the girlfriend.'?"
"First time I've seen her in two months." Kay growls back. "Get yourself interrupted by some trivial horseshit in the middle of that, then get back to me." She steps towards the radio and hails Zuikaku.
"Marina, Marina. This is Shark. Anyone got their ears on?" Noting her friend's annoyed tone, Alisa leans back in her seat and eyes Kanon.
"Now you've done it." She says with a smirk. The official simply rolls her eyes.
"You've got Marina." Anzu responds. "Go ahead, Kay."
"Hey, Annie! Can you do me a massive favor and send out a recall for…" Naomi hands Kay a sheet of paper which shows the areas that are understaffed. "Damage Control Team Able, Engine Room Second Shift, and Engineering Team Baker? I told the girls on liberty to stay at the Cafe. Have them muster at the transport dock please?"
"Damage Control Able, Engine Room Second shift, and Engineering Baker." Kadotani repeats. "You got it. What's the trouble?"
"The esteemed Federation Official inspecting my boat says I'm understaffed. She wants those girls to come back." Kay explains.
"That sounds like fun." Anzu comments.
"Oh, yeah. It's just...fucking spectacular." She eyes the older girl behind her for a moment. "She didn't even say 'Please'."
"Does the Federation even have a say in that?"
"Not at all, but I'm playing along."
"Haha! Roger that. See you in a few. Marina out."
Kay hangs up the radio and turns around to face Kanon.
"Happy?"
The Federation Official nods. "Simply ecstatic."
"Wonderful, now if you'll excuse me." Kay shoulders past Sasagawa, making her way back to the Officer's Quarters. Wisely, Kanon makes no attempt to stop her, instead opting to ascend the conning tower, with Naomi in tow, as Rosa begins the climb to the surface. The XO mouths, "Wow." at Alisa, who grins and glances in the direction Kay went. The sub pilot lets out a giggle and continues the ascent.
Meanwhile...
Ooarai Sensha-Do Garage
Satoko Nakajima, commander of Leopon Team and member of the Automotive Club, guided Federation Official Remi Takashima through the tank garage. She had quickly taken a liking to Takashima, as she seemed to carry herself with a more relaxed manner, unlike her colleagues. She was also quite apologetic about how much the Federation had seemingly dropped the ball with this part of the investigation.
"What's important is that it's happening." Nakajima remarked as the pair stepped towards Anglerfish's Panzer IV. The legendary tank still had yet to be repaired, as the Automotive Club had held their promise to not touch the vehicles until after the investigation was finished. The Schurzen armor plates on the turret needed replacing, some scratches needed to be buffed out and a gear change stickiness that Mako had mentioned some time ago still hadn't been addressed.
"Well, still...it should've happened before that announcement on the news." Remi said, climbing aboard the tank and tugging open the commander's hatch. As she dropped down inside, Satoko opted to stay on top, merely watching what the official was doing.
Briefly sitting down in the commander's seat, quietly noting how odd it was to see this particular tank without it's crew, Remi shines her flashlight around the interior. It appears to be exactly how the crew had left it, with half finished water bottles, wrappers for towelettes, used hand warmers and assorted snack wrappers on the floor and resting on various ledges. Momentarily, her mind pictures where everyone would be and what they would be doing. To the right, the loader Akiyama Yukari would be holding a 75mm shell, waiting for the gunner, Isuzu Hana, who would be on the left, to fire. Remi thought back to that fateful day just last week, what must have been going through Isuzu's mind when she realized what she had just done. Involuntarily setting in motion a course of events that would likely make Sensha-Do history with just the squeeze of a trigger. Glancing down at the floor under Nishizumi's seat, Remi notices several boot print stains and droplet spots on the metal, a mixture of brown and dark red. Remi recoils slightly when she realizes that these stains are on the seat cushion under her as well. Miho had been the one to climb inside the stricken Pravda tank, and had ended up completely soiled by the time she came out.
Pulling herself back to reality, Takashima shifts herself to the loader's position, looking over the rack of 75mm rounds that had been left behind, each one showing a thin layer of dust. While looking around, she can see several grubby handprints around the station. On the wall, the storage rack, and on the side of the gun. While some appear to just be soot and grime from the gun itself, others are similar to the spots on the floor. Remi shakes off a shudder and presses on, looking over each round in the rack beside the loader position, as well as the ones behind the driver and radio operator's seats. Takebe Saori had left behind a jerry rigged phone charger, and Reizei Mako abandoned a book with a title Remi couldn't make out. The tank looked like an abandoned town, where the residents had just up and left, leaving everything behind.
For some reason, Remi found the inside of the tank almost haunting. Something horrible had happened here. Something that would forever taint the image of Sensha-Do. Something that would forever change the way this crew saw their beloved tank. Something that made Takashima want to get out as quickly as possible, which is exactly what she did, albeit in a calm and orderly manner.
"Everything seems fine in here." She says, pulling herself out of the hatch.
Satoko brought her guest to the other tanks involved in the chase, Hippo Team's StuG III and Duck Team's Type 89. The insides of the vehicles looked more of the same, but Remi couldn't shake her uneasy feeling. It was fading to the background, but it was still there.
One thing she did find interesting inside the Type 89 was a lone volleyball tucked between the shell storage racks, and a portable net alongside it. Then again, Duck Team was made up of members of the Ooarai Volleyball Team. Inside the StuG, there could be found various items from what looked like different times in history. Hanging from the commander's periscope was an Iron Cross, the loaders chair was wrapped in a Roman Era-looking robe of some kind, The driver had a simple Yin-Yang on a cloth hung from the ignition switch, and the gunner had, of all things, a quiver of arrows hanging from her seat back. If Remi recalled, Hippo Team were all Reki-jo, so their decorations of choice made sense.
Other than the homey touches, the tanks were all in order. Next should be ammunition storage, but Takashima's superiors had told her to be thorough, which meant inspecting every tank in the garage.
"It's not like they're going anywhere." Satoko had said with a shrug.
First in the row was Rabbit Team's M3 Lee. The inside was by far the coziest looking, with large cushions on all the seats and padded hand grips for the driver. The interesting note was an improvised ammunition rack for the 75mm, which Nakajima credited to the Ooarai Blue Collar Club for fabricating. Upon questioning, she explained that the Blue Collar Club was a small and well organized group of girls who worked in blue collar trades, such as carpenters, electricians, ironworkers, welders, plumbers and diesel mechanics. They ran the construction projects onboard the carrier and had some overlap with the Naval Studies and Engineering departments, as well as the Automotive Club. Remi considered paying the club a visit before she left, before moving on.
Next was Anteater Team's Type 3 Chi-Nu. The interior was fairly run of the mill, with the only items of note being several empty energy drink cans scattered around.
As expected, Leopon's Porsche Tiger had two fairly large tool boxes inside, one of which was filled with assorted engine parts in preparation for the expected and repeated breakdowns.
Out of all the tanks in the garage, the one that was in the most perfect order was Mallard Team's Char B1 bis. As the girls in the crew were from the Public Morals Committee, Remi expected nothing less.
"Alright, now the ammunition storage." Takashima announced, climbing out of Turtle's Jagdpanzer 38. "So, what's the plan once all of this is over?"
"Fixing the tanks, of course." Nakajima answers. "That is, if we're allowed too."
"Once I leave, you can do whatever you want with them, so long as I don't find anything...that I don't want to find."
"You won't. I'm sure of that." Satoko says confidently, tapping out the pin code for the ammunition storage room.
"I wish my colleagues shared your optimism. Ooarai has the Federation's sympathies, but this whole 'unbiased' thing has become the exact opposite. I mean...we haven't even touched the T 34 yet, between you and me. Granted, Chono is suspecting Katyusha of stonewalling."
"Seriously?" The Leopon commander asks, pulling open the large steel door. "And Pravda got to parade around in their tanks, while we got stuck holding the bag?"
"The only slap on the wrist they got was not being allowed to leave port." Remi says, shaking her head and idly picking up a 7.5cm shell. "Now that I think of it, Pravda were likely the ones to release that bogus SABOT claim. Nobody I know of made such a finding, and Hibiki and I are the ones who usually do the inspecting. She, Kanon and I will all be going to Pravda once things settle down up there."
"Not bringing Miss Chono along?"
"I certainly hope not." Remi answers, shaking her head and walking further into the ammo room. "I don't know how to explain it, but...we just don't like her all that much. She's very...I want to say impulsive."
"She did crush our Headmaster's car with her Type 10 when she showed up." Satoko mentions, causing Takashima to stop in her tracks. "Oh yeah." The Automotive girl says at her look of questioning. Remi drops her head for a moment. "Maybe 'loose cannon' fits her better."
"And everyone still asks, 'Why? She's so nice!'." Remi remarks. "If I had 100 yen for every time someone said that...I wouldn't have to do this anymore." She looks over a crate of 7.92 machine gun ammunition, lifting the lid for a moment, before moving on.
"What about your other judges? Kanon and Hibiki?"
"Hibiki and I are best friends, but Kanon is kind of a hardass. Your friends from Saunders are dealing with her right now, I believe."
"Why? It's not like their sub doubles as a tank."
"Well, she harbors a bit of a grudge against the Saunders commanders for whatever reason. So any time they're around, she likes to walk around their camp setup or wherever they are and nitpick all the little shit. Which is probably what she's doing right now. Just to annoy Kay, mostly. But I still like her more than Ami." A grin escapes the official as she continues, picking up a 75mm shell for the Chi-Nu. "She-Jesus! Those scrawny Anteater girls toss these to each other?" She sets the 15 pound shell back down, brushing off her hands. "Anyway, Kanon does do a perfect imitation of the Captain. Take off her glasses and fix her hair. She's a carbon copy. Even her voice, with the '120%' quote of hers."
Concluding the walkthrough, Remi steps back out into the garage with Satoko in tow.
"Alright, well...no discrepancies with ammo, as I expected." She scribbles some notes on her clipboard. "My official report...Mallard has by far the cleanest setup, inside and out. Anteater...keep up the strength training, but do a bit of cleaning up inside, which goes double for Turtle. How many dried sweet potatoes can one girl eat?"
Satoko giggles as Remi continues writing. "Duck...keep up the volleyball. Quite the fan, myself. Leopon, you girls stay at it with the automotive stuff. It'll get you very far in life, that I can guarantee. Rabbit...the most comfortable out of all of them. I'll ride with them any time. That fabricated rack is only helping the 75 operate faster, so nothing to worry about there. Hippo, I like the history stuff, but is a quiver of arrows really necessary?"
"That's Saemonza for you. She's in the Archery Class as well."
"Ah, well...okay then. But it's the Sengoku period. Go wild...who's the loader again?"
"Caesar."
"Right...tell her that her robe looks super comfortable and I want it. And last but not least...Anglerfish." She looks up at the armored machine in front of her. "What is there to say about Anglerfish and their legendary Panzer IV...fix that, number one." She points at the twisted and broken armor plates on the turret. "Number two...I certainly wish these girls Godspeed in getting through all of this, and I hope that one day, they're able to come back to Sensha-Do. It would be a sad shame to see this beautiful tank be crewed by anyone else or, heavens forbid, abandoned...again."
"Oh, it won't be." Nakajima says. "Those girls love this thing. And even if they backed out, we'd have another crew in no time. There's new students flocking to Ooarai after our championship wins."
"I believe it." Remi looks around for a moment, clicking her pen and tucking her notepad under her arm. "Well, it would seem my work here is done. As far as I'm concerned, you girls are off the hook. Satoko, thank you for the tour." She offers a handshake, which the commander accepts.
"My pleasure." She guides Remi to the exit and to her vehicle. Waving goodbye, Satoko takes out her phone, quickly tapping through her contacts.
"Suzuki?" She says with a smile. "Get the others. We're green."
That same day...
Ooarai Academy Medical Center
"For what it's worth...thank you for getting us out." Ishida says lowly from her hospital bed. She's surrounded by a smiling Hana, a hopeful Saori, and an expressionless Mako, while trying to avoid eye contact with all three of them.
"We were only doing what was right." Hana insists. "It was awful that these things were happening. Had we known sooner..."
"It doesn't mean it isn't deserved, at least to some extent." Ishida's dark and regretful words catch the Ooarai girls off guard.
"Why do you say that?" Saori asks. "No one deserves torture."
"My work...my idea...got two of my classmates killed."
"You couldn't have known what would happen." Mako offers.
"Of course I knew." Ishida snaps, glaring into Reizei's hazel eyes. "I'm sure that's something you've all been saying to delude yourselves into thinking that everything will be okay. I am an engineer. Designing and building vehicles is my entire life. I know when something is wrong. I knew something was wrong. I knew...and I proposed it anyway."
"If you knew...then why?"
Ishida looks down at the cast on her elevated leg, shaking her head. "I'll be asking myself that for the rest of my life. One thing I certainly didn't expect was for Katyusha to go along with it. During our last conversation, I couldn't tell you how stupid I felt. Every second we spoke, the worse the idea seemed. Throwing us under the bus, though...wasn't surprising."
"So you believe you deserved what Nonna did to you?" Hana asks in slight disbelief.
"I do. It's my fault those girls died. Not Chinatsu's, certainly not yours, Isuzu. Hell...not even Katyusha's in the grand scheme. If I hadn't mentioned the project in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. We wouldn't be having this conversation."
"Maybe she let you go ahead with the project because of the Conglomerate?" Mako muses out loud. "Try to pin it, or some other catastrophe, on them, and you just got pulled along for the ride."
"I suppose that's possible."
The room is quiet for a time, with the only sound coming from the hallway and the other patients in the room behind their privacy curtains.
"Where's Utsumi?" Saori asks, offering a new subject.
"Still in surgery, probably." Ishida answers dismissively. "Her being a pair of eyes for the Conglomerate was certainly a surprise. Jeez...these last few days have been full of surprises."
"Surprises like what?" Hana asks innocently.
"Utsumi surviving the escape, which I'm very glad she did...me still being alive...your friends Erwin and Guderian facing off against 'Blizzard' and living to tell about it...Part of me wishes I hadn't survived..."
"Don't say that, Ishida." Saori says, sitting down in the chair next to Ishida. "You don't mean that."
"No, no. I certainly do. Now I have to explain to Sataki and Miyake's parents why their daughters are in pieces inside a tank and not home with them right now. Katyusha is a coward. If she hasn't come forward about it yet, she never will. I'm going to have to live with the fact that those two are dead because of me. They'll never grow up...they'll never meet any boys...they'll never get to graduate...and I'll be able to do all three, in spite of what I've done to them. Who decides such things? Is it fate? A divine plan? Or just blind chance? God knows they didn't deserve it. I don't deserve this either." The defeated engineer gestures around the room.
Takebe is left speechless for the first time in a long time. What Ishida has said, while maybe not completely true, is what she absolutely believes. Saori had been able to pull Mako from a dark place some time ago, but this was a completely new case. She had hoped that their visit might improve Ishida's mood, let her know that she was safe and not alone, but to her that clearly didn't matter.
"I don't know about any of that..." Hana says, tapping a finger on Koshkin's cast. "But I just noticed that this is the same leg that Matsubara lost in the explosion."
Ishida looks up at the taller girl for a long while, contemplating her words. "Is that right?" At Isuzu's hesitant nod, she continues. "Doc said I might have issues walking, thanks to the damage...and how long it was broken and all. I almost lost it, too. Huh...funny thing fate, eh?"
Later that evening…
A pair of Ooarai students found themselves lounging as the opening scenes for 'The Big Red One' rolled on the TV. Two bento boxes sat empty on the table in front of them, alongside a few empty DVD cases and one girl had her arm draped around the shoulders of the other.
On the television before them, several French soldiers can be seen at odds with American soldiers on a North African beach. The French commander, who had ordered his men to attack, was subsequently shot by one of them, inadvertently causing both armies to open fire on one another. This continued for several minutes until one of the French soldiers stood up frantically waving a white flag, offering to surrender. The Americans refused, saying that they should only surrender to the enemy.
"If you are Vichy, fight us!" The American commander proclaimed. "If you are Frenchmen, join us!" The French soldiers subsequently dropped their weapons and ran towards the Americans, arms outstretched and shouting excitedly. The G.I.s appeared confused until the French ran up and hugged them.
"See? Right there." Yukari says, pointing at the TV. "That's why I love this movie so much. If only BC Freedom could do that."
"I didn't expect you to like this movie much at all." Miho comments. "Considering that tanks aren't a common theme."
"Oh, you're so funny. I can like other stuff. I'd say this bear proves it."
"Touche."
Yukari lets out a sigh as the movie continues. "So...what do we do now?"
Miho eyes her. "What do you mean?"
"Are we just supposed to...get on with our lives? Carry on like everything is normal? How are we supposed to do that?"
"I'd argue that we already are." Miho gestures to the room around them. "Someday soon, all of it will feel like a bad dream."
"I hope you're right." Yukari says hesitantly. Before she can continue, a buzz from her phone catches her attention. A text message from Hoshino of Leopon Team.
Hoshino 20:17 - Hey, Akiyama! Check it!
Attached was a picture of a Panzer IV with several pieces of Schurzen removed.
One with a pink fish painted on the side.
Yukari's eyes widen as she shoves the device into Nishizumi's face. "Leopon fixed the tank!" She says excitedly.
"The Federation must have finished their investigation and let the Automotive Club get back to work." Miho observes, pushing the phone away slightly.
"First thing in the morning, that's where we're going!" Guderian declares, tapping out a response. "I guess some things are already back to normal."
"See?" Miho says happily. "What did I tell you? But...are you sure you're ready to see a tank again? Our tank? After…"
"Won't know 'till we try." Yukari says optimistically. Privately, Miho is quite happy to see how upbeat her companion is, despite the happenings of the last week. And of the previous night. She and Erwin had spent hours searching for Ishida and Utsumi, and more in their escape. They likely would've been completely lost if it wasn't for Klara.
"Besides, I'm sure it would help if we both went."
The movie continues for the next hour or so, with the pair watching in comfortable silence, save for occasional comments on Yukari's part, Miho's hand absent mindedly wandering up and down on Yukari's shoulder. The latter, on the other hand, finds herself working up the courage to ask something, a question she's been wanting to ask since she had returned to Ooarai. During a pause in the action, she finds the opportunity.
"Hey...Miho?" Yukari begins, trying her best to keep her voice steady. "R-refresh my m-my memory." It wasn't working. "That...conversation we had...b-before I left...there was something you did." Miho looks at her friend, feigning ignorance. She knew exactly what Yukari was asking, but her trying to ask it was far too adorable not to watch. "There was?"
"Yes...th-there was. What...w-w-what was it again?" She asks with a shy smile, her cheeks ablaze.
Slightly less nervous, Nishizumi eyes her for a moment. "Hmmm...oh! I-I think I remember." Miho does her best to form a devilish grin. "I think I said 'To come back in one piece'."
"For the record, I did." Yukari comments cheekily.
"B-but before that…I did… something...along the lines of..." Miho leans forward as she speaks, her heart racing, as her lips slowly grace Yukari's once again. Akiyama lightly leans forward, sealing the union. Meanwhile on the TV, the American soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One, storm the French coast during the invasion of Normandy. The German artillery raining down on them felt like fireworks going off in Yukari's head. But neither of them were paying attention to the film at the moment. Right now it was just the two of them.
Against the world.
A/N I suppose the plan didn't come together for everyone. What Ishida is experiencing is a form of survivors guilt. Sort of like ship designer Thomas Andrews, if he had survived the sinking of Titanic.
As I mentioned. Popular ships. Sasagawa Kanon is the hard-ass out of the three Federation judges, and it's suggested that she doesn't like Alisa, or the other Saunders girls, so I figure what the heck? Kay has obviously grown tired of her.
Erika and Miho have made up as well...sort of. Only time will tell if Erika was sincere, however...