Yuna jumped up from her bed, rudely awoken by her phone blaring the PTSD-inducing sound of the iPhone alarm. A split second later, and the headache kicked in. She let out a pained grunt, wincing before she got out of bed.

After she massaged her forehead, Yuna looked towards her window to the right where the sun was peeking over the horizon.

Oh right... it's Monday...

She then made her way to the kitchen to eat breakfast, tripping on a plastic cup on the way and spilling water all over the lightwood floor.

"Ah goddammit. Gotta clean that up later. Man, last night was crazy..." Yuna mumbled before continuing on her way to the kitchen.

Upon arrival, she immediately checked the fridge and grew a smile at the sight of an omurice doria bento, bought straight from the local convenience store. Yuna grabbed it, placed it inside the microwave next to the fridge and then decided to do a few chores while it reheated.

She went over to her bookshelf with a TV placed on top of it. There was an empty cup of ramen laid on the ground in front of the shelf which served as her dinner last night; it was also bought from the convenience store. Next to it was the plastic cup Yuna spilled earlier. She picked up her trash and went back to the kitchen to throw it in the bin before going back over to the shelf.

The shelf on which the TV sat was not filled with books as one would expect. Instead it served as space to store Yuna's countless figurines ranging from model tanks; nendoroids of a brunette woman named Miho Nishizumi; and fumos in the form of her favorite tank commanders.

Yuna only had two books in her possession, those being "The History of Japanese Senshadō" and "A Biography of Miho Nishizumi - The Greatest Tank Ace". Both were not placed in the shelf but were instead hidden inside one of the drawers of her writing desk, situated next to her bed.

After arranging her many collectibles, Yuna wiped the floor with a rag she got from the kitchen before going back for her breakfast. She took the bento out of the microwave, ripped off the plastic cover, inhaled the mouth-watering aroma, and dug in.

As Yuna paced around her apartment while she ate her breakfast with some disposable chopsticks, she admired the different posters she put up on the beige walls, all depicting Miho Nishizumi outside a Tiger H1 cupola relaying an order to her crew.

Yuna always dreamed to be a tanker, to ride around in a tank with the wind on her hair just like her many idols. She wanted to meet the tank commanders from the different schools around the world and fight them in Senshadō matches. She wanted to influence the future generations to come. And most importantly of all, she wanted friends who would ride the tanks with her. It's too bad though. One couldn't achieve those things if they study at an old school that has forgotten the sport for years.

The thoughts of never being able to fulfill her dreams and living alone for the rest of her life started to creep their way inside Yuna's head, filling her with grief, but she drove those negative thoughts back inside the deepest recesses of her mind and reminded herself that she could always rely on her fantasies to keep her happy.

Yuna tried so hard to reject the harsh reality of her life that she didn't notice her bento was empty, all of its contents now in her stomach.

Slightly surprised that she blacked out for a moment, Yuna tossed the bento box into the bin in the kitchen.

She told herself, "I gotta get rid of those posters..." before making her way to the bathroom to fix herself up and get ready for school.

Yuna gave herself one look at the mirror and was met by a woman who looked like a bomb blew up in her face. Her long, light brown hair was messy; her pajamas were stained with soup from the ramen; and her eyes were baggier than a pair of jeans.

"Holy hell, did I wild out last night?"

After seeing herself in such an untidy state, Yuna decided to clean herself up. A few minutes later, she came out of the bathroom with the bedhead gone, the bags under her eyes slightly invisible, and now wearing her school uniform which consisted of a white sailor uniform with a green trim, a matching green skirt, and a black neckerchief.

Yuna took one last look at her apartment to see if anything's out of order before grabbing her blue school bag from the chair of her writing desk and making her way to her apartment's genkan. She put on her black shoes which where left scattered on the entryway and stepped out. Once outside her apartment, Yuna closed the door, locked it, hid the key inside her bag - which she carried on one shoulder - and made her way out of her apartment complex.

Now at street level, Yuna took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh ocean air mixed with smoke from a passing car.

"Today's gonna be a good day!" she told herself before embarking on the journey to school.

Yuna walked with a pep in her step through the narrow, maze-like streets of the Zuikaku carrier. Sometimes she would meet a fellow student and she'd wave hello to them. Most of the students didn't wave back though as they had no idea who she was. Sometimes Yuna would get distracted by cats perched on walls. She'd try to pet them but almost always fails as the cat would either run away or hiss at her. Sometimes she'd even find herself lost as the alleys felt like copies of themselves. Slowly but surely though, she got closer and closer to the school.

Now Yuna couldn't walk all the way to Oarai. In fact, her school's a couple of kilometers away from her apartment. That's why, like everybody else, she has to take the train.

As she made her way through the suburbs of the Zuikaku, Yuna noticed some of the houses started getting replaced by cafes and bakeries and the roads started getting wider. Those bakeries, whose products proudly displayed themselves on the windows, made the young schoolgirl halt. The brunette now stood unmoving in the middle of the sidewalk, her eyes focused on the displayed food of one of the bakeries across the street. She scanned the trays for anything that might satisfy her lust for consumption, but disappointingly, none did so she resumed her walk.

She checked her watch and it displayed "6:45 AM". A smile then crept up her face. I still have time!

After a while of walking, Yuna now found herself in the middle of a public square where the station entrance was. All semblances of a quiet and peaceful neighborhood were thrown out the window as the young schoolgirl was now smack dab in the hustle and bustle of the commercial center of the Zuikaku: Mito District.

Mito District is to the Zuikaku, what the Financial District is to L.A. In this part of the carrier, hundreds of salarymen and office women work tiring jobs and break their backs just to make a living.

Yuna felt overwhelmed as she was surrounded by commuters whose statures were towering compared to her. She managed to squeeze through the tight crowds though, and successfully made it to the station entrance.

She made her way underground and found the station's shopping centre. There, she searched for a bakery and eventually found one where she bought her most favorite delicacy of all: the Yakisoba Pan. After gobbling up the fried noodle sandwich, she ordered another one to go. Yuna placed it in her bag before hurrying to the metro station as she was notified of the arrival of her train by an announcer.

Yuna caught her daily train just in time but it was packed like a sardine can in there. There was absolutely no chance she could find a seat so she just stood and was sandwiched by the crowd. The smell of various types of colognes and deodorants mixed with sweat which invaded the schoolgirl's nostrils, made it a living hell for a morning commute.

It took a while to arrive at another station. Once the train opened its doors, the crowd came spilling out. Yuna was finally free and thus she took in massive breaths of fresh air. After taking a small rest, the brunette continued her journey to school. She checked her watch and it told her the time was "7:20 AM".

I made it... Just about... she thought before she caught an escalator and ascended to ground level.

It would only take a few more minutes to get there. Yuna was now reunited with her fellow schoolmates who also made their way to the campus, so she followed them.

While amongst the crowd of students, Yuna looked around for any familiar faces. She didn't have to look far as she realized the person she was looking for was walking right beside her, oblivious to her presence.

She was a girl with a long black ponytail. She wore large round glasses whose bright reflection obscured her dark brown eyes. She walked with a slouched posture, almost as if she was hiding from someone, or trying to lower her profile. Yuna immediately identified her as Ayano, her sister from another mother and her only friend in this world.

The brunette gave the bespectacled girl a slap on the back which led to her letting out a quiet squeal. Ayano turned her head to Yuna, her bright red face on full display.

"Ohayō, Aya-chan!" Yuna greeted with a wide open grin. Her loud voice caught the attention of a few who walked along with them.

"Y-Yuna! Wh-Why'd you do that?!" she said quietly, flustered at the unwanted attention.

"Oh come on! Aren't you glad to see me?"

"I-I am, but why'd you have to yell?"

"I haven't seen you ever since last Friday! I couldn't help it after seeing your adorable self! Come on, bring it in!" Yuna then went for a hug, only to be pushed away.

"Stop doing that! It's embarrassing! A-And quiet down! We're in public!"

Yuna chuckled awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head. " Hehe, alright I'll stop. Anyway, how was the weekend? Did ya get any progress with, ahem, the guy?" she nudged Ayano's shoulder with her elbow.

"Can't we talk about this in private?! W-We're surrounded by people right now!" she whispered, looking around shyly. Ayano despised any form of attention. She'd rather just stay in the shadows rather than stand out.

"Come on! I'm sure they won't hear! Besides, I won't leave you alone 'til you tell me!" Yuna teased.

"Fine! Just don't start yelling all of a sudden okay?" she asked to which Yuna nodded eagerly. The brunette then placed her arm over her friend's shoulder which resulted in her glasses sliding down her nose but she pushed her them up before they could fall. More of the students they walked along with noticed them.

Ayano then whispered into Yuna's ear, "Alright, so... I followed him to a cafe on Central Street. I sat three tables away from him, and get this! He managed to glimpse at me five times that day! Five times!"

"Oh wow! That's a record breaker!" Yuna patted her friend on the back. "That's the 24th glimpse this month right?"

"Yep! I owe you for those clothes you gave me, Yuna! I think he liked it." Ayano then adjusted her glasses.

"Ah, I told you he would! Now a good outfit's not enough! You gotta crack a smile more often! Plus, you gotta stop being all introverted alright? If not, then your relationship's gonna get stuck at glimpses and simple greetings!"

"Oh, sure! Let me just turn off my social anxiety for a sec! You dumbass! And you said I gotta smile?! Are you crazy?! I'd look horrible!"

"No you won't, you'd look pretty cute! Those glasses really boost your level of moe...ness. And you know, most guys like youthfully-innocent-and-vulnerable-but-in-the-idealized-type-of-way kind of girls!"

"Th-That sounds creepy." Ayano replied with a chuckle.

"Well, you're not trying to date a 30-year-old guy aren't you? Ooh, and speaking of him, I got into contact with the guy, and I set up a blind date between you two!"

"You what?!" Ayano yelled in a hushed way.

"Relax Aya-chan! If anything goes wrong, I'll step in and help ya out! 'Cuz that's what friends do remember?"

"I... I guess? When's the date gonna happen?"

"Eh, in a couple weeks since he's pretty busy and all."

"Whew!" Ayano swiped some sweat off her forehead. "At least I got some time to prepare." she then gave Yuna a light punch in the stomach for getting her into this situation. "Just don't do some crazy shit like that again alright?"

"I-I won't..." she said in a pained voice before she removed her arm from Ayano's shoulder to tend to her injury. Yuna then checked her watch. "Hey, it's 7:30. We should probably hurry up."

"No shit," the spectacled schoolgirl whispered, "You wanna get yelled at by the Public Morals Committee girl?"

The two then stopped their conversation and quickened their pace to school. Soon enough, they reached its outer walls. Now they just need to get to the gate before it closes.

While Yuna and her bashful friend were walking along the sidewalk, they were suddenly pushed aside by a very peculiar looking girl who had three more peculiar looking girls in tow. She paid no mind to the two schoolgirls and continued to walk.

"Woah, hey! Watch where you're going!" Yuna exclaimed but was ignored.

She then noticed the four girls - who walked in a single file line - wore unusual clothes. Two of the girls wore officer's tunics of some kind while the one at the end of the line only wore her Oarai uniform and nothing else, but for some reason was still part of the clique. The one who lead the group was most peculiar of all. The girl in question wore a red headband that was tied in a ribbon. She also donned the chest armor of a samurai over her school uniform, as well as a shoulder guard on her right arm. She had short dark gray hair, red-brown eyes, and a permanent stern look on her face.

"Who the heck are they?" Yuna whispered to Ayano.

"I dunno. M-Maybe they're cosplayers?" Yuna's friend answered also in a whisper. Surprisingly, the samurai girl managed to hear it and she came to a halt, causing her three comrades to bump into one another.

The girl looked over her shoulder and glared at Ayano. "What the hell did you just call us?"

Ayano gasped and hid behind Yuna who now had to face the brunt of the upcoming verbal attack.

The four girls walked over to the brunette, offense was evident in their eyes. Yuna went stiff as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.

"Who are you supposed to be? Her yojimbo?" the samurai girl asked with a raised brow.

"U-Uhh no! I'm just a friend of hers! Now I-I apologize on her behalf for offending you. She didn't mean anything by it, I swear. B-But uh, I do gotta ask though..."

The costumed trio plus their normal-looking comrade raised their eyebrows.

"Why do you guys have those... things on? Are you like, part of a play or something?"

"Why it's our club uniform of course! Have you not heard of us before?"

"W-Well... I-I haven't seen you at all in the school papers, a-and Muranaka-san hasn't told me about any samurai girl, s-so yeah, I haven't heard anything about you."

The samurai girl crossed her arms and muttered, "Huh... maybe I should pay a visit to the reporter lady then..."

One of the tunic-wearing girls leaned over and interjected. "You know, you're not that well-known as you picture yourself to be, Takeda."

Takeda turned around and said, "Silence Wittmann, I'll ask for your opinion when I need it." leading to the girl grumbling something incoherent.

The samurai girl then cleared her throat and turned around. "Please, excuse my rudeness. I did not know you were unaware of who I am. I suppose an introduction is due?"

Yuna just nervously nodded. She noticed Takeda carrying around a katana on her waist. Whether it was real or not, she didn't want to know.

"I am Takeda Shingen, it's a pleasure to meet you." the girl bowed.

"W-Wait, isn't Takeda one of those samurai people from the Sengoku-jidai?" Yuna asked, puzzled at the weird name. "And isn't Shingen a boy name? Are you like, one of those people who dress up as girls even though their guys?"

"You mean traps?" replied the girl behind Takeda who wore no costume.

"Yeah traps!"

"Do not interrupt me d'Arc!"

"It's Jean!"

"Can you just tell the girl your real name already?" said Wittmann.

The samurai girl sighed in frustration before turning back to Yuna. "Fine, my real name is Tsuruki Shinzu, descendant of the great Tsuruki Shizuka. You must know her right?"

"Uhh, no not really." she said with an embarrassed smile which urked Takeda but she refused to speak further.

The brunette then introduced herself in return. "Well, my name's Fujiwara Yuna! Descendant of Fujiwara Kazue!"

Takeda tilted her head. "I-I'm sorry, but remind me, who's this Kazue?"

"She's my mother of course!"

The samurai girl was left puzzled and stood there trying to figure out in which history book she's read mentioned that name, but she failed to identify this mysterious woman named "Fujiwara Kazue".

Ayano, now calmed down, then went out of hiding and decided to introduce herself too. "M-My name's Ishii Ayano-" she extended a hand but it was ignored by Takeda as she was occupied with one of her comrades. The bespectacled girl died inside after that interaction and she chose to not speak any further.

"What is it Sherman-"

"William!" the girl corrected.

Takeda sighed in exasperation, "William. Why are you bothering me? Can't you see I'm busy introducing myself?"

"Dude, it's literally 7:50! We gotta go! You wanna invoke Akami's wrath or something?"

"Akami? You two are friends?"

"We walk in similar circles. Now come on, we're gonna be late!" Takeda's three comrades then sprinted off.

Takeda soon followed them but gave a few words of goodbye first. "We'll meet again, Fujiwara."

After that, Yuna and Ayano noticed they too were gonna be late so they ran towards the gate. Once they reached it, they prepared themselves for a full blown roast session from Akane Narumi, the head of the Public Morals Committee, but thankfully she was grilling somebody else for being late and so the two slipped past and ran to their class.

Yuna and Ayano ran through the mostly empty halls of the main school building. They climbed a set of stairs which lead to the upper level before running through a hallway, passing by the library; the History Club room; and a few other classrooms.

They turned another corner and saw a sign above one of the classroom doors in the distance which read "2-C". Their destination was confirmed.

Yuna and Ayano halted to a stop as they almost missed their classroom. Before Yuna slid open the door, she checked her watch.

"8:17! We made it Aya-chan!" Yuna said, panting heavily.

"Yeah... W-We did..." she replied, also panting heavily. She held onto Yuna's shoulder with her right hand while the other adjusted her glasses.

Yuna then opened the door and the whole class turned their attention to her for a second before going back to their business. Ayano as always, hid behind her friend as she walked in. She then detached herself from Yuna and went straight to her seat to fiddle with her phone and be left alone. The brunette however, went over to one of the occupied seats by the windows where an acquaintance of hers sat.

The acquaintance in question was a girl of the same height as Yuna. She had short ginger hair and light brown eyes which were focused on a small book she was reading. Yuna couldn't make out the title so she went closer. But once she was noticed, her acquaintance hid the booklet in her bag.

"Hey Eiko-san! How was the weekend?"

"Hello Fujiwara-san, it wasn't much. Just sat around the house all day watching TV." Eiko leaned against her seat and looked up to the girl.

"Just call me Yuna. We're friends now right?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. You're gonna have to return the book first." Eiko then smirked at her. "Unless, you've accidentally lost it?"

Yuna began to sweat. "I-I uhh, I didn't lose it!" she assured, "It's in my writing desk. I-I just forgot to bring it is all."

"If you didn't lose it, then why're you sweating so much? Ya nervous that I might see through your little act?" asked the ginger haired girl, her smirk becoming wider and wider as time progressed. "You know, that book cost a lot of yen right? It'd be a shame if it was suddenly lost."

"I-I... I uhh... It was good talking to ya..." Yuna nervously retreated back to her seat.

"If you don't return the book by Sunday, you'll owe me your weekly salary!" Eiko warned Yuna just before the teacher arrived to start the 1st Period.

The class went on as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary came up. To Yuna and Ayano, this was just gonna be another Monday where they sit around and talk.

The four periods passed by so quickly, Yuna didn't even notice it. Now it was time for lunch. The brunette arranged her chair so that it would face Ayano's before she took out her bento from her bag and presented it on the desk. Her friend did the same.

"Alright! We'll open our bentos on three! One... two... and three- holy crap you got curry for lunch?!" Yuna exclaimed, her bento still unopened.

"Shh! Don't be so loud!" Ayano, who acted like a scolding mother for a second, said in a whisper.

"O-Oh right..." Yuna settled down. She then opened her bento box and revealed to Ayano five futomakizushi which had a colorful assortment of salmon, capelin roe, fried eggs, and cucumbers.

"Let me guess, you bought it from a convenience store?" Yuna's spectacled friend asked, her tense behavior from earlier that day seemingly gone.

Yuna chucked, "Where else could've I bought it? You know I can't cook!"

Ayano, now with a visible smile said, "Well then, you gotta learn to soon. Or else you're gonna be a bad wife."

The brunette shrugged. "Who says I'm planning to be one?"

"Wait, you're gonna stay single all your life?!"

"Yeah! I don't wanna have a husband, or kids, or any of that jazz! That's tiring! I'm happiest when I'm by myself and so I'll stay by myself 'til the end of time!" Yuna crossed her arms whilst sporting a smug grin.

"Hmm... You do you I guess. Anyways, let's eat."

The two put their hands together and said in unison, "Itadakimasu!" before they pulled out their utensils and dug in. It took Yuna a mere two minutes to wipe her bento box clean of sushi rolls. Meanwhile, Ayano was halfway finished with her curry.

While the brunette was leaned back on her seat, a satisfied look on her face as she rubbed her stuffed belly, the sliding doors of the classroom suddenly opened, causing her to jump up in surprise. Ayano turned around to look at what was happening and saw her classmates doing the same.

A second after the loud interruption, three girls suddenly barged in and walked their way to the teacher's podium before facing the class with stern looks. This wasn't the first time they've visited though so Yuna grew a rather tired look.

"Not again... What does the Student Council want for us now?" Yuna muttered, careful not to be heard by one of the trio.

Akira Kawashima, the president of the Student Council, stood before the bemused students, her hands behind her back. She had long black hair tied into twintails and wore a weird monocle on her left eye. She always radiated an authoritative aura except for when she's alone.

Flanking her were Makoto Nagama who had short dark brown hair and hazel brown eyes, and Izumi Saikawa with long curly brown hair tied into a ponytail. These two were the Vice President and the PR Manager respectively.

Izumi, for some reason, kept an emotionless blank stare while Makoto tried so hard to be menacing as she wore a grumpy looking face. Akira however, was well versed in intimidation. Her dour looks and silent stares could put fear in any Oarai student's heart.

Yuna however, wasn't impressed. She saw them more as a nuisance than a threat. It's partly the cause of them ignoring her for she's considered lower than them.

The awkward silence was then broken, as after Akira finished scanning the room, she opened her mouth and everybody was sent into a split second state of panic.

"Where is Fujiwara Yuna?"

The brunette's heart dropped and her fingertips immediately grew cold. Cold sweat moisturized her face as she drew quick breaths.

Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit!

Meanwhile, Ayano hid her bento as fast as possible before sitting upright with her hands clasped together on the table. She too sweat up a storm.

Yuna looked around, trying to telepathically tell her classmates, "Please don't rat me out! I didn't do shit to any of you!"

"Well? Anyone gonna answer?" Akira demanded a response. A millisecond later, someone raised a hand and the three Student Council members turned to her.

"I-I know where Yuna is!"

"Where is she?"

The girl pointed to a brunette girl who sat on a chair facing another. Without expressing her gratitude to the one who revealed Yuna's position, Akira walked over to the girl she was looking for.

Yuna's heart beat so fast that it could jump out her chest. She kept a sheepish smile as the three surrounded her. They were like tall, towering skyscrapers as they held an imposing stature whilst looking down at the brunette.

"Good afternoon Fujiwara-san."

"H-Hey K-Kaichou!" Yuna waved hello with her trembling hand.

"We apologize for interrupting your meal, I assure you this will be quick. We came here to procure your service in helping out with a newly-revived club."

"C-Club? Service? Wh-Why not ask someone else? I-I'm not really good with manual labor and that kinda stuff..."

"We're not asking you to be our slave, lunkhead!" Makoto snarled.

"Calm down Makoto, you can't recruit anyone with that attitude!" Izumi reprimanded before turning to Yuna with a calming smile. "We've heard from Muranaka-san of the Broadcasting Club that you're well-versed in the art of Senshadō, correct?"

Yuna's fear suddenly turned to surprise and intrigue. "S-S-Senshadō?"

Upon hearing those words, Yuna's classmates began murmuring.

"Yes," Akira nodded, "The ancient Japanese sport involving World War 2 era tanks. A situation concerning the school has lead to the reintroduction of our old club; I'll explain the situation in more detail later. We've searched the school for any people who know about the sport but it seems like everyone's forgotten how it works. Everyone, except you. And that's why we came here. So Fujiwara, will you join the Senshadō Club?" the president extended a hand over to Yuna and waited for a handshake.

"-And that's not a yes or no question, we insist!" Makoto exclaimed and was immediately shushed by Izumi.

"Will I ever!" Yuna, with a wide grin, immediately shook Akira's hand which resulted in the trio smiling.

All while this happened, Ayano was still frozen in her seat like a statue. She was safe however as she was considered nonexistent to the Student Council members.

The Student Council trio backed off a little to give Yuna space before Akira said, "Good, now for your first order of business: advertising."

Yuna tilted her head with a puzzled smile. "W-What?"

40 minutes later, at the Gymnasium...

Yuna stood as straight as an arrow on a platform before a hundred students who looked on in amused curiosity. Stage fright overtook her and she sent into a paralyzed state. The brunette sported the only surviving Oarai tanker jacket before the club closed. Once belonging to someone named Azusa Sawa, the jacket bore the symbol of a cartoon pink rabbit behind it. Unfortunately, the jacket was stained with dirt and mud from days of old which made Yuna look like a disheveled soldier coming home from a war.

As her first order of business, she was to show the students an example of what a tank commander looked like. Although she didn't do a good job as she just stood there as still as a twig while Akira, who stood beside her, gave the audience a rousing speech.

Behind the two of them was an old archived footage of a Senshadō match between Oarai and an unidentified school from 1984. It was played on loop and gave the audience a distraction from their Student Council president's rambling.

"...And that's why we turn to you, dear students of Oarai. Together, we can save our school from sinking! Join the Senshadō Club now, and you will be etched in the annals of this school's history as legends!" Akira ended her speech with a mic drop.

Izumi then walked up and joined the two. She turned to the crowd and said, "If that speech didn't convince you yet, then this offer should." she then held out a 1/4 sheet of paper and read out its contents. "Those who participate will receive 200 lunch coupons, 100 discount coupons for dried sweet potatoes, and 200 pardons for tardiness."

The crowd then broke out into cheer.

Akira smiled. It seemed like her plan proved successful. She then turned to Yuna and returned to her usual serious look. "Meet us at the sheds near the track and field. You know the place?"

Yuna nodded. "Yeah, I take my lunch there with Aya-chan sometimes. Place's serene and full of history."

Geez... This girl's quite peculiar...

With her job of advertising done, Yuna retreated down the platform and reunited with Ayano. After Akira finished her closing speech they went back to class and waited until the end of the day.

Afternoon came and Yuna still couldn't believe what was happening. She was dreaming about riding around in tanks last night and now she'll actually be riding one in real life. She couldn't confirm if this day was just one long dream or if it's actuall real, regardless though, she needed to be at the tank sheds.

Yuna hurriedly walked around the track and field to avoid colliding with a runner as she were getting late for practice. She also dragged Ayano along with her. Even though she didn't really want to be on the club, she was forced to join as she would be separated from her only friend if she didn't.

Once the two rounded the corner of a random building, the tank sheds appeared into view. Before one of the rusty green doors of one of the buildings gathered the volunteers, some whose faces were familiar to Yuna and Ayano. The two arrived just in time as Akira - accompanied by her other two SC members - was reading names out of a clipboard for attendance.

"Alright, we got six freshmen from Class 1-B here; five members of the old Volleyball Club; a bunch of cosplayers-"

"Hey, we heard that!" yelled Takeda who was there with her three comrades.

Akira ignored the interruption and continued, "us three; Fujiwara and her friend; and a Takebe Eiko... Are we all here?"

"Hai, Kaichou!" said Yuna, raising a hand as she and Ayano walked up and joined the crowd.

"Good..." Akira then passed the clipboard to Makoto who set it aside. "Now," she clapped her hands, "we're all gathered here to officially begin the study of Senshadō. Now I know none of you know what type of activities we do here, so let me elaborate." the monocled girl started to pace back and forth. "From today onward, you are to arrive here after classes, at 4:45 PM sharp. You must wear proper attire which for now, would be your department-issued school uniforms. Once assigned to your tanks, you must inspect and maintain them so they don't fall apart like poorly made buildings. You must also turn in maintenance reports on the daily. Failure to do any of these will result in a punishment. Do you understand?"

The crowd gave a less than enthusiastic "Yes ma'am" and some even saluted rather awkwardly.

"Alright, now an instructor from the JGSDF, who will teach you all about how to operate the tanks, will be arriving here in a few minutes. Meeting adjourned." she then snapped to silence, still keeping her staff sergeant-like stance and serious look.

The crowd paused for a minute, unsure of what to do next. They looked around cluelessly before one of the freshmen broke the confused silence with a question.

"Umm, what're we supposed to do now Kaichou?"

Makoto answered her question for her. "Just stand around and talk about shit, you idiots!" she was then shushed by Izumi.

The crowd looked at each other before they dispersed into four cliques: the Freshmen, the Volleyball Team, and the cosplayers. Yuna and Ayano, who were by themselves as they were non-cliques, were soon joined by Eiko; she was in the club too for some reason.

Yuna sat on the asphalt ground near the tank sheds along with her friend. She recounted a story about a recent event that transpired during her weekend while Ayano wiped her glasses clean with cloth as she listened to the story. Yuna was then interrupted when she noticed Eiko standing over her.

"Oh, Eiko! You're here too!?" she exclaimed in surprise. Ayano put on her glasses and turned her eyes to the ginger haired girl.

"Yep, I guess I am." she replied, both her hands inside her skirt pockets.

"Does this mean we're buddies now?!"

Eiko averted her eyes and shifted in place for a few seconds before giving an answer. "Y-Yeah sure..."

"Yay!" Yuna suddenly hugged Eiko's legs which startled the girl. "We're besties!"

Eiko held onto Yuna's head, wobbling as she tried to balance herself. "H-Hey! The hell are you doing, I'm gonna fall over!"

"Wanna be crewmates?" Yuna looked up and accidentally got a peek under Eiko's skirt.

"What the hell do you- hey!" once Eiko noticed, her face flushed and she gave Yuna a great big knock on the head which made her release her grasp of Eiko's legs.

While the brunette rubbed her head in pain, Eiko sat down. "I guess since I'm not a freshman, or an athletic person, or a cosplayer-"

She heard a faint, "Hey, I heard that!" before continuing.

"I'm not part of any particular cliques, so... I guess I'll hang out with you guys."

"Yeah! Crewmates!" Yuna leaned over again to hug the girl but Eiko pushed her back.

"Can you stop with that!?"

Ayano took this opportunity to introduce herself, she reached out a hand to Eiko and said nervously, "M-My name's Ishii Ayano, n-nice to meet you Takebe-san." her eyes were once again obscured by her glasses' reflection.

Eiko shook the girl's hand, much to Ayano's surprise, and said, "Nice to meet you, Ishii-san-"

"Y-You can just call me Ayano."

"A-Ayano it is then. You can call me Eiko, without the honorifics."

Yuna, Ayano, and Eiko then spent a few minutes just talking about casual stuff. Yuna told them how much she loves Senshadō and also told stories of her favorite tank commanders. Ayano didn't contribute any stories and only listened. Eiko on the other hand, rarely participated in conversation and focused on a book she was reading. Sometimes Yuna would bug her about borrowing the book, to which she always refused.

Suddenly, the trio heard the sound of a large aircraft passing overhead. They turned their gazes heavenward and saw a Kawasaki C2 military transport with its cargo ramp open.

"She's here!" Akira yelled to the volunteers. "Everyone in position!"

A tank then parachuted out of the aircraft and landed on the parking lot. It screeched to a halt and destroyed a few cars in the process including one red Ferrari F40 owned by the school's headmistress.

The tank in question was a German Tiger H1, painted in a desert tan camouflage. Its engines sputtered to life right after it landed.

As the tank began to move towards the fence which separated the tank sheds and the parking lot, the various cliques of volunteers gathered up and formed a neatly aligned formation. They stood in columns with the 'leader' of the clique in front.

Yuna couldn't contain her excitement and was visibly shaking. Eiko stood behind her and was ready to stop the brunette if she starts acting out. Meanwhile, Ayano hid behind the ginger haired girl.

The Tiger halted right in front of the crowd, tipping forward before settling down. The hatches then opened and the crew revealed themselves.

Yuna was struck with a sense of familiarity once the commander poked herself out of the cupola. She wore a stahlhelm which hid most of her hair. Yuna thought that she had seen the woman before, but couldn't wrap her head around who exactly it was. The woman faced the crowd with the same stern look that Akira and Takeda possess; but behind that stone faced look was nervousness.

The Student Council president then ordered the volunteers, "Everyone bow!"

Everyone did so and they greeted the instructor in unison. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"

The instructor bowed back and said, "Nice to meet you too!" she then removed her helmet and tossed it aside, revealing short light brown hair, and that's when Yuna's eyes widened. At first she was in disbelief. Maybe the instructor just looked like one of her idols? Maybe she was just seeing things from the frenzy after joining the Senshadō Club; something she thought impossible?

The instructor continued "So uhh... I assume you're all familiar of how the sport works, and knowledgeable of its various rules and regulations?"

The crowd's answer was mixed with some saying they have and some saying they haven't.

"Huh... well, nevertheless, I'm here to teach you all about Senshadō. Now, to introduce myself. My name's Ni-"

"NISHIZUMI MIHO?!"

Miho paused and turned towards Yuna, who covered her mouth as she blurted something out. "Uhh yes?" the instructor asked. Everyone then looked at the brunette for an answer.

"I-I-Is it really you?!"

Before Miho could say anything, her loader, who was outside her hatch, replied first. "Yes she is, you a big fan kid?"

Yuna nodded nervously. "Y-Yeah..."

"Ah really?" the loader grew an intrigued smile and questioned further. "Well, if you're such a big fan, then what kinda merch have you got?"

"U-Uhh well... I have uhh... 13 posters of Miho plastered on my apartment walls... 7 Panzer IV Ausf. H figurines, all modeled after the Anglerfish Team's Panzer... umm, a-and I have a dakimakura-"

Eiko suddenly covered Yuna's mouth from behind. "Whoa, dude! Too much info!"

Takeda and her comrades began to snicker and soon, the freshmen and volleyball team too. Miho just raised an eyebrow, unspeaking.

They still sell those?

She was then tapped in the back by her loader. "You should be proud, Miho! You got a stan!"

"A-A what?" she asked, slightly flustered to learn that someone would be this down bad for her.

The instructor then turned around and gasped at the sight of Yuna doing a Dogeza pose.

"F-Forgive my degeneracy, oh great Nishizumi!"

"Wh-What the... G-Get up kid, there's no need to apologize!"

Ayano and Eiko went over to pull the girl up and the two dusted off Yuna's clothes.

Meanwhile, Miho cleared her throat and told her crew, "W-Well, with all of that aside, let's not waste anymore time. Let's see what kind of tanks they got! Forwards driver!"

The driver nodded and went back inside. The Tiger's engines revved up and the crowd got out of the way before the tank drove through the fence separating the tank sheds from the parking lot. After that, Miho crawled out of her tank and hopped off. The volunteers surrounded her and started praising the woman for her graceful entrance.

"Now, now, everyone calm down! So, who's the overall commander here?"

Yuna raised her hand.

"Umm, alright then, who's the second in command?"

"That would be me, sensei." Akira raised her hand.

Miho got over to her. "Alright then monocle girl, how many tanks do you have in your possession?"

Akira then realized that they don't know if any of the tanks survived over the years so she scratched the back of her head and replied unsurely, "W-Well, about that... We haven't really confirmed if we have any tanks left..."

"Umm, alright... I did hear about your Senshadō Club being closed two years ago. Seems like a repeat of the old days... Have you checked out the tank sheds though?"

"We've tried but the doors are too rusty to open."

"Ah well, let me open them for you."

"What-"

Miho then banged on her tank's hull twice before the Tiger suddenly fired a deafening shot. Everyone jumped in surprise except Miho who just stood there. The heavy tank blew open the gate with an armor piercing shot.

The crowd exclaimed in amazement at the war machine's sheer power.

"Well, the gate's opened. Let's see what tanks you guys got!"

They all then gathered to the now opened tank sheds. Yuna and her two other friends were at the back of the crowd so they couldn't see what was actually inside.

"Dammit, we can't get through!" said Eiko.

"I-I'm okay with staying here..." whispered Ayano.

Yuna however, hadn't given up. She wanted to see the supposed tank so she squeezed through the crowd and ended up at the front right next to Miho.

"What the hell..." the instructor muttered as she looked in curiosity at a giant figure obscured by darkness.

Yuna squinted her eyes and got a better look at the vehicle. After thirty seconds, her eyes suddenly widened as she fully made out what it was.

"It's a Bob Semple..."

A/N : Yo, it's the author here! And I thank you for reading the first chapter of my fanfic! If you've read this story before, then you might've noticed a ton of changes. I've actually rewritten every single chapter! So if you want to, you can go ahead and give 'em all a reread.

I hope to not make any more mistakes in the future that would lead to another dreadful rewrite, so if you have any criticisms, feel free to express them in a review! I'd appreciate them as they'll help me tremendously in my writing.

Anyways, enough talk, thanks again for reading, and this is the author signing out.