A/N : I forgot to mention this on the last chapter, but the Panzer is back to its F2 variant.
Also, for some reason FFN didn't save the edits I made here and I had to edit them again rather hastily since I was tired of reading the same chapter for the millionth time. So if there are any grammatical or spelling errors present here, let me know.
Anyways, that's just it. Enjoy the chapter!
Sunday, 10:00 A.M
It was a hot day in Oarai. There were clouds in the sky which meant that there was no cover from the sun's intense heat. The only thing saving the residents of the Zuikaku from heatstroke was the wind from the sea. The people were like chickens in an oven inside their houses so the streets were filled to the brim with people.
The Panzer trio met up at Eiko's house. Saori was out shopping for groceries while Mako stood guard of the house as she slept on the living room couch. This meant that Eiko could do whatever she wants.
The ginger haired girl was waiting outside her house's gate when she saw her two friends arrive.
Yuna wore a white tank top and shorts while Ayano wore a sundress accompanied by a sun hat which made her stand out from the three.
"Alright, glad you're all here." said Eiko.
"So, what do we do?" Yuna asked, crossing her arms.
Eiko pulled out a map of the school ship.
"Yuna, you go to these marked houses to the south of the carrier. Tell them Eiko sent you." she said, pointing to different spots in the map marked with a red circle.
"Ayano, you go to the north of the carrier and ask around there. I'll search the central parts."
"Wh-What? I-I can't talk to people really well. I-I'm socially awkward!" a flustered Ayano exclaimed.
Eiko turned to Yuna with a raised eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeah, she's only used to talking to me or anybody she's familiar with." Yuna answered.
"A-Alright then, I guess Ayano's coming with me. We'll search the central and the northern parts of the carrier."
"That's fine with me!" Yuna gave a thumbs up.
The trio split up. Eiko and Ayano went north while Yuna went the opposite direction.
The duo walked along the lively streets of Oarai. Plenty of people were outside doing their business. Some of them were Oarai's students who were hanging out with their fellows.
Ayano and Eiko bumped into a few of the other tank crews. One of them was Hippo Team. This time, they weren't wearing their uniforms but they were easily recognizable due to Shinzu accompanying them. They didn't chat for long though as they had business of their own.
The two continued their walk. Since Eiko didn't wear anything on her head, she fell victim to the sun's intense heat.
"Crap... I should've brought a hat with me!" groaned Eiko as she was sweltering from the scorching sun.
"I could give you my hat. It's fine by me." Ayano replied.
"No, no. You can keep it." Eiko said, managing to form a smile on her sweaty face.
"So umm, how many friends of yours are we visiting?"
"There's like, five maybe? I know three who live in the central parts and two in the north. But I highly doubt most of them still live there." she replied.
Ayano looked down on the ground as they walked. "I wish I had as many friends as you."
"Don't feel down man! It's not how many friends you have that matter! It's what kind of friends you have that does."
"Hey tell me, how did you and Yuna meet?"
The bespectacled girl looked up at Eiko. "I met her at an alley back in Ibaraki."
Eiko raised an eyebrow. "An alley? What were you two doing?"
"My parents left me in the streets when I was 7. I survived by searching trashcans and stealing food and drinks from restaurants. Yuna found me in an alley during a Senshadō tournament. I was only 10 years old and Yuna was 11 back then. Those early days feel so distant nowadays. It feels like they never happened at all." Ayano explained, her usual tone unchanging.
"Damn... I'm sorry for that. So how did you get to where you are now?"
"Yuna brought me to her parents. They helped me with everything. School, my own house, a way to make my own money... They helped me take care of all of those things." she replied with a wistful smile.
Eiko looked up at the clear blue sky. "They seem like good people." she then turned back to Ayano. "Come on, we're nearing one of the houses."
The two arrived at a decrepit house where one of Eiko's friends once resided.
"Well shit, cross that off the list." Eiko said in disappointment.
"Where to next?" Ayano asked.
"Next one's... a couple of blocks from here." Eiko pointed east. The two then started to walk again.
"How long have you met these guys?" Ayano asked.
"I've been hanging out with them since the start of middle school. We kinda fell out though when high school started. Most of my friends moved to other carriers while the others in Oarai went silent on me." Eiko answered, "It's been so long since we've met that I've completely forgotten most of their faces."
"Having many friends sounds... hard. I mean, you have to spend time with all of them and you can't just leave them alone forever. It seems impossible, managing that many people. Is... Is losing friends... normal?"
Eiko made a sad smile. "It is Ayano. Some people can't stay friends forever. People change, and they move on from things."
"Will Yuna... Will Yuna abandon me? When we graduate and move on to other schools, will she leave me? What if Yuna finds someone better than me? Will she-"
"She won't, of course not. You're Yuna's number one. The last thing she'd do is to abandon you." Eiko reassured.
The conversation ended as soon as the two arrived at another house. This time, it wasn't run-down.
The two stood at the house gates.
"Hi... Hifumi! It's me Eiko! I uh, I wanna speak with you!" she called out.
The door of the house soon opened and a woman who looked to be in her thirties came out.
"E-Eiko? Is that you?" she uttered as her face showed confusion.
Eiko whispered in Ayano's ear. "It's Hifumi's mom." she then turned back to the woman who was now on the other side of the gate.
"Yes it's me Mrs. Oda. H-How's your day?"
"Oh it's going fine." she replied, smiling. "My, it's been so long since I've seen you! You've grown so big!"
"Y-Yeah..." Eiko made an awkward smile. "I-Is Hifumi here?"
"She's gone out to the market. She'll be back by 12:00. Why, is there something you want to ask her?"
"I'm in the Senshadō club Mrs. Oda. My crew's incomplete so I figured I ask her for help."
"Senshadō? They're bringing the sport back huh?" Oda said as she stared at the distance. "I'll tell her about it. And hey, I want you to win the tournament for us okay?"
Eiko gave a confident smile. "Will do ma'am! Have a good day!"
The two walked off while Mrs. Oda waved goodbye.
"At least we know someone's still here." Ayano said.
"Yeah, that's one down. We just need one more."
"You think Hifumi-san will accept your offer?"
"Of course! She's like, one of my best best friends. She'll do anything for me, so of course she'll join us."
The two arrived at the last house in the central parts of town. It was a rather old looking house with its cracked walls and rusty gate.
But despite the out of shape state the house was in, someone still lived there. They could tell by the muffled sound of a television.
The two stood in front of the gate just like in the previous residence. It was hard to believe that this gate could still move with all the rust covering it.
"Excuse me! Anyone home! Saki?!" Eiko called out.
There was a brief moment of silence before the two heard the house's door creak slightly open.
A young girl who wore glasses peeked through the small slit of the door. She wore a white t-shirt covered in all sorts of stains and she didn't have anything to wear below but her underwear.
"Y-Yes?" she muttered to them.
"Saki! It's me Eiko, from middle school?"
"Eiko?! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed in surprise.
"The Senshadō club's been revived! I want you to join our crew!"
"C-Crew?! Other people?! A-Are you crazy?!" Saki stammered.
"Listen, I know that you don't trust anyone after that little incident with the book store guy but please give my crew a chance! They're good people!"
"You're lying! I know you are!"
"Come on, why would I lie to you? I've literally never lied to you, ever."
"You did! You told me my dad went on a business trip. But then I found out that he was arrested for sexual abuse!"
"Y-Yeah... Sorry about that. He told me to say it to you." Eiko said with a nervous smile.
"Your friends are just gonna make fun of me Eiko! Get out of here before I call the cops!" Saki yelled.
"Come on Saki! Senshadō's fun! You get to blast your problems away with an 8.8 cm cannon! My crew can help you out!"
"Y-You really think so?"
There was a minute of silence as Saki thought of an answer.
"F-Fine..." she whispered.
Eiko tilted her head. "What?"
Saki suddenly flung open her door. "I'LL JOIN OKAY?!"
A smile grew on Eiko's face as she heard those words. "Th-That's great Saki! We'll meet you tomorrow okay? We still have a few things to do!"
The two then bid farewell to the girl.
"What happened at the book store?" Ayano asked with a raised eyebrow as the two walked to their next destination.
"She met this guy who somehow seduced her to come with him. She almost got uh, let's just say taken advantage of."
"That's horrible! How did she get out of that situation?" Ayano said with a worried look.
"Me and some friends of mine saw her go into an apartment building, so we called the cops."
Ayano breathed a sigh of relief. "Did he get arrested?"
"No. He killed one cop then he got sprayed by bullets by the others. Saki saw it all." Eiko replied nonchalantly.
Ayano's eyes widened. "Wh-What?! Is that why Saki's like that now?"
"No, it's because she was bullied after that day. She tried to jump off a bridge after school, but she failed and never did it again."
Ayano couldn't come up of any more words to say. Instead she just looked blindly in the distance like a soldier with shell shock.
"Hey, I'm pretty hungry. Let's go grab a bite." Eiko suggested.
Ayano snapped out of it. "Huh? O-Oh yeah, yeah let's go."
11:00 A.M.
Yuna stared at her map. She had visited every spot that Eiko marked. Unfortunately, no one turned up. Two of the houses where abandoned and the other had a different owner.
With her tasks done, the brunette pondered what she would do next.
The Panzer trio planned to meet at 1:00. Which meant that Yuna had free time; Too much free time.
After putting the small map inside one of her pockets, she heard her belly rumble.
Should've ate breakfast. she thought as she held her stomach.
She searched her waist pockets for some cash and found only a couple yen. I guess I could eat a burger or something.
Yuna stopped in her tracks and turned around. She knew a burger joint near where she was.
After walking a couple blocks, she stopped in front of a small fast food chain.
"One burger please!"
After getting her food, she went outside to eat it. She took a quick glance around her as she chewed on her burger.
Yuna's eyes suddenly widened. She saw a familiar face across the street. She dropped her burger from the utter shock.
"M-Miho?!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone.
The instructor was sitting at a table inside a cafe. What's more surprising was that Saori was there too, sitting next to Miho. They were having a friendly chat. Like friends meeting after a long time.
"Holy crap! I gotta get a picture of this!" she whispered before hastily pulling out her phone and going into the camera.
"It's been so long since we've met. How many years has it been?" Saori asked.
"Five, or was it six?" Miho answered with uncertainty.
"That long huh..." the ginger haired girl sighed, "How's life on your side?"
Miho leaned on the table, a hand on her cheek. She sighed before saying, "It's boring. Really, really boring."
"I thought being an instructor would be the opposite of that?" Saori said.
"It's not. Being a tank instructor is literally being a teacher, but instead of teaching kids the Pythagorean Theorem, you're teaching them to drive tanks. Now I understand how Chono felt." Miho replied as she stared out the window of the cafe.
The instructor then turned her eyes to her friend. "What about you? How's your life going?"
Saori leaned on her chair. "Same as you Miporin, except it's more tiring."
"Are you a tank instructor too?" Miho asked.
"No, I'm a mother."
Miho's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah" Saori sighed, "I gotta take care of two people at once. If that isn't the hardest job ever I don't know what is!"
"I can't say I feel for you." Miho said.
Saori paused and looked at Miho. "You never found a man?!"
"I-I wasn't interested!" she replied, waving her arms around.
"You like girls then?!" Saori exclaimed.
Miho turned away from the girl, her face turning red. "Y-You know I do! B-But that's not what I meant!"
The two calmed down.
"I never had the time to find somebody. Everyday is just tank practice for me. And I sleep all day in my free time."
"Damn Miho, I didn't know it was like that! Now I feel sorry for you!"
"You don't have to." Miho reassured, "I'm actually content with this life of mine."
"Even if it's really stressful?" Saori asked.
"Yeah. It's better than just sitting around my house all day."
The two paused for a moment as they ordered coffee and some pastries. They were in a cafe after all.
"Could you tell me about your husband? What was he like?" Miho asked.
"Hayato, that feckless idiot." she scowled. "He left us when Eiko, my daughter, was born. Said he couldn't handle the responsibility."
"I'm... sorry for that." Miho said.
"Oh? You don't have to feel sorry about me!" Saori replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm with someone better now."
"Really?"
"Yeah! Even if she lazes around my house all day, Mako's still a thousand percent better than Hayato."
"Mako!?" Miho gasped in surprise.
Saori chuckled, "Hehe, yeah. I guess girls are more my style too."
The two paused again to drink their coffee. And that's when Miho finally noticed it. Someone was watching them. She looked out the window to see a girl who sat on a bench. She had her phone on her hand as she faced the two.
At first Miho thought that she was just fiddling with her phone, paying no mind to her and Saori. But she had the suspicion that the girl was secretly spying on them.
A spy? But the tournaments haven't started yet! Miho thought.
Saori soon noticed too but instead of being troubled like Miho, she smiled and waved at the girl.
"That's Yuna! One of Eiko's friends!" Saori exclaimed.
The girl suddenly flinched in surprise and quickly stood up the bench before running away.
"Let me guess. She's a big fan of mine?" Miho asked. She knew the answer to this question.
"She sure is! Eiko told me that she always talks about you, 24/7. Isn't that pretty cool Miporin? You got fans!"
Miho awkwardly chuckled, "Y-Yeah!"
Yuna ran as fast as she can, dodging the bystanders on the street like they were barrage balloons. She wanted to get as far away from the cafe so as to avoid an awkward conversation with her instructor.
She pulled out her phone as she ran and dialed Eiko's number.
"E-Eiko!"
"Yuna? What's happening? You seem tired."
"I checked out all those places. No luck man!"
"Alright. Just meet us back at my place. I got one last person we could ask."
"Alright!"
Eiko and Ayano sat on a table inside a restaurant. They had just finished their meal.
Hifumi declined. There's only one person left that I could ask...
Eiko's phone suddenly rang.
"Hello?" said Eiko. "Yuna? What's happening? You seem tired."
Ayano heard unintelligible mumbling as Yuna spoke on the phone.
"Alright, just meet us at my place. I know one last person we could ask." Eiko said before putting her phone down.
"No one turned up from the South. There's only one more we could ask."
"And who would that be?" Ayano asked.
"Bunko, Bunko Ishikawa. Unfortunately, she's a delinquent, so it's gonna be hard to coax her into joining us."
Ayano tilted her head. "A delinquent? Does that mean she's in the Johannesburg?"
"Probably. She might not even be in this carrier anymore. But we'd have to take the chance. We need a gunner."
Eiko stood up and Ayano soon did too.
"Come on, Yuna's meeting us at my place."
1:15 P.M.
The Panzer trio gathered at Eiko's house.
"So, what next?" Yuna asked.
"There's a girl by the name of Bunko Ishikawa. You know her?" Eiko replied.
Yuna gasped, "Ishikawa-senpai?! S-She's a delinquent right?!"
"Yeah, and she's a friend of mine. She's staying at the Johannesburg, probably. We need to find her."
"The Johannesburg?! There's like a hundred delinquents in there! They won't let us in!"
"You're right." Eiko placed her hand on her chin to think. "There must be some way we can sneak past them."
"Someone say the Johannesburg?"
The trio turned to Eiko's front door. Stood in front of it was Mako, wearing a black hoodie. She looked as if she had just woken up from a long sleep.
"Mako. Where are you going?" Eiko asked.
"The bar, under the ship." she drowsily replied.
"A bar? You know mom would get mad at you right?"
"Just... Just tell her I went to a friend's place." Mako said, diverting her eyes from the girl.
"You don't have any friends!" Eiko exclaimed.
Mako's face flushed in embarrassment. "Shut up!"
Saori arrived just in time to join the conversation. "Hey, what's happening here?"
"M-Mom! We were..." said Eiko, who was sweating profusely. The last thing she'd want was to feel her mother's wrath. She cannot let Saori know her plans.
"Just... taking. About stuff." Mako added.
"About what stuff?" Saori asked as she tilted her head. "You're wearing your hoodie. Are you going somewhere Mako?"
"Y-Yeah! I'm taking Eiko and the others, to the ice cream shop!" Mako said nervously.
There was period of silence as the family stared at each other. Saori doubted Mako would do such a thing, but she has noticed her to be warming up to Eiko ever since they met so perhaps it is true?
Saori unexpectedly grew a smile. "That's sweet of you two!"
Mako and Eiko looked at each other, confused.
Saori opened the house gates and went inside but not before giving Mako a small peck on the cheek. This made Mako blush a little.
"Just be back by 6:00 okay? And no funny business!" Saori said as she entered their house.
"Okay mom!"
"A-Alright, Saori."
With Saori gone, the two breathed a sigh relief.
"Listen Mako. Could you take us to the bar? We have business to deal with." Eiko said.
Mako quickly gave an answer: "No"
"Come on, please!" she pleaded.
"No, you're not allowed. If Saori found out I went to the bar again, she'd just reprimand me once and be done with it. But if she finds out that I took you with me then... we won't see the end of it."
"I told you we're just there for business! Once we're done, we'll leave as soon as we can!"
Mako went silent and thought up of a solution. If she keeps saying no, this argument will go on forever and she won't get the alcohol that she so desperately needs. If she takes Eiko with her, there's a risk that her mother would find out, but Eiko will finally leave her alone.
Mako sighed, "Fine. Just don't act weird around the delinquents okay?"
"Yeah, yeah okay!"
Mako opened the gate and went out of her house. She led the three schoolgirls as they walked to the Johannesburg.
"So what's your business in the Johannesburg?" Mako asked as they walked.
"We're in the Senshadō club and we need more crewmates. I know someone there who could help us out with that."
"You're gonna hire someone huh? You think you got the guts to talk to one of these guys?"
"She's a friend of mine, so she won't be as hostile as the others. If she declines, then we'll just force her to."
Mako made a quiet chuckle, "Good luck with that."
The Panzer trio, accompanied by Mako, arrived at a flight of stairs leading down to the ship's bowels. It was placed in a pretty isolated part of town where only a few people live.
"Just stick close to me and we won't have problems." Mako said.
There was a metal door at the bottom of the steps. Mako opened it and went inside along with the three
They were greeted by the leering eyes of the delinquents. They were squatting around the entrances.
Without a thought, Eiko suddenly hugged Mako like a scared child clinging on to her father.
Mako's eyes widened in surprise as she let out a silent gasp. She had never seen Eiko do this before.
It was weird but somehow it felt also pleasing. Mako was supposed to be the father that Eiko never had, but she never acted like one. This time though, she felt like it was necessary to do so.
Mako's paternal instincts kicked in and she hugged Eiko back with her right arm. "Stay close and we'll be fine." she whispered.
They proceeded to walk down the dark corridor, the delinquents' eyes following them as they went. Mako occasionally looked behind her to see if Eiko's alright. Eiko would give her a surprised look. Mako had never acted like this before so Eiko was pretty surprised.
"Why are so many people staring at us?!" Ayano whispered. She felt very uncomfortable.
"Just keep quiet Ayano-chan! They won't mess with us if we keep quiet." Yuna shushed the girl.
After a few turns, they made it to the end of the corridor where there was another metal door, similar to the entrance's.
Once Mako opened it, she was greeted by the smell of alcohol and cigarettes.
The Donzoko Bar was the same as it was years ago. The playground was still there as well as the karaoke stage. A number of delinquents occupied the tables. There was also no one on the karaoke stage so the room was left in an awkward silence.
"Mako! You're back!" a woman with long black hair exclaimed. She served as the bartender.
"Ogin" Mako greeted in a monotone before sitting on one of the stools of the counter.
"So what'll it be lad?" Ogin asked as she leaned on the counter.
"The usual" Mako replied.
The bartender noticed that Mako was accompanied by three other people. She went up to Mako's ear.
"Who're those kids over there? They don't look like they're part of the Johannesburg." she whispered.
"The girl with the ginger hair. Her name's Eiko, Saori's daughter. She says she's got business to deal with here."
"Business eh?" she turned to the trio. "Hey kids!"
The three flinched in surprise.
"Don't start anything ye can't finish alright?"
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Eiko stuttered nervously.
Ogin went ahead and prepared Mako's drink. Meanwhile, Eiko scanned the rooms for any familiar looking people.
She soon found a girl who was sitting on one of the tables. She had a messy black bob-cut and looked as if she was part of a punk rock band with her black leather jacket. She looked as if she was stuck to her seat; Like she had spent days just sitting there.
"I think that's her." Eiko whispered to her two companions. She cautiously walked over to the table, through the other delinquents who sat on the tables. They gave her looks that made her feel like a general being stalked by a sniper.
She reached the girl who was smoking a cigarette as she listened to music on her phone.
"H-Hey" Eiko called out. The girl didn't listen to her and instead continued on listening to music.
"Are you Bunko? Bunko Ishikawa?"
The girl suddenly stopped. She turned off her phone and put out her cigarette. She slowly turned around, wearing an emotionless stare.
"Who's asking?" she said in a low voice.
"My name's Eiko. We used to be in middle school together?"
Bunko turned away. "I don't know anybody named Eiko. Stop bothering me."
"I need your help Bunko." said Eiko.
"Whatever it is, I'm not helping you."
"You can name your price."
Bunko paused for a second before replying, "What're you exactly hiring me for?"
Eiko made a small grin. Looks like she's interested.
"The school's reopened the Senshadō club. We're in need of good gunners and you're the best one I know."
The delinquent sighed, "I'm sorry... But I don't do Senshadō. Not anymore." she said, instantly losing interest.
"What? Why?" Eiko asked, "It's the accident all the third years are talking about isn't it? Why are you guys so bothered by that? No one died right?"
"You don't know what you're talking about. I won't join because I don't want to. That's the end of that. Now if you don't mind, will you please leave?" she said in the most polite way she could make it.
I guess I'll have to force her. Eiko thought before taking a deep breath, "No, I'm not leaving until you accept the deal."
"Eiko, let's not do this! We-We'll just find some others. O-Or just stick with what we've got." Yuna whispered.
"This isn't about the Senshadō club anymore Yuna. I wanna get my friend back." Eiko whispered back.
Bunko had enough. She sighed before standing up her seat. "Alright, that's it. If you're not going to leave me alone, then I'll have to force you to leave." she said calmly.
Bunko looked over her shoulder. "Prepare the bodybags."
A girl with short blonde hair stood up from her seat. "Aye!" she saluted before scurrying off into another room of the bar.
Bunko reached into her jacket and pulled a switchblade. A very real looking switchblade.
"B-Bunko, what the hell?!" exclaimed Eiko. She and the other two backed away from the delinquent while she slowly approached them.
Yuna called for help. "Mako! Help us!"
Mako didn't answer though as she was already wasted from her fifth bottle of rum.
"Shit!" Yuna cursed.
The Panzer trio were pushed against a wall. There was no escaping now. Bunko lifted her knife and was about to stab Yuna first until Ogin called to her.
"Don't do it Bunko."
The delinquent paused. "And why's that?" she asked without looking away from Yuna.
"If you kill someone, I'm gonna have to ban you from entering this here bar."
"You said you take anyone in right?"
"I take in delinquents, not murderers. Stab that kid if you wanna live in the streets for the rest of your life." Ogin threatened the girl with a menacing glare.
After a short pause, Bunko made a sigh of disappointment before she put her knife down and hid it back in her jacket.
"I suggest you leave; Before I change my mind." Bunko turned around and sat back on her table.
"Come on Eiko! Let's just get out of here!" Yuna whispered loudly.
Eiko gazed deeply at Bunko. She seemed so different from how she was years ago. Bunko felt like a completely different person. She wasn't Eiko's friend anymore, she was somebody Eiko used to know.
"Eiko! Come on!" Ayano exclaimed.
"Alright, alright! Let's get out of here!"
The trio hurried out of the bar. Mako saw them go and immediately stood up.
"Hey kids! Wait for me!" she yelled.
"Hey Mako, rum costs money you know?" said Ogin from behind.
"Put it on my tab!" Mako said before she left the bar and caught up with the others.
The four of them got out of the Johannesburg and decided to walk home.
"We only got one guy today." Eiko said in a slightly gloomy manner.
"Cheer up Eiko! We could manage with four of us!" replied Yuna.
"What would Saki's crew position be?" Ayano asked.
"Hmm... I guess she could be our driver. She drives a little scooter so I would guess that she's a better driver than me." said Eiko.
"So Saki's the driver, I'm the gunner, Ayano's the loader... What about you Eiko? What's your new position?"
"Hmm..." Eiko pondered, "Maybe... Maybe the radio operator?"
"Just like your mother huh?" Mako interjected.
"Yeah" Yuna formed a smile. "That could work!"
"That Bunko girl. How'd you make friends with a delinquent?" Mako asked.
"She wasn't a delinquent at first. In fact, she was the polar opposite. She was a quiet girl back then. She never spoke with any of us. But after she joined the Senshadō club three years ago, she began to open up to us a little bit more. That was short lived however, when the accident happened."
"The accident? Why do people keep talking about that? And what's it even about?" Yuna chimed in.
"I've heard a rumor." said Ayano, "They say that someone got seriously hurt during the 74th tournament's finals and that Oarai's third years are responsible for it. That might be why they always avoid the subject."
"You think they're trying to cover it up?" Mako asked.
Eiko replied, "Maybe..."
Monday, 8:30 A.M.
It was another day for practice. The crews gathered at the tank garages along with their tanks. Unusually, Miho wasn't there to give them a lesson.
"Where's the instructor?" Akira asked herself.
"She's probably still sleeping." said Makoto.
"That's uncharacteristic of Miss Nishizumi." Izumi replied.
"Hey what's happening? Why hasn't practice started yet?" Yuna said as she poked her head out of the Panzer's cupola.
"Prez said Miho's not here." Eiko answered from outside the tank as she looked at her watch, wondering why Saki's taking so long to arrive.
"What?! Miss Nishizumi's probably in danger! We gotta find her!" Yuna exclaimed.
"Calm down Yuna. She probably just woke up late."
After some time, Saki finally arrived. She stopped right in front of the Panzer to catch her breath.
"What took you so long?" Eiko asked, slightly annoyed.
"My house is far away from here! I got lost on the way!" the girl reasoned.
Yuna noticed a new face join them.
"Heya! You're Saki right? Eiko told me about you." she greeted.
"Th-Thanks, Yuna-san." she meekly replied.
"Just call me Yuna, no need for honorifics!"
"Well, that's all of us. Yuna have you finished the maintenance check on the tank?" Eiko said.
"Yep! The gun's working just fine!" Yuna replied inside the Panzer.
"And the tracks?" Eiko turned to Ayano who had just finished working on the tracks.
"Nothing seems out of the ordinary." she replied.
"Hey Prez, who's the new girl?" Makoto asked. She sat on top of the Hetzer which was a few meters away from the Panzer.
"That's Saki Yoshida of Class 2-B. Eiko says she's a good driver."
"Looks like they just need one more to get a full crew!" Izumi said.
Suddenly, everyone's radios came to life.
"Attention all crews! Your training starts now. Your objective is to work together in order to defeat me. I am hiding somewhere in the forest. This match will determine who will be the overall commander. Nishizumi out." the radio abruptly cut.
"Overall commander?" the five tank commanders exclaimed in unison. After realization hit them, they all smirked.
I'm gonna be the overall commander! was their collective thought.
The crews quickly made their way inside their tanks. When everyone was all aboard, the tanks rolled out of the garages and into the thick forest.
Akira began to speak on the radio for the crews to hear.
"Alright, as your student council president, I will be leading for now." she said, "Our target is the instructor. She'll be all alone so we can use our numbers to our advantage. All we need to do is to work-"
Takeda cut the radio off.
"We don't need anybody's help. We have me." she said pridefully.
"I doubt you alone are going to win this tournament for us." Wittmann replied.
"Your doubts mean nothing to me Michael. Just keep that gun aimed at the enemy." Takeda replied.
Wittmann cursed under her breath as a response.
"So what's the plan Take-chan?" Sherman asked with a teasing smile.
"We will take out the instructor's tank on our own. We will use our low profile to get close. And please, don't call me Take-chan. I don't plan on killing you just yet." she said coolly.
"Didn't the instructor tell us to work together with the other teams?" Joan, the driver, asked.
"We will work together with the others. I have a special plan for them." Takeda assured.
The Panzer was riding along the forest. They have been tasked to position at a specific spot and await orders.
"How's the driving going Saki?" Eiko asked from the radio operator's seat.
"I-It's pretty easy. I could get used to this." Saki replied with slight excitement.
"We're going up against Miho Nishizumi... Is this gonna be hard Yuna?" Ayano asked.
"I... I don't know... I'm pretty scared." replied Yuna in a serious tone.
She had been acting different since this match started. She was actually acting serious for once. Ayano could tell she was scared due to her sweating profusely and tapping her foot on the metal floor.
"Just calm down okay? We can win this if we work together with the other teams." Ayano tried to comfort the girl.
"I know, I know. It's just... We're going against one of the best Senshadō players ever. And we can't even get along with the others! Eiko, message the other teams." Yuna ordered to prove a point.
With a nod, Eiko picked up the receiver. "This is Eiko from the Anglerfish team. What's your status, over?"
"We were pretty fine; Until your annoying voice filled the inside of my tank." Takeda replied.
"Dude could you quiet down? This engine's already deafening, don't add to it." Shizume, the volleyball team's captain replied.
"U-Umm, hey senpai how's it going?" Ryu replied with a slightly nervous voice.
"Only use the radio when necessary Eiko." Akira said sternly.
Eiko put down the receiver.
"See?" said Yuna, "This is why I doubt we'll win today."
Somewhere in the forest, the Tiger tank hid under the bushes. It stood as still as a rock.
"You think this will work commander?" Miho's loader asked, "You've never done this kind of practice back at Pravda."
"This isn't Pravda. No one's been inside a tank for 2 years now. The crews need special training."
"Will you go easy on them ma'am?" Miho's gunner asked.
"No. They won't learn if they always win. They need to experience losing in order to become better. You know how it goes."
"Well, they can't keep losing either. If you beat them too often, they'll lose interest in the sport because they know they won't win." her radio operator countered.
Miho pressed her hand on her chin. "Hmm... You're right. W-What do I do then?"
"What you always do: have fun. That's your Nishizumi Way right? This isn't a tournament so we can mess around a little, test out the kids' skills."
Miho chuckled at the realization. "You're right. I keep forgetting that I'm not in Kuromorimine anymore." she muttered.
The Stug arrived in a wide clearing. In front of it was a small ridge, perfect for an ambush.
"Quick! Back up! Hide in those bushes!" Takeda ordered in a hushed tone as if she was being heard from outside the metal box.
The Stug did as ordered and reversed into the bushes where it then turned off its engines.
"What do we do now Takeda?" Sherman asked.
"I am certain the Tiger is here. We need to lure it out."
"But how would we do that?" asked Joan.
"Simple, you lure predators out with bait. One of our tanks could act as the bait while we stay here."
"So we're like, hunting right?" said Wittmann.
"No, we are hunting."
Takeda took out her radio. "This is Takeda Shingen of the Hippo Team. We've found the Tiger. It's hiding somewhere near us."
"What?! Where are you now?" Akira, slightly panicked, exclaimed.
"Point D-4. We're hiding under a bush so be careful firing. Takeda out." she then put out the radio.
While Yuna and her crew sat inside their motionless tank, waiting for the order to attack, a voice crackled out of the radio.
"All teams, do you copy?" Akira said.
"This is Shizume, I hear ya dudes."
"This is Ryu, we copy Akira-senpai."
"Eiko from the Anglerfish Team. We copy."
"Hippo Team's made the Tiger. Get over to Point D-4, they need help."
"Copy that Prez!" they all exclaimed in unison.
"It's ma'am, not Prez!"
Eiko put down the radio's receiver.
"Let's get moving then! Forward Saki!" Yuna ordered.
"Y-Yes Yuna!" she replied in a shaky voice. The Panzer rolled down the hill and rode to the east.
Conveniently, Miho arrived at Point D-4. She hid inside one of the tall bushes atop the small ridge. Unbeknownst to the instructor and her crew, they were in the presence of the Stug.
"Let's stay here. One of them will probably drive around here to scout." Miho said.
After a while, Miho's crew heard a distant rumble of an engine. The crew who was lazing about inside the tank quickly sprang to action.
"Wait for a good moment to fire. We can't risk exposing our position." Miho said.
On the Stug's side, Takeda's radio turned on. "Hey dudes, this is Shizume. We're coming up on your position. What's the haps over there bro?"
"The Tiger's gone. Get over here and we can find them together. Just stop in the clearing alright?" she replied.
"Alright dude, gotcha! We'll keep an eye out. Shizume out." the radio turned off.
"It's all going according to plan!" Takeda muttered as she wore a grin.
One minute passed and the Chaffee arrived, speeding through the forest like an arrow.
The Tiger saw it and followed the tank with its cannon, anticipating its movement to get the most accurate shot.
Takeda waited in anticipation for the Tiger to reveal itself.
Miho let out a breath, "Fire!"
A shot rang out, causing the birds in the trees to fly away. The force of the shot caused the leaves around the German heavy tank to get blown away.
The bullet entered the speeding Chaffee through its thin hull. The tank was knocked out of the road and it crashed into a tree. A white flag popped out of its turret.
"We're down dudes!" Shizume reported through the radio.
"Don't worry! We're coming over!" Akira replied, "Takeda do you know where the Tiger is?"
"Clear as day Prez, clear as day." she replied, now wearing a devilish grin. "Fire!"
The Stug fired its shell out of the bushes and into the trees atop the small hill. Unexpectedly, it did not impact with anything.
Takeda's grin quickly switched to shock. Before she could speak, her tank was suddenly shot, causing it to recoil. A white flag popped out of the hull.
"H-How!?" Takeda yelled in both confusion and anger.
"They moved positions dumbass!" Wittmann replied, clutching her head from the impact.
"Th-This is Takeda of the Hippo Team... We're down!"
"Shit! There's only three of us left." Akira muttered as she sat in the commander's seat. Sweating and tapping her foot as she thought up of a plan to defeat the tank ace.
She couldn't think up of something in time as the Hetzer arrived on the scene. Hidden by the bushes was the smoking husk of the Stug. And in the distance, next to a fallen tree was the corpse of the Chaffee, its turret limp.
Akira went out of the tank's cupola. "What the hell happened here?"
Suddenly, another shot rang out of the woods. The shell landed close to the Hetzer. Akira quickly slid back inside.
The Panzer arrived just in time to aid the Turtle Team.
"What's happening?!" Eiko yelled.
"The Tiger's in the trees! Reverse back to the forest-" the Hetzer was suddenly shot and disabled.
"Crap!" Yuna cursed, "We have to get out of the open! Reverse!"
The Panzer slid back into the forest while the Tiger went out of hiding.
"It's only the Bob Semple and the Panzer left. We can take them." Miho said.
"Commander, isn't it better if we just stalk them like we did the others?" her driver asked.
"No, I wanna see how that Yuna girl could do under pressure!" she replied with a determined smile. "Get after them!"
"Keep reversing!" Yuna yelled, "We need to get as far away from the Tiger as we can!"
"How do we kill it then?!" Eiko yelled.
"We need to get out of its line of sight, then we hide!"
"Wait they can see us?!"
A shot suddenly flew out of the trees, almost hitting the Panzer.
"It's Miho Nishizumi! She's got the eye of a hawk and the patience of a sniper! We can't get away that easily!"
The Panzer suddenly bumped into something which caused it to stop. Yuna quickly got out of the cupola to inspect what happened. Turns out, they hit the Bob Semple which was just sitting in the middle of the forest, its engines broken.
Another shot came from the forest, hitting right in front of the Panzer.
Yuna quickly popped out of the cupola. "Outta the way!"
Ryu got out of the Semple's hatch. "S-Sorry senpai! We're stuck!"
The Tiger shot again. It missed the Panzer but hit the Semple which instantly destroyed it.
"Crap!" Yuna exclaimed before getting inside the tank.
She sat back down on the gunner's seat and took a look at the scope. She couldn't see anything. Only the trees and the forest's darkness.
From that darkness another shot rang out, almost hitting the Panzer again. The Tiger's aim was getting more and more precise with each shot. Yuna had to do something about it.
"I have an idea!" Saki suddenly yelled. The other three turned to her. "Can you trust me?!"
There's nothing much else I can do... Shit! We really need a gunner right now! she thought, "Wh-What's your plan?!"
"Just hold on to something alright?!"
The Panzer couldn't reverse anymore with the wreck of the Semple blocking it. So it went out of reverse and maneuvered its way around the destroyed tank before making a bee line through the forest.
"What the hell are we doing?" Yuna exclaimed as she held on to the Panzer's gun.
Saki saw a fence in the distance. They were rapidly approaching it. The German tank didn't stop as it crashed into the metal fence.
The Panzer crew suddenly found themselves back at the tank garages.
"Gun ready commander!" Miho's loader said.
"Hold your fire!" Miho replied.
The Tiger reached the broken fence and went through it. The two tanks were now at the tank garages. They didn't fire because it was too risky.
"Don't fire unless you get a clear shot! We could hit the school building if we're not careful!" Miho warned.
"Alright what's next?!" Yuna asked.
"Just keep holding onto that gun commander!" Saki replied with a visible grin on her face.
The Panzer began to move again and the Tiger gave chase. They got out of the tank garages and drove around the school building, firing no shots as the students watched them from the windows.
Bunko was lazing around in her class seat. It was lunchtime now and she had nothing to do. She heard a faint rumble outside. She sat up her chair and looked at the window. Her eyes widened as she saw a Panzer IV getting chased by a Tiger H1. They seemed to be playing a game of cat and mouse.
It took a minute before the two tanks appeared on her window again. This time, the Panzer fired a shot which missed.
"Be careful when you're firing Yuna! We don't wanna kill anybody!" Eiko yelled.
"I know, I know! Dammit this is hard!" Yuna replied as she squinted her eyes and adjusted her aim.
"Should we fire commander?" Miho's gunner asked.
"Wait for them to get steady, then fire!"
The two German tanks appeared on Bunko's class window again. The Panzer fired and missed.
"That tank has one shitty gunner." she remarked silently.
A minute passed, the two tanks appeared again for the final time as the Tiger fired and destroyed the Panzer in one shot. The Panzer instantly stopped in its tracks as a white flag popped out of its turret.
Bunko's whole class was left in shock and awe. They soon erupted into cheers and so did the neighboring classes. Bunko however, was left in disappointment. She was rooting for the Panzer to win. That was her old tank after all.
After a few seconds, the crews of the two tanks got out of their vehicles. And that's when Bunko's eyes widened. She saw three familiar faces exit the Panzer IV: Eiko, and her two companions.
"So this is what they were talking about when they'd hire me..."
The Tiger and Panzer's crews met.
Yuna met Miho. She was visibly nervous as sweat poured from her head as her legs were shaking like a rattlesnake's tail.
"That was a good match, Yuna." Miho said as she extended a hand.
"Th-Th-Thank you... M-Miss Nishizumi!" Yuna replied with a nervous smile.
"Going out of the forest and into the school grounds was an unorthodox move. Did you think up of that?" Miho asked the girl.
"I-I-It was my driver ma'am."
Miho turned to Saki. "That was a nice strategy! Going into the school grounds like that."
The girl gave a slightly nervous smile. "Thank you ma'am! I thought going here would restrict your aim, and that would give us the advantage. But we shouldn't have underestimated your gunner's skill."
Inside Bunko's classroom, her classmates were done cheering and they were now excitedly talking to each other.
"That was so cool! Now I'm thinking of changing my mind and joining that club!"
"Now I kinda wished I didn't join the Incense Club."
"Hey Bunko, didn't you used to be from the Senshadō Club? Can you tell us how it was?"
Bunko gave all her classmates a cold stare as she made no reply.
"O-Oh right, I-I forgot. Sorry Bunko!" her classmate nervously said.
The tank crews gathered at the tank garages. They all struggled to stand as they were all tired and dirty.
"Good job on the training everyone!" Miho congratulated them, "Your teamwork needs improvement but you still managed to cooperate during the hill ambush. I suggest you rest, for we will be having a practice match with a different school this weekend."
Everyone exclaimed in surprise.
"It will be held in the town of Oarai in Ibaraki so some of you would have a chance to meet your relatives as well. Now are there any questions?"
Takeda raised her hand. "Miss Nishizumi! Since we all lost against you, who shall be our overall commander?"
"Oh I almost forgot! Since all of you lost, we'll have to assign a temporary overall commander. And that commander will be none other than Yuna Fujiwara."
Everyone again exclaimed in surprise, except for the Akira, she didn't mind.
"What?! Why is she the commander?!" Takeda exclaimed.
"She's a nobody! She's not fit to be commander!" Makoto protested.
"This might be a bad idea Instructor Nishizumi." Izumi calmly said.
"She's the last one to survive. Clearly she and her crew are the most skilled." Miho replied to the protests.
"She was just lucky!" Takeda yelled.
The protests and the yelling continued and Miho couldn't keep up with them. She got more irritated as the complains kept piling up.
Once the instructor had enough, she yelled, "SILENCE!" as she stomped her foot on the ground. She had the look of her mother, but it was more intense than a silent, cold glare. It was like a tiger staring down its prey.
Everyone immediately fell silent. Today was the day that Takeda felt fear for the first time in her life.
Miho quickly calmed down. "Ahem, Yuna will be your overall commander, for now. We'll have practice daily from now on. The tournament's just a few months away."
"NOW ARE THERE ANY OTHER OBJECTIONS?!" the instructor yelled.
Everyone shook their heads nervously.
"Good!" Miho said with a kind smile, "You're all dismissed!"
Meanwhile, the headmistress' office, Yuzu watched as the various tank crews dispersed. She wore a proud smile as she observed them from her window.
The Senshadō Club is finally back together. I should tell the others about this. she thought.
Yuzu made her way to the office desk and picked up the telephone which sat on the table.
Somewhere...
A tall woman with red hair in twintails sat at her desk inside a dark and decrepit room. She was slightly surprised when her telephone rang.
So it does still work. she thought in revelation.
A few more rings later and she picked it up.
"Yes?"
"Hey Emi, this is Yuzu Koyama from Oarai Girls. Are you free this weekend?"
"Ah Yuzu. Yeah sure, I'm free. What're we doing on the weekends?" she asked.
"Well, our Senshadō Club's been revived. I've been thinking of challenging you to a short little practice match. We'll be doing it in the town of Oarai."
Emi's eyes widened in surprise. "O-Oh crap! T-That's great! Yes of course I accept the challenge! I'll go ahead and prepare my team." she said enthusiastically.
"See you this weekend Emi! Have a good day!"
"You too!" Emi put down the phone. She then stood up, an excited smile on her face.
"Finally! We've finally got a match after so long!" she muttered to herself. She then pulled out her phone and dialed someone.
"Kasumi! Ready the tanks and the crews for practice!"
"Huh? What? I'm kinda in the middle of a gang war right now." the voice of a girl with a rather vulgar accent replied on the phone. Emi could hear the sounds of fighting in the background.
"Just prepare the Senshadō Club when you can alright? We have a match this weekend." Emi said.
"What?! A match?! O-Okay ma'am I'll try to do it as soon as possible!"
"Good" she replied before hanging up.
Emi sighed, "Oarai... Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while." she pulled out a picture from one of her pockets. It was a picture of her and Miho when they were in children. They had two other friends with them as they sat on top of a tank.
"I wonder if she's still there."
To be continued...
A/N : Thanks for reading Chapter 3! If you have can, leave a review. Gimme some concrit. I need it like the Germans need Persia's oil fields.
I probably won't be able to post a new chapter for a few weeks since I have school stuff coming up.
Lastly, yes, the Panzer IV's driver is based on 177013's MC and I'll probably give the upcoming new characters similar names too.