The crowd of Oarai students gathered at the entrance of the tank garage.
The doors have been blown open by Miho's Tiger H1. The sun's light shone on the room, revealing a very peculiar vehicle: the Bob Semple.
Everyone stood in confusion as to what they were looking at. Was it an armored car? A tractor with guns? Or is it actually a tank?
Akira squeezed through the crowd and went over to the tank. She noticed it had a small note sticked to its dusty hull. She picked it up.
"To the Automotive Club. Have fun trying to drift this around!" the note read.
"Where's the other tanks?" Akira asked herself as she looked at the note. Curiosity soon turned to anger as she crumpled the note and threw it away. "Those bastards hid the damn tanks!" she yelled.
The crowd began to panic.
"Where's the Panzer IV?" asked Yuna.
"We're driving that thing?" Ryu said.
"So that's what a tank is!" Shizume exclaimed.
Realizing that the crowd was growing unstable, Miho turned around from the Bob Semple and calmed everyone down.
"Everybody calm down!" she exclaimed in her commander voice. The room fell silent as everybody shut their mouths.
"Don't worry! We will get the tanks! We just have to look for them." she reassured the crowd.
"Where do we look?" asked one of the students.
Miho rubbed her chin as she pondered where to look. If I was a tank, where would I be? she asked herself.
Suddenly, she remembered a past experience. She and her friends went to look around the carrier for tanks. A lightbulb appeared above her head as she thought up of an idea.
She turned back to the crowd. "The tanks are hidden around the carrier!"
"Really?" asked Akira, "How do we know where to find?"
"Back then, we found abandoned tanks lying around the schoolship. Some where in the forest, some in the abandoned parts of town, and some were just hiding in plain sight. When the Senshadō team disbanded, they may have hidden the tanks somewhere so people couldn't find them." Miho explained.
"So we need to find tanks..." muttered Akira, "It's getting pretty late. Could we do it tomorrow Instructor Nishizumi?"
"Sure. The tournament won't be starting pretty soon so we have time." Miho replied with a kind smile. She turned her head to the crowd, replacing her smile with a stern look.
"Everyone! You are dismissed. We will be having our first club activities tomorrow, so don't be late!"
"Yes ma'am!" the crowd saluted before they all walked out of the garage and went home.
Akira and the other two student council members stayed with Miho to inspect the Bob Semple.
"What do we do with this... tank, Instructor?" Akira asked.
"We'll use it." Miho replied.
The president's eyes widened. "B-But ma'am! That tank isn't fit for a Senshadō match! I don't even think it has carbon protection."
"Well, one faulty tank is better than no tank right?" the instructor replied.
"I... I guess you're right." she said unsurely.
Miho looked at her watch. It read 6:30. She then turned to the president. "Is there anywhere me and my crew could stay?"
"Of course! We prepared rooms for you." she reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Here are the keys ma'am." she handed them to Nishizumi.
"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." replied Miho before walking off.
The tank garage was now left to the Student Council.
"Do you really think we can win this tournament Miss President?" Makoto asked worriedly.
"I don't know Makoto... I don't know." Akira replied as she flatly gazed at the tank before her.
Miho and her crew met at the gates of the now closed school.
"You guys go on ahead." Miho said to her crew before giving them the keys.
"Where to commander?" asked one of her crew.
"I'm gonna see an old friend." Miho replied.
The crew looked at each other before deciding to leave their commander on her own. They walked off as Miho saw them go. Soon, Miho walked to the opposite direction.
She wandered around the streets of the Zuikaku. It was less livelier than it was in the morning since everybody were at home with their families.
Miho looked up at the orange sky. She felt nostalgic, now that she was back home.
Now that she noticed it, the Zuikaku hasn't changed much since she left. She still recognized the old buildings like it was yesterday.
Occasionally, she would meet other people in the street. She was surprised when they passed by her without even looking at her face saying.
Instead of saying, "It's Miho Nishizumi!" they would just give her a glance and a small nod, sometimes accompanied with a quick hello.
It was unusual for the Nishizumi. She was used to everyone recognizing her like she was a movie star. But in this quiet town, she's just plain old Miho.
It took a few minutes for Miho to realize that she was lost. She looked around her for people to ask but there was nobody.
"Crap, should've brought my phone." she muttered to herself. She then decided to turn around and head back to school then to her apartment.
Miho was stopped however, when someone called out to her from behind.
"Miss Nishizumi!"
Miho turned around to see a young schoolgirl, still dressed in her uniform, standing awkwardly in front of her. She stood still as a statue as she sweat profusely.
"C-Can I help you?" Miho stuttered. Despite how old she was, she still had her old schoolgirl attitude.
"I heard you were looking for someone. I-I can help you!" she offered. "I know everybody in this town! If you're looking for someone, I can help you find them!"
"Really? Well... I'm looking for Yuzu Koyama. Does she live somewhere around here?" Miho asked.
"The headmistress? She has an apartment near the school." she answered.
Miho, realizing that her going here was pointless, facepalmed. "Thank you very much for the directions. I appreciate it!" the tired instructor said.
"Y-You're welcome Miss Nishizumi." she replied with a meek smile.
Miho turned around and walked back to the school. Once she was far enough, Yuna sighed in relief before collapsing on the ground due to her nervousness.
"I did it!" she muttered. She quickly stood up and jumped as high as she could. "I HELPED NISHIZUMI!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she celebrated her victory.
"Fujiwara! Shut the hell up and go home!" yelled an old lady across the street.
"S-Sorry Mrs. Watanabe!" Yuna yelled before she scurried off into her apartment which was only a few meters away from where she met Miho.
The sun had disappeared over the horizon when Miho reached her apartment. It was a rather small three-story building with red painted walls and a roof with a lighter red color.
Pretty underwhelming for an expensive hotel. Miho remarked before making her to the entrance. She opened the double doors of the hotel and was met by a cold wind from the lobby's AC unit.
The instructor breathed a sigh of relief as the pleasant wind blew on her face.
Miho made her way to the third floor where her room was. She met her crew on the way who gave their greetings.
Once she entered her room, she dropped to her couch. It had been a long and exhausting day, just like always. But this one was extra exhausting. First, she spent twelve hours on a cargo plane whilst inside her tank. Then she dropped out of said plane into Oarai, only to learn that they don't have tanks yet. After that, she walked half of the carrier in hopes of finding Yuzu to realize that she was in the hotel the whole time. Truly, this was the worst day of Miho's life save for the river incident.
She placed her arm over her eyes. The ambient rumbling of her AC unit and the cold air it emitted helped her sleep. She was soon awakened by knocking on her door.
"Hold on a minute!" she groggily said to her visitor before she attempted to get up. She slowly but surely lifted her body up from the couch, ending in failure as she fell back in place.
Curse this stupid... adult... body! she cursed in thought
The knocks returned right after she fell. "I'm coming! Just a minute!" she said again, slightly annoyed by the disturbance.
Miho rolled out of the couch and into the wooden floor below, creating a loud thud. She clutched her leg as it was cramped.
Conjuring up all her strength, Miho pushed herself up with her arms that were as strong as the Mussolini's army.
She gritted her teeth as she tried the best she could to stand up.
After falling to the ground for another time, she crawled towards a wall and placed a hand on it, using it to pull herself up. She then lumbered towards the door and opened it.
On the other side, Yuzu stood with a worried expression. "Are you okay Miho? I heard a thud earlier."
"Don't worry. My leg just got cramped. Please, come in!" Miho escorted Yuzu to her sofa.
"Would you like some tea?" Miho offered before she sat on the couch.
Yuzu declined, "No thank you. I already had some earlier. Now please, sit down." the headmistress patted the seat beside her.
Miho, after giving a small nod, sat down.
Yuzu noticed Miho's unruly hair and messy clothes. She must have had a rough day.
"Maybe you're one who needs tea?" Yuzu quipped to which Miho made a small chuckle.
"Don't worry about me Yuzu-san." she reassured with a forced smile.
The headmistress sighed, "I'm really sorry for bringing you out here. I couldn't find any good instructors so I chose you."
"Oh don't worry about it! I volunteered to go!" Miho replied, "A-And sorry for the car by the way."
"It's fine! I have three more." Yuzu replied.
Yuzu leaned back on the sofa. She made herself comfortable now that the formalities are out of the way. "It feels just like the old days when we were in high school. Oarai's getting closed again, everyone's on edge, and people are practicing Senshadō once more."
"Why did the Senshadō team disband?" asked Miho with a raised eyebrow.
"To be honest, I don't really know. They said an accident happened, which I wasn't informed of, and that they were forced to disband. And before we knew it, we were back to the old Oarai. The one without you, Miho." Yuzu replied as she stared blanky at the ceiling.
The headmistress then turned to Miho. "Speaking of Senshadō, how did the first training go?"
"Well, we didn't exactly train today. All of the old team's tanks are missing from the garage."
"History really does repeat itself." Yuzu remarked, "How about the kids then? Did they like the Ami Chono-inspired entrance?"
"They seemed to love it." she said unsurely, "There was this one girl who went absolutely crazy when I popped out. It honestly surprised me that I had a fan like that."
Yuzu chuckled, "She must be your number one fan then."
Yuna's Apartment
Yuna was playing Dream Tank Match in her dark room when all of a sudden, she let out a loud sneeze.
"Bless you!" said her online friend through voice chat.
"Thanks" Yuna replied before continuing to play.
"Someone must be talking about you. Who do you think it is?"
"Probably just Ayano-chan." she replied before sniffling
Miho's Apartment
"What happened to the others? Where are they now?" Miho asked.
"Anzu's living in Tokyo. She says she's an office worker now; I hope she's doing fine. And Momo's back in Ibaraki. She left her kid here."
"What about the other crews?"
"I haven't really heard much about them. All I know is, Miss Isuzu's a famous flower arranger, Mrs. Hoshino is a popular racer, and Miss Midoriko is a judge from the Federation."
"What about... What about Yukari? Is she... Do you know where she is?" Miho asked, a blush the size of a Kolibri pistol appearing on her face.
"I haven't seen her since we graduated. Maybe she's in the army? She always liked tanks right?"
Miho stared at the ceiling. "I hope we can meet again someday..."
The next day
5:00 P.M. Everyone was gathered outside the tank garages. The crews were dismissed from their classes early since they have club activities.
"Good afternoon everyone." said Miho as she stood in front of the now opened tank garage. Behind her was the Bob Semple.
"Today you will be finding tanks. They are hidden around the schoolship. If you find one, notify me on your radios. Practice ends at 7:00 P.M. You must return to here by then."
The crews saluted. "Yes ma'am!" they then split up. Yuna's crew searched the forest. The history buffs and the freshmen went to search in the city. And the volleyball club went down to the bowels of the ship.
Miho looked on as the crowd dispersed. Yuzu came by from her office.
"You think they'll find any tanks?" she asked.
"I hope so. There may not even be any tanks left." Miho replied.
"I wonder if our old tanks are still here..." Yuzu pondered.
"You mean the ones from our school days?" Miho turned to her.
"Yeah. We didn't sell them. In fact, we didn't sell any tanks at all during the 13 years we played Senshadō. So there may be a possibility."
Inside the forest. Yuna, Ayano, and Eiko walked along a dirt road. The sounds of nature were being heard all around them. Birds chirped, the leaves on the trees rustled, and the insects hiding in those trees chirred. The trio searched rigorously for any tanks, leaving no stone unturned.
"Hey Eiko-chan, can you tell me about yourself? A crew needs to understand each other in order to work well together." said Yuna as she led the group.
"Well, I'm not really that special. I'm just your average schoolgirl I guess." she replied.
"Everyone's special Eiko. Who knows? Maybe you're a good gunner, or a skillful driver."
"I can drive. But I'm not really good at it. How about you? Tell me about yourself. Why do you act so crazy towards the Instructor?" Eiko said before making a teasing smile. "Do you have the hots for her?"
Yuna suddenly stopped in her tracks. "M-Maybe..." she muttered without looking back at Eiko. The ginger haired girl noticed her face turning red. "I'm just a Senshadō enthusiast. A-And I like the instructor because she used to be a Senshadō champion, is all." Yuna excused. The girls resumed their hike.
"Instructor Nishizumi? A champion? How'd you know?" Eiko asked.
"Don't you watch the TV?! She was super popular back then!" Yuna exclaimed, turning around as she walked.
"I don't watch sports!"
"Then why did you join the club then?" asked Yuna.
"I-It just looked cool so I joined." Eiko said, her body language implied that she was lying.
Yuna doubted Eiko's answer. There was something up here, but Yuna couldn't investigate since her conversation with Eiko was interrupted when Ayano, who stood behind the both of them, called the two to attention.
"Guys!" Ayano yelled which stopped the two from bickering.
Yuna and Eiko turned to the girl. They saw her looking at something in the distance.
"What's wrong?" Yuna asked.
"Look!" Ayano pointed towards something. In the distance, past the trees and bushes, was a lake. The sunlight glistened off of it like a mirror.
Yuna didn't say a word. She strayed off the dirt path and into the bushes. Her friends followed soon after.
They maneuvered through the trees, pushing branches and ripping vines away to get to their destination.
They reached the lake where they found themselves on the shore. The three girls were surprised when they saw something sticking out of the body of water.
It was a turret, full of rust and moss. The rest of its body was submerged underwater.
Eiko immediately pulled out her walkie talkie as soon as she saw it. "This is Eiko, we found a tank."
"Copy that" Miho's voice crackled through the radio, "Do you know what tank it is?"
"Umm, please hold." Eiko covered the radio's speakers before she whispered to Yuna, "Hey Yuna! What tank is that?"
Yuna narrowed her eyes as she looked at the tank in the distance. She noticed something plastered on the side of the turret: an anglerfish.
The girl's eyes widened with dawning recognition. She knew what tank it was. It was the same tank from her shelf.
"It's Anky!" she yelled.
"What? Who?" said Eiko with a puzzled expression.
"It's the Panzer IV! It's Miho's Panzer IV!" she said, jumping around zestfully as she pointed at the tank.
Eiko reported, "Yuna says it's a Panzer IV. She also says it belongs to you Instructor Nishizumi."
There was a short pause before Miho spoke again, "Good, we'll send a crew to pick it up." the radio turned off.
Miho put her radio back in her pocket before turning to Yuzu. "They found the old Panzer IV."
"I guess our tanks are still here. I wonder where the old team put them though."
Eiko put down her radio. "So what next?" she asked Yuna.
"We gotta get close to it! I wanna take a picture!"
"What? But it might be dangerous. The lake's pretty deep." Eiko replied.
"Come on! We'll find a boat." said Yuna. They then looked around the shoreline. They saw a small boat beached in the distance. "There it is!" Yuna pointed.
The trio got over to the small wooden boat and pushed it into the water where they then paddled their way to the tank.
"Look at that. How old do you think it is?" said Eiko.
"Might be older than us." Ayano replied softly.
"Oh Panzer of the Lake! Give us your wisdom!" Yuna exclaimed as she looked down on the tank's turret. Obviously, there was no answer.
"So, you gonna take the picture or what?" asked Eiko.
"Oh right" Yuna pulled out her cellphone and snapped a picture of the worn out tank. "Hey you guys, we should take a picture together too! You know, since we're crewmates!"
"I guess we should." Eiko said. The group huddled together on the small boat. Yuna reached her hand out to take a selfie. With a quick flash, the photo was taken.
Eiko smiled, Yuna blinked, and Ayano made an awkward grin. "Well crap" remarked Yuna as she looked at her phone, "Wanna try again?"
While the three schoolgirls were trying to take a group photo, the history buffs were roaming around town searching for tanks.
The samurai girl led her other three companions as they walked in a single file line. They were met with curious looks from passers by since they wore their "club uniforms"
"What exactly are we looking for?" asked the girl who stood behind the samurai. She wore a black wool jacket like a cape. On the collar of the jacket was the symbol of the Waffen-SS.
"Tanks, Wittmann, weapons of destruction." the samurai replied.
"Where do we look though?" asked another girl, named Sherman, who stood behind Wittmann. She wore her school uniform under a dark blue wool coat.
"The Instructor said it's somewhere around town." replied the girl who was the last in the line. She didn't wear her club uniform.
"Where are we even going Takeda!?" Wittmann yelled. She was losing her patience now that they've walked half of the carrier and still haven't found tanks.
"Patience Wittmann. We will find a tank soon, do not worry about it." Takeda replied.
"We've been walking around this damn ship for an hour now! My feet hurt! Let's go back, we're not finding any tanks!" she demanded.
Takeda didn't listen to Wittmann's whining. She rubbed her chin as she pondered in thought.
If I need find something, all I need to do is ask. And who better to ask than the people who know this ship like the back of their hands? she smirked at the thought.
"I have an idea!" she exclaimed which got the attention of her four subordinates. "We shall ask some of the delinquents that reside here."
Sherman disagreed, "What?! Delinquents?! This is gonna turn into a Battle of Chickamagua situation!"
"Or Operation Totalize!" Wittmann added.
"Or the Battle of Agincourt!" The girl with no club uniform added as well.
"We have weapons don't we?" Takeda said smugly.
"Oh right, I forgot." everyone calmed down. "I-I guess we can get them."
"It is settled then. Let's press some delinquents!" Takeda said.
"Yeah!" the history buffs yelled in unison.
The four of them got over to a nearby alley where a couple of delinquents were squatting around like a bunch of gopniks.
"The hell you want?" one of them scowled. She wore a facemask and held a scratched up baseball bat.
"We're only here to ask for directions." Takeda said.
Another one of them scoffed, "Where to? The circus? Oh wait, they're right here."
"Tell us where we can find tanks, or else." Takeda moved her hand to the hilt of her katana, ready to unsheathe at any moment.
The girl with the bat stood up. "Or else what huh?" she brandished her weapon as she walked up to the samurai. Takeda now noticed the delinquent was much taller than her.
"You come in here, into our turf, and start asking us questions!?"
"Back away this instant, or I will be forced to harm you." Takeda said, keeping her calm expression. She gripped the handle of her sword.
The girl sneered through her facemask. "You think you're tough huh?" the delinquent suddenly lifted her bat up which made her open for an attack.
Seeing the opportunity, Takeda unsheathed her katana, scabbard and all, and with one lightning fast strike to the delinquent's liver, she knocked her opponent out.
The other three history buffs pulled out their weapons as well as the delinquents. Wittmann had a P38, Sherman had a Cattleman Revolver and the girl without her uniform rolled up her sleeves put her fists up. It was 5 against 4.
"They got guns?!" one delinquent exclaimed.
"Don't worry they're fake!" another reassured.
"Scheiße! They saw through our tricks!" yelled Wittmann.
"Do not worry! I can take them!" Takeda replied. She gripped her katana with her two hands and formed a stance.
The five delinquents charged at her with a killing intent.
The first one had a makeshift shank. She thrusted the weapon towards the samurai but Takeda swiftly dodged it. Time slowed down as the delinquent realized her fate was sealed. Takeda was to her left, far from the tip of her shank. The samurai wore a devilish grin before she stabbed the girl with the blunt end of her scabbard.
The delinquent fell over. Takeda turned to the next girl who was charging at her. She held a metal pipe in her hand and was ready to whack her in the head with it.
Just before the pipe made contact with Takeda's head, she deflected the blow with her katana like a bullet ricocheting off metal.
Delinquent staggered back while Takeda raised her sword up high before bringing it down on the girl's head, knocking her out.
There were only three left. Takeda suddenly held her katana above her head while she wore her devilish grin. The delinquents were suddenly struck by fear. They froze in place as the samurai slowly approached them, her crimson red eyes adding to their fear.
They could do nothing as Takeda struck them with her katana's scabbard one by one. Once they were all on the ground, Takeda put her sword back on her waist.
"Holy crap! Are they dead?!" exclaimed Sherman.
"They are unharmed. For the most part." Takeda replied without turning around to face Sherman. She then got over to one of the delinquents. She pulled her up from the ground and pushed her against a wall.
"Now, tell us about any tanks!" she interrogated her.
"Th... There's one inside an abandoned warehouse... w-west of here!" she replied with a raspy voice.
Takeda put her down before walking out of the alley along with her friends.
Before she left though, she heard a mutter from the delinquent, "The boss won't be happy about this..."
A few minutes later
Oarai managed to find four more tanks to add to the roster: A Panzer IV Ausf. F2, a Stug III, an M24 Chaffee, and a Hetzer. They were all lined up before Miho.
The instructor looked at the Stug and the Hetzer. "Those are our old tanks." she remarked, "I wonder where the other ones are."
Each of the groups stood in front of the tanks they found. The Freshmen stood in front of the Semple, the history buffs in front of the Stug, the volleyball club with the Chaffee, and Yuna's crew with the Panzer.
"We'll give you a few minutes to decide on your crew positions." said Akira.
"I'll be the commander!" Yuna opted.
"Then I'll be the driver." Eiko said, "What about you Ayano?"
"I-I guess I'll be the loader o-or the gunner."
The freshmen quarreled with each other over who will be the commander. They argued because no one wanted to be the commander, and whoever loses the argument gets to carry the burden of leading the pack of idiots.
"I told you guys! I can't lead! You do it Sayaka!"
"Hey! I said I'll be the driver! Takagi-san, you do it!"
"I-I can't lead! How about Akiyama-san?!"
"She barely speaks, how can she lead us?"
"I'll do it" Ryu said. She wasn't heard though.
"How about you Kaoru?"
"Oh hell no!"
"Guys! Shut the hell up!" Ryu yelled. The group stopped quarreling. "I'll be the commander okay?! If none of you can do it, I guess I will."
"Great! Ryu you're the commander now!"
"Congrats Ryu-chan!"
"I'm proud of you!"
The other five girls Ryu were with huddled together and gave the redhead a group hug.
Beside the freshmen were the history buffs. The four were arguing over who the commander was too.
"I told you I'm commanding the tank Shingen! I drove in one of these things back in '41!" Wittmann argued.
"I'm not letting our team be lead by someone who got killed by a shoemaker! I'll be the commander!" countered Takeda.
"It was a lucky shot! I'm not letting someone who rides around in a horse command this assault gun!"
"If I was around in the Early Showa Period, I would've gotten twice as many kills as you!"
"Guys stop!" Akira interjected as she walked in on the argument. "I'll just assign the crew positions!" the president then went through her clipboard.
"You, samurai girl, what's your name?" she asked, pointing to Takeda.
"Takeda Shingen, head of the Takeda Clan." she said before bowing.
"Your real name!" Akira yelled.
"My real name huh? I am Shinzu Tsuruki, niece to the legendary, Shizuka Tsuruki."
"The Ribbon Warrior? Are you legendary though?"
"Th... That is... yet to be proven." she replied.
"I guess you can prove it now, you'll be the commander."
"Yes!" she muttered with a smile.
"What?! How?!" Wittmann yelled from behind Shinzu.
The samurai turned around with a mocking grin. "I told you you're not worthy."
"She's your club president so I made her your commander." Akira explained to the tank ace.
Miho looked at the different crews from a distance. "It looks like they're all ready. Maybe we should do a practice match tomorrow..." she pondered.
After the crews were assigned, everyone gathered before Miho who gave her closing speech.
"Good job on finding the tanks everyone. Tomorrow we will have our first tank practice. I suggest you rest well for the night; Tomorrow's going to be a rough day."
"Thank you instructor!" everyone bowed.
Yuna and her two friends walked home together.
"So our practice is tomorrow huh... Maybe I shouldn't play War Thunder later this evening..." Yuna pondered as she looked at the dusky sky.
"You really shouldn't be playing late at night Yuna. You know what that does to your eyes." said Ayano.
"I guess I won't. Hey, how about I hang out with you guys?"
"My house is pretty boring." replied Ayano.
"How about your house Eiko-chan? Wanna have a sleepover?" Yuna suggested.
"I... I don't really know if my mom would like it. My house is pretty cramped." she replied.
"Oh come on! Your mom would definitely like it! I don't see you hanging out with anyone so your mom would probably be happy to know that you finally have friends!" Yuna joked.
Eiko chuckled, "Fine, I guess you can stay for the night. But if you do anything weird, I'll kick you out!"
"It's a deal!"
Yuna and Ayano strayed off their usual path home and instead followed Eiko to hers. They soon arrived at a fairly average-looking house. It had white walls and a silver roof, a typical modern house.
"Mom! I'm home! I brought friends over if that's alright with you!" Eiko yelled into the house while she was at the doorstep.
"Friends?! Th-That's fine for me Eiko! Come inside!" the muffled voice of her mother replied.
Eiko opened the doors and went inside her abode. Before Yuna entered the household, she caught a glimpse of their mailbox. It had the name "Takebe" written on it. Yuna swore she heard it from somewhere.
As soon as Yuna and Ayano entered, they were greeted by the smell of curry. The scent entered their nostrils, making their bellies rumble.
"Pardon our intrusion." Ayano said softly while she took off her shoes. Yuna took hers off too.
The three went over to the kitchen which was next to the living room. A woman with long ginger hair and red glasses was on the stove cooking dinner. She turned to look at her daughter and was surprised to see two more people with her.
"A-Ara, are these your friends?" she asked with a surprised smile.
"Y-Yes mom" replied Eiko.
"It's a pleasure to meet you two! I'm Saori Takebe, Eiko's mother. Just call me Saori if you like." she greeted
"Pleasure to meet you too Miss Takebe. I'm Ayano Ishii"
Yuna froze in place, her eyes wide in shock. Realization hit her like a kamikaze. It wasn't coincidence, she was standing in front of the Saori Takebe. Renowned radio operator of Miho's Panzer IV.
"Y-Y-You're... Mi-" suddenly, Eiko covered Yuna's mouth.
"I know, I know Yuna. Just don't scream your lungs out please." Eiko said.
"Oh my, it looks like you know who I am. I'm flattered." Saori said as her face flushed.
Eiko released Yuna from her grip. She was calmed down now. "Do... Do you still play Senshadō?" she asked while she was out of breath.
"Senshadō? I'm afraid I don't do that anymore. I'm just a normal housewife now." Saori then noticed she was still cooking dinner. "E-Eiko, show them your room. I'll make some tea."
"Alright mom" Eiko turned to her friends. "Come on guys."
The ginger haired girl led them to a room. Its shelves were filled to the brim with books. There was also a laptop on the ground. On one side of the red wall was a small bed.
"Just stay here guys, I'll help mom with the tea." Eiko then left the room, leaving Yuna and Ayano alone.
"So what should we do?" Ayano asked as she sat on Eiko's bed.
"There's tons of books here. Maybe we can read them?" Yuna suggested. She was inspecting the shelves for any interesting works of fiction.
"I didn't know you read books Yuna."
"Only books about history or Senshadō. They're really fun to read. Speak of the devil, here's some!" Yuna began to scan the different books.
"There's Foreign Dominion... There's that one about the Easy Eight... And there's... Hey Ayano what does this mean?" Yuna pointed to a book with German words.
"D... Dine? What is this, a cookbook?"
"It looks like it's about something dark. Look at the book cover." said Ayano.
"Then there's this. Is this a romance novel?" Yuna pulled out a rather thick book and placed it on her lap.
"What's that?" Ayano leaned to look at the book.
"Speedster and Spymaster, a book about... St. Gloriana." after scanning the book's cover, she flipped open the book and began reading aloud the contents.
After a few minutes, Eiko walked in holding a tray of tea. "Guys I'm back-" she paused as she saw her friend reading through her book.
"...After all, after many years, she, Earl Grey, has finally returned home." Yuna then closed the book and suddenly realized Eiko was standing right in front of her, looking at her leering stare.
"Give me that back." she insisted in a low voice.
"C-Can I... borrow this?" Yuna replied wearing a nervous smile.
Eiko put the tray down on the bed next to Ayano who was frozen like a German in Stalingrad. She suddenly lunged into Yuna, attempting to pluck the book out of her commander.
"Please Eiko! Lemme borrow it for a few days!" Yuna pleaded as she tried to stop Eiko from grabbing her book. "I promise I'll give it back!"
"Give it back! I haven't finished it yet!"
"I-I'll just read two chapters and I'll give it back!" Yuna tried to push Eiko face away with her foot.
While the two were wrestling on the ground, Ayano was slowly sipping on her tea while she looked through her phone, giving no mind to her friends roughhousing with each other.
A few minutes of wrestling on the floor later, the trio heard Saori's voice from their room.
"Dinner's ready honey!"
"We're coming mom!" Eiko yelled back. She got off of Yuna and swept the dust off her shirt. "You can read it before bed, but you're not taking it home with you!"
"Fine!" Yuna grumbled before she stood up.
The trio arrived at the kitchen. Yuna and Ayano sat on the six-seated table while Eiko went over to her living room couch where someone was sleeping.
"Mako! Wake up dinner's ready!" she exclaimed while she shook the person awake.
Mako groaned as she rolled over on the couch.
"You asked for it!" Eiko then proceeded to elbow drop Mako. The drowsy woman on the couch jumped awake.
"I'm up! I'm up!" Mako yelled, her eyes wide. She stood up groggily rubbing her head and went over to the table and sat. Saori had already served the curry.
"Kids, this is Mako Reizei but you can just call her Takebe since she pretty much lives here." Saori said. "You probably know her already Yuna-san."
"You're the driver of the Panzer IV right?!" the starry eyed Yuna said.
"Yeah... So what?" she replied with a low voice.
"You drove the Panzer IV! You're like, a star!"
"If I was I wouldn't be living here."
"Why are you living here?"
Mako's eyes widened before she turned away flustered. "I-It's none of your business."
"Mako lost her house after she forgot to pay rent. Now she lives here with us." Saori said.
"Saori!" Mako yelled.
Saori chuckled, "Anyways, I heard you guys joined the Senshadō club! I see you're finally doing something productive Eiko!" she teased.
"Shut up mom..." said a slightly embarrassed Eiko.
"Hey, if you want, you could ask me for some tips!" she said to Yuna and Ayano.
"I'd really like that ma'am." replied Yuna.
After the dinner, the girls hung out around Eiko's house. After a tiring day, they retired to bed. Yuna and Ayano slept in Eiko's bed which was made for one person which meant that they had to share one blanket.
The two slept in the bed like a cocoon while Eiko lay on the ground.
"Hey Eiko, mind if I ask you something?" asked Yuna.
Eiko turned her head to her bed. "Hmm? What is it?"
"Where's your dad?"
"Yuna! Don't ask her that!" Ayano hushed.
"I don't know where he is right now. But mom said he left us when I was born. Where are your parents Yuna?"
"They... They died... A few years ago."
"D-Damn I'm sorry for that."
"It's fine. I'm the one who asked in the first place." Yuna replied.
"So, do you consider Mako your dad then?"
"Yeah I guess. I know that she and mom love each other so she's kinda like the dad I never had."
Yuna rolled on the bed to face Eiko. "Wait, wait. If Saori loves Mako, then do they do 'it' sometimes?"
"Yeah man" Eiko replied nonchalantly, "Mako sometimes sleeps at mom's room."
"That's crazy. I might make some smut based on that."
"Nope, you can't. You don't have my permission." Eiko said with a smirk.
"Aww man" she sighed in defeat.
Saturday, 9:00 A.M
The five crews gathered at the tank garages, now accompanied by their newly cleaned tanks, courtesy of the Automotive Club.
They were all temporarily painted navy blue.
"You owe me ¥5,000 Akira." said the Automotive Club's leader.
"Yeah, I'll pay you later, don't worry about it." she assured.
Miho stood before the crews and the tanks. "Good morning everyone! Today we will be having a practice match."
Everyone exclaimed in surprised.
"Wait aren't we supposed to practice how to shoot or drive?" Akira asked.
"It's more efficient and less time-consuming." she replied with a smile.
The president arranged her monocle. "O-Okay... Everyone, to the tanks!"
The crews quickly made their way inside the tank using the various hatches on the hull.
"Each team must get to their specified points in order for the match to start." said Miho. She then held her whistle and yelled, "Everyone, Panzer vor!" before blowing the whistle.
"Eiko! Drive!" Yuna ordered.
"Copy that!" replied Eiko with an excited grin.
"Joan, advance!" Takeda said.
"Affirmative!" she replied. Joan, who was the girl who never wore her club uniform, now did. She wore a pauldron and a gauntlet on her right arm.
"Alright people, let's move!" Ryu yelled.
The Semple slowly moved forward before stopping. Then it turned to the right before driving at a snail's pace. The other tanks had already arrived at their starting positions while the Semple was still making its way into the forest.
"This is our first Senshadō match. Are you guys nervous?" Yuna asked her crew as she sat on the gunner's seat.
"Nope" Eiko replied.
"I-Isn't this dangerous? We're in a tank and we're gonna get shot! We won't die will we?" Ayano nervously asked.
"Don't worry! We use live shells but we use them on the emphasis of the participant's safety!"
"Whatever that means." Eiko quipped.
"How long is this gonna take?! I'm bored!" Yuna groaned.
Miho stood atop a tower where she surveyed the battlefield. She saw the Bob Semple struggling to get up a cliff.
"This is going nowhere." she muttered. Then she grabbed her radio. "Change of plans, the match starts now."
All five commanders grinned at that.
"Forward driver!" Takeda yelled.
"For the volleyball club! To battle dudes!"
"Let's go, move forward!" Akira ordered.
Yuna tried to contain her excitement. "P-Panzer... Panzer vor!"
"What does that even mean Yuna?" Eiko asked.
"Well, 'panzer vor' means panzer vor." she explained, "Anyways, come on! Let's move forward!"
The Panzer's engine sputtered to life and it began to roll out of the cliff it was positioned in.
Yuna sat on the gunner's seat and Ayano on the loader's. They had Eiko drive the tank.
"So where exactly are we headed?" the driver asked.
"The lake where we found this tank. That's probably where everybody else are going." Yuna replied.
She turned to Ayano. "Ayano-chan, be prepared to load the shells as fast as you can okay?"
"I-I'll try my best."
"To the lake then!"
The Panzer IV was positioned far away from the lake so the trio were given time for a casual ride before things went down.
"You know, now that I finally experienced being in a tank, it's pretty boring." Yuna said.
"Aren't you an eager beaver." replied Eiko.
"I thought it would be really fun! Like, riding in formation, singing marching songs, firing volleys towards enemies... We're just driving around like it's a normal day!"
"You're pretty impatient huh." Eiko remarked, "Here's something you can do: Poke your head out of the cupola and look for enemies. Maybe that will alleviate your boredom."
"I-I guess I can do that." Yuna stood up from her seat and climbed her way to the cupola where she then opened the hatch and poked her head out.
She felt good when the wind blew on her face and the sun shone on her fair skin. It was like riding around the beach on a convertible.
"Damn! This feels better than I thought!"
"Told you it'd make you feel better." Eiko said from inside the tank.
Ayano soon joined Yuna when she stuck her head out of the hatch on the side of the Panzer's turret.
"Are we heading the right way?" she asked.
"I think we are!" Yuna replied as she basked around in the morning sun. "I feel really pumped up now! Wanna sing a marching song?"
"I... I guess? Which song are we singing?"
Yuna placed her hand on her chin to ponder. "We could try Panzerlied... Or maybe British Grenadiers... Or even Katyusha... What do you think Eiko?"
"I guess Panzerlied. I know a little bit of German so I could probably sing it."
Somewhere in the bushes the Stug hid. Like a Japanese waiting for a banzai charge, the Stug waited for its prey. The assault gun's barrel was aimed directly at the road.
The crew was deafeningly silent.
"Take-chan, you know they won't hear us-" said Sherman before being cut off.
"Silence!" Takeda hushed, "And don't call me Take-chan!"
"Aww why? It's a pretty cute nickname don't you think Take-chan?" Sherman teased.
"Shut your mouth! The enemy will hear us!" she hushed once again, her face beginning to flush.
"This isn't a u-boat Takeda. We can talk as loud as we can and no one can hear!" said Wittmann.
"Shut up Michael! Keep your finger on the trigger!"
"Yeah yeah. Take-chan." she smirked.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she yelled, her face as red as the Soviet Union's flag.
The other three history buffs laughed. They were interrupted however when they heard a distant rumble of an engine accompanied by inaudible singing.
"Everyone be ready! Fire on my command!" Takeda said.
Wittmann looked through the small scope of the gun. Her aim was as steady as a sniper's. She anticipated the incoming to tank.
But then, she began to chuckle. The face of an annoyed Takeda was still fresh in her mind.
"Wittman, get serious!" Sherman rebuked.
"Sorry sorry" Wittmann replied. She went back to looking at the scope and waiting for the enemy to pass by.
But once again, she remembered how they teased Takeda and she began to chuckle again, her aim shaking all over the place.
Yuna and her crew sang Panzerlied while they rode towards the river.
"...Es braust unser Panzer, Im Sturmwind dahin!"
Suddenly, a shot landed in front of the tank, almost hitting the unsuspecting Panzer.
"We missed! What the hell Wittmann!?" Takeda yelled.
Michael was on the tank's floor, laughing like a maniac. "I'm... I'm sorry Takeda, I'm sorry!"
"We're being attacked!" Yuna yelled. She slid back into the tank and sat down on the gunner's seat.
"Joan, reverse! Wittmann, fire at will!" she ordered.
"Wh-What do we do?!" yelled Eiko.
"Chase them into the forest! I'll try to fire at them!" Yuna replied.
The Panzer diverted off its path and chased down the Stug.
"Gun ready!" Sherman reported.
"I can't get a good angle!" Wittmann yelled in frustration.
"I can't see shit! Damn these trees!" Yuna squinted her eyes, trying to spot the Stug's low profile through the thick vegetation.
"Hurry up Yuna, they're gonna fire again!" Eiko yelled.
"I'm firing! I'm firing!"
A shell escaped the Panzer's gun and hit a nearby tree.
The Stug fired while it reversed and grazed the Panzer's turret.
"So much for a tank ace." Takeda remarked.
"You try firing a gun when you can't see the enemy!" she countered.
"The shell's loaded!" Ayano yelled but was unheard by Yuna.
"What?!"
"I said the shell's loaded!"
The Stug suddenly fired again and barely hit its mark.
"You blind Wittmann?!"
"Shut up Take-chan!"
"The gun's ready Yuna!" Ayano yelled.
"Copy!"
Another shell exited the Panzer, this time it hit near the Stug.
"They're gonna hit us any moment Takeda! Do something!" Joan exclaimed.
"Wittmann! Fire goddammit!"
The tank ace pulled the trigger and the Stug fired a shot. They were lucky this time as the shell finally hit the Panzer IV. Unexpectedly, there was no white flag flying atop the turret.
"Oh Scheiße, they have plot armor!" Wittmann exclaimed.
The Stug suddenly came to a halt as they almost hit the water. The history buffs soon realized that they arrived at the lake.
They caught the attention of the Hetzer who was also standing along the lake's shore. It was only a few distances between them.
The Stug and Hetzer turned to face each other.
"Finally, a worthy opponent!" Takeda said with an excited grin. "Our battle will be legendary!"
"Oh crap it's the history nuts." Akira remarked calmly. "Obliterate them will you Makoto?"
"With pleasure Prez!"
Before the Stug fired, they were hit in the side by a shot from the forest. A white flag appeared on top of the tank.
"I got em!" Yuna yelled from the gunner's seat. "I friggin gottem! Miss Nishizumi is gonna be so proud of me!"
"Yuna snap out of it! We still got the Hetzer!" Eiko interjected.
"Right right! Move forward Eiko! We need to get the Hetzer."
"Finally you say something normal!"
The Panzer rolled its way out of the forest and into the Hetzer's line of sight.
"Must be our lucky day. We killed the Chaffee, the Stug, and now the Panzer IV." Akira said, "Makoto, finish her off please."
This is it! My journey to become a tank ace begins here! Yuna thought while she aligned her sight at the Hetzer.
"Fire!" the two commanders yelled at the same time.
The Panzer and the Hetzer fired simultaneously. Both hit each other at the same time. Two white flags soon flew atop the two tanks.
"I'm gonna beat that kid up." Makoto said in a dour manner.
"Don't do it Makoto." Akira said, "Everybody alright?"
"I'm good" Izumi answered.
"Just about" said Makoto.
"Holy crap, that was crazy!" Yuna exclaimed, out of breath. "Is... Is everyone okay?"
"I'm fine Yuna." said Ayano.
Eiko gave no answer.
"Eiko? Eiko answer me!"
Yuna looked at the driver's seat. She saw an unconscious Eiko leaning her head on the hull. There was no blood so she was fine.
Miho looked towards the lake on the tower. She saw the smoking wrecks of the Stug, the Panzer, and the Hetzer.
"Teams Anglerfish, Turtle, Hippo, and Duck are unable to fight." she announced on the radio before muttering, "I can't believe this is real."
The Bob Semple sat in the middle of nowhere. It was stuck in a small ditch and the engines gave up.
The freshmen were scrolling on their phones like it was a normal day. They soon heard the loud bang of a flare going up. They got out of the Semple and stood atop it.
In the sky was a bright green light. A flare signaling that someone won.
The crew soon heard their radios crackle to life. "Teams Anglerfish, Turtle, Hippo, and Duck are unable to fight. Therefore, the Rabbit Team wins."
The crews celebrated on top of their faulty tank. They danced around like a bunch of Russians at a campfire.
"We won Ryu!"
"We did it!"
"Bob Semple for the win!"
Back on the lake, everyone got outside their tanks.
Yuna and Akira met.
"Good match Fujiwara. I didn't know you could operate a tank."
"You too Kawashima-san!"
The two then shook hands.
After a while, the crews returned, bruised and battered, except for the Rabbit Team who were atop their tank celebrating as it was being towed back.
"The Bob Semple won?" Yuna said.
"You never a judge a book by it's cover." Takeda said. She was beside Yuna.
"Good job on the training everyone! We will have another match on Monday so be prepared! I suggest you find people who can join your crew if you know any. You're all dismissed."
"Thank you for the lessons ma'am!" everyone bowed. The crews left the tank garages and went back home. Miho left as well soon after.
The Panzer trio once again walked home together.
Yuna let out a big sigh, "We lost..."
Ayano patted her on the back. "Don't worry Yuna, you win some you lose some."
"We can win someday Yuna. We just need two more people to make operating the tank easier." Eiko said, "You guys have any friends in mind?"
"My only friend is Yuna." Ayano answered.
"I don't have any friends other than Ayano-chan and some online people."
Eiko sighed, "I guess I'll have to hit up some old folks. Let's meet up at my house tomorrow. We'll find my old friends together."
Ayano nodded. "A-Alright, I'll come."
Yuna made a thumbs up.
The trio reached an intersection where they must split up.
"Alright guys, I'll see you later."
"Bye Eiko" Ayano said softly as she waved goodbye.
"Later peeps, I'm gonna play some DTM." Yuna said in a downcast manner. The three split up and went about their day.
To be continued...