2nd April, Shinkansen railway, somewhere in Japan
Kiyoshi travelled through the country between the mountains with the world famous, superfast train. He was looking out the window at the countryside. A friend of his, Aida Ryouji (or Augustus), commander of the Stromboli Boys High School's Sensha-Do team sat next to him. They didn't talk much, because both of them were still sleepy. Kiyoshi started from Niigata at early morning, Ryouji joined him in Nagaoka, where Stromboli was based. Along with them were Isato and his student council, and their colleagues from the Italian styled school, Daishi Aoto, Kiyoshi's second in command and Ryouji's Hanari Yuito. They were heading to Tokyo, to meet with all the commanders and student council members from the boys' schools. They wanted to discuss about Tsuji before the conference starts and share their opinions with each other. Their opinion about Tsuji was not a question, all of them hated him and they were afraid of the possibility that he'll become the JSF's director. The boys wanted to talk about what they should do if this happens. There was still hope for them; in the first step he has to get enough votes to become a candidate, and then at 31th July he has to win the election. They didn't know, how much chance this scenario had but they knew that they will not accept it if it becomes reality. It was not even an option for them to accept it. They did not intend to let their schools into the hands of a pencil pusher who could eliminate them with his financial maneuvers.
They arrived in the Japanese capital at early afternoon. Carrying their luggage with them, they took a bus to the Sakura Hotel, which was only a hundred meters from the JSF Headquarter on the other side of the street. On the small square in front of the hotel another group of boys was waiting for them with suitcases and large sports bags. As the two groups noticed each other, they bowed formally, but then they approached and shake hands heartily. The other group consisted of the commanders, vice-commanders and student council members from the other boys' schools. By nations there were the following schools:
American: Diamondback High School, commander: Endo Arata (Johnson)
Russian: Tsar Peter Boys High School, commander: Fuse Chikara (Ivan)
English: Sherlock Holmes Boys Academy, commander: Handa Eiichi (Edward)
Scottish: Bannockburn Boys High School commander: Kasaya Ichita (Wallace)
Japanese: Seinarukaze Academy, commander: Nomura Kazuya
French: De Gaulle Boys High School, commander: Ariwa Genji (Napoléon)
Austrian: Habsburg Boys High School, commander: Murata Yoshihiro (Eugen)
Hungarian: Szent István High School, commander: Shimuya Ichiro (Hunyadi)
Finnish: Mannerheim High School, commander: Tsuda Hiroya (Törni)
Spanish: Conquistador High School, commander: Shibata Otoya (Juan)
Australian: Uluru Academy, commander: Osaragi Umito (Kelly)
Norwegian: Odin High School, commander: Nozaki Tsukasa (Torvald)
"Hello Schiller!" Napoléon shake Kiyoshi's hand, calling him by his own nickname. "How are you today?"
"Danke Napoléon, I'm fine. And to tell the truth a bit excited."
"I can imagine."
"And vica versa, right?" Kiyoshi asked. "Guys!" He turned to the others. "If you accept an offer from me, put the packages down first, then meet in the hotel restaurant in half an hour! What do you say?"
"That will be fine." All of them said. They walked to the reception. The doorwomen looked clearly surprised by the arrive of the quite large group.
"Good afternoon!" Kiyoshi greeted her. "The participants of the Sensha-Do Federation's conference will be will be placed here right?"
"Yes sir." The young lady answered. "But you should only have arrived tomorrow."
"We know, but we had to come earlier due to personal reasons. We'd like to check in now if it is possible. This first night will be on our own account."
"Of course, there is no obstacle. Please, sign here!" She put the login paper in front of them on the counter. They all have written their names on the paper, then followed the hotel staff to the first floor through the corridors. The Sakura Hotel was really elegant, the walls were cherry red, golden lamps and paintings were on them along with many different plants and flowers. Just the boys themselves occupied the whole floor. It was a lucky thing that the hotel had the capacity to accommodate all students, and officials of the JSF. Kiyoshi has got into a double room with Isato.
"Let's go down!" The president said after that said thirty minutes passed. "My stomach is starting to get empty!"
"I share your opinion President." Kiyoshi said. "Let's go to fill our belly!"
The boys gathered at a long table and ordered their lunch.
"Thanks for the food!" They clapped their hands when it arrived. Except Kiyoshi, who made the sign of the cross on his chest. He and his family belonged to the small number of Catholics in Japan. "Dear Jesus, bless what you gave to us! Amen! He murmured. As long as they ate, the conversation was friendly and warm. But after the waiters and waitresses took away the used plates, Juan spoke up.
"I hate to ruin the pleasant mood caballeros. But I think we should begin our discussion about this… little problem."
"As for me, it is a pretty big problem actually." Ivan said.
"Be honest: a huge worry for all of us." Kiyoshi said. "I mean if it happens. God save us from that!"
"Does anybody of you know, how much chance Tsuji has?" asked Kazuya.
"It depends on how convincing Aizawa and Hayakawa are." Johnson answered. "These two are OK for me. But remember this: Tsuji will never be my federal director!"
"I'm afraid that it does not depend on us." Wallace said. "It happens only in another galaxy, that they take our votes ore opinion into account. No, the girls will decide it for us."
"And it is a dream, that they will pay attention on our interests as well." Eugen said. "Until now, they let us operational. But Tsuji is a man of money. Just imagine how much he could save on us! Believe me! If he'll be the director the first ones will be our teams to be destroyed then our schools will come!"
"Are you guys sure, that the situation is that bad?" Edward asked.
"I think it's even worse Limey." Hunyadi answered.
"But still it is not sicher that it will occur." Isato said. "We are here now to decide what to do if our fears will be confirmed. I think our interests are the same in this case. So? What we will do?" It was silence between them for a long time as they were lost in their thoughts. Really! How can they evade their schools possible closure if Tsuji becomes director?
"Boys!" Kelly finally said. "I don't care what people will say about me, I will not submit to that gold miner's will! Please, raise your hand right now if you feel the same way!" A few quiet seconds again, then Augustus's hand started to rise slowly. Then Napoléon's, Johnson's, Kiyoshi's, Juan's, Wallace's, Hunyadi's, Torvald's, Eugen's, Törni's, Ivan's and Edward's. Just Kazuya, his vice-commander and student council president left.
"I was raised to respect my superiors." He sighed. "But you are damn right." And within a second the hands of the Japanese styled students were in the air.
"Alright. I think we already agree." Isato said. "Now, we should decide, how to react to the worst scenario." That was the big question. What will be the most effective deed to defend themselves? A simple expression of their displeasure? A protest? Negotiations about their standpoint? Or maybe… a refusal to obey? Or even an open resistance? Hard task. Very hard task. The minutes, then the hours passed by without a common agreement. Some were on the opinion that they have to act firmly. Others thought that level-headed conversations were the solution. This debate went on until the evening. The boys ate their dinner without standing up from the table since the middle of the afternoon.
When their wristwatches showed 22:00 p.m. they moved back to the rooms, agreed to meet again at the same place the next morning, before the girls' schools arrive. Kiyoshi and Isato were preparing to get to the bed yawning.
"Believe me!" Isato said just before they fall asleep. "Maybe some of them are refusing now but they will raise their voice when they will have to!"
"Maybe you are right." Kiyoshi replied. "But we still have to decide how we shall raise our voice."
"Can I tell my personal opinion?"
"Of course President, go ahead!"
"I have enough pride inside me to refuse any connection with a Federation which is led by Tsuji. If he becomes director I will not took part in his comedy I which he destroys our school while he adjusts it as a real cooperation."
"I see your point Isato. And you can be sure that I feel absolutely the same way."
"Perfect. At least we are agreeing."
"I promise I will try to convince the others too. We will decide our fate weather if the JSF likes it or not!"
"I don't care how many of our school's students have studied under this shame, but I am fed up now!"
"Maybe Landsknecht's future students will remember us as the ones who have freed them."
"Who knows my friend, who knows? Nothing is impossible!" And with this they turned off the lamp to get enough sleep until tomorrow.
3rd April, morning
At 08:30 a.m. the boys returned to the long table in the restaurant. They greeted each other with the usual "How are you?" "How did you sleep?" questions. The breakfast consisted of toast, jam, ham and soft-boiled eggs. Yesterday's conversation has continued where it has stopped. After a while they have made a decision that they will take an insult or attack on one of them as an attack on all of them. About noon, Odin's student council president, Asari Shikio took a paper and wrote a short statement.
"We, Sensha-Do team and student council leaders of Landsknecht Boys High School, Stromboli Boys High School, Diamondback High School, Tsar Peter Boys High School, Bannockburn Boys High School, Sherlock Holmes Boys Academy, Seinarukaze Academy, De Gaulle Boys High School, Habsburg Boys High School, Szent István High School, Mannerheim High School, Conquistador High School, Uluru Academy and Odin High School declare that we protect and esteem each other's interests and dignity. In order to grant these values and to make a better future for the named schools, we hereby form the "Advocacy Alliance". This organization consists of the named schools. The AA's governing body is the Advocacy Council, consisting the named schools Sensha-Do commanders, vice-commanders and Student Council members. Those, who feel their rights in Sensha-Do in danger, can always join us."
All the boys at the table have signed the paper.
"OK guys." Shikio said. "I'd like to ask you to send an e-mail about this decision for your schools newspaper editors. Let our fellows know about this too. Now. We said that we want to create a common proposal that we can present at the conference. Let's start to formulate its text!"
After an hour, another piece of paper looked like this:
What the schools of the Advocacy Alliance wish
We wish an impartial Japan Sensha-Do Federation.
Impartial directorate.
Participation in national and international tournaments and championships regardless of gender.
Equal treatment from the judges regardless of gender.
Common burden sharing.
Abolition of the excessive control of the Approval Committee on the boy's schools.
Equal financing.
Full ownership of tanks for the boy's schools.
Real voice for the delegations of the boy's schools in the Federation.
Abolition of any gender based discrimination.
Possibility for male university students to take Sensha-Do.
Prevention of excessive cuts of financial resources.
Legitimation of the Advocacy Alliance.
Freedom of opinion.
The Federation must take an oath on its member's free will.
Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!
Again, the names from the fourteen schools were written on the paper.
"I don't know how you feel guys." Johnson said smiling. "But I am satisfied with us!"
"And we have sixteen points." Hunyadi added. "Just like the Hungarian revolutionaries in 1956! I think it is a good sign!"
"But the revolution ended with a soviet occupation with twenty-seven divisions!" Törni complained.
"Yeah. But it has shown that people can express their dissatisfaction even in a communist dictatorship."
"Alright boys." Shikio said. "Then send our statement and points to the school newspapers!" Then he looked at the direction of the hall and went silent. "Looks like our company has arrived."
Miho's POV
"Oh wow!" That was the first thing what came to her mind when she saw the massive, elegant building of the Sakura Hotel.
"Right?" Anzu asked cheerfully. "Get in girls, hurry up! Don't fall behind Momo-chan!"
"Don't call me Momo-chan President!" They entered the hall.
"Ah, Darjeeling-san! Good to see you again! You are right in time!" Miho greeted her friend and fellow commander, who was standing at the reception together with Pekoe, Assam and St. Gloriana's student council.
"Greetings Miho-san! Of course we are here, a lady is never late." Darjeeling said with a smile.
"Is anybody else here?"
"You are the first familiar faces today. I guess we are the first ones."
"It was good to meet you again Darjeeling-san! Hope we can talk in the pauses during the conference."
"Same here Miho-san it would be my pleasure." Then the St. Gloriana girls turned away to check in. Miho's eyes wandered around and through the opened, white framed glass door she saw the hotel restaurant. There were not too much people inside, since the hotel will be occupied mostly by JSF members. Except one, long table. Dozens of boys were sitting there. Some of them looked at her and her friends but just for a half of a second without any expressions on their faces.
"The boy's schools huh?" Miho thought. For a time she knew that sometimes very… exciting situations have formed between the boy's schools and the rest of the JSF ever since they entered the sport, especially on meetings and conferences like this one. It was possibly far from impossible that she will not be a witness of one or two hard verbal tussles.
They arranged the check in with the doorwomen, and then followed the hotel stuff to one of the upper levels. After a few minutes Miho forgot about the boys and the possible problems and gave herself to the thoughts about the conference but first of all to the beauty and elegancy of this luxurious hotel.
Miho got a common room with Yuzu, Anzu and Kawashima were in the neighboring room.
"Koyama-san!"
"What is it taichō?"
"What do you think, why are the delegations from the boy's school already here?"
"No idea Nishizumi-san." Yuzu replied. "Maybe they want to get… particularly ready for the conference."
"What do you mean?"
The secretary thought for a second. "Please, take a seat!" They've settled on the sides of the two beds, opposite to each other. Yuzu took a deep breath and started to tell everything about the boy's schools, their situation and their reoccurring conflicts with the Federation.
"I see." Miho said quietly. "But why are they treated like this?"
"I don't know taichō. For me these things were always in the background. If you ask me, do no stress our mind with stuff like that. Our work just starts tomorrow. Oarai didn't bring any proposals we should work on now."
"Guess you are right Koyama-san. Then, put yourself in comfort, I go to look around this place." Miho stood up and stepped out to the red corridor. She wanted to know the place if the next few days will be tiring ones.