A Troubling Development!

Ooarai school carrier – tank sheds – 16.10h Saturday

Leaning back against the wall, Yukari let out another deeply troubled sigh. She kept asking herself where the girl that she idolized could have gone off to. Another look at the time listed on her laptop told her that by now it had been several hours since Miho Nishizumi had left.

"Hey Yukarin, how are you feeling?"

Hearing that voice caused Yukari to look, and she could see one of her friends standing there gazing back at her.

"I guess I'm kinda okay, still worried about... well you know..."

Nodding her head in agreement the other girl said, "Yeah, I'm wondering myself what's keeping Miporin gone so long. Just where did they take her to? To think they had to come and take her away on her first day of Ooarai's school festival, it just isn't right you know."

Giving the other girl a silent nod of her head Yukari agreed with that sentiment. It did not sit well with her; it did not feel right to her either. Their friend should be here right now, enjoying this festival with the people she was closest to.

"So who was that girl that came to see you, you know the one carrying a bag?" Saori brought up the question that had been on her mind ever since she had caught a glimpse. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Uh, oh you mean Minase-dono?"

Saori stared at her for a moment.

"She's uhm, Minase Maika-dono. She's a second-year like us."

"Minase-san, uh-huh? So where do the two of you know each other from? You must be good friends as the two of you seemed like you were really enjoying yourselves," the girl said with an enjoyable grin on her face. "The two of you were talking up a storm. You know, it's pretty rare to see you like that, Yukarin."

"... You really think so, Takebe-dono?"

"I do, but I do like seeing you like that. You seemed like you were happy as if you were truly enjoying yourself. I guess it must have been a pleasant topic that you two were discussing. Am I right?"

Feeling a little nervous Yukari did not know what to say in return, to be honest nobody had ever asked her anything about her friends or such so this was pretty much an entirely new experience for her. It also made her blush a little.

Scratching the back of her head Yukari tried to calm herself before she said, "Well, Minase-dono is a classmate of mine. That's where we know each other from. To be honest we didn't get off on the right track at first."

"Oh is she the person you mentioned before? You know, the girl you said that you had something important to discuss with? Were you two able to resolve the issue you were having? Ah wait; given the way you were talking to each other I guess you did." Saori was getting rather curious about this sudden, and rather intriguing development to her as her natural curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Yes, that was Minase-dono I was talking about. Luckily we were able to work out the issue and I've gotten to know her a little better ever since. I've even talked with her a few things times now in class though I've not gone to see her club."

"Wait, Yukarin! You're telling me she was the girl who had asked if you wanted to join her club? But didn't you tell her that you couldn't?"

"I did."

"Don't tell me she came back to convince you otherwise did she?" Now there was no longer holding her curiosity back as Saori felt certain that there was something truly spectacular at play here. "You shouldn't leave us, Yukarin! Who else is going to load the gun and pull off those crazy recon missions you always do for us?"

"Oh no, that's not why Minase-dono came here. She just wanted to show me something that she thought I'd like, that's all. She did surprise me by just showing up here but I'm glad that she came."

"Oh, uh, right," the girl let out, seeming a little surprised. "I guess I was overreacting a little there. Sorry about that, Yukarin."

Nodding her head the brunette knew that her friend had meant it well, so rather than be upset about it Yukari was happy to know that her friend cared so much about her. That said, while she had the other girl's attention for the time being there was something that she wanted to ask her as well. "Ehm Takebe-dono, can I ask you a question?"

The other girl looked at her. "Hmm? Ah sure go ahead."

Taking a deep breath to clear her mind, Yukari asked. "Why do you think they could've taken Nishizumi-dono with them? What could the student council possibly want from her that is keeping her away from us for so long? It's been hours now since they left!"

Listening to her friend's concern Saori could well understand how Yukari had to be feeling.

None of them had liked it when Miho had left with Momo but there was little any of them could have done back then. They were not happy about it either, but they all knew that the student council would not have come for Miho unless it had been for a good reason.

Making a sigh before giving her answer Saori was finding it hard figuring out what to say as she did not want to repeat herself. "Listen Yukarin, I don't really know what to say to you other than what's been said before. The student council likely only came for Miporin because it's something really important that they need her help in. I doubt they would otherwise."

With her arms folded behind her back, Saori was just watching how her friend was going to react to the same answer they had given her before. She knew that her friend was still finding it hard to come to accept that answer. "I know that it isn't the answer you're hoping for..."

"... It's just that..." was all that Yukari could get past her lips, the disappointment in her voice obvious. "There's something I really want to show Nishizumi-dono... I really do..."

"And you'll get your chance once she's back, Yukarin. Once Miporin comes back from what it is that they need her you can show her your news as much as you like."

"... I don't know."

"Why not?" Saori asked as she was a little surprised by that remark. Yukari was not normally somebody to question Miho or have any doubts when it came to her idol.

Shrugging her shoulders the only thing that the messy-haired brunette could say in return was. "I don't know, I just don't know if I even should show it to her. It's not that important you know."

"It certainly looked important enough that you wanted to show it to her. To me that sounds like more than reason enough for you to show it to her when she's back."

Looking up from her spot Yukari's eyes began to shine again after such words of encouragement. "You really think so, Takebe-dono?"

"Of course I do, silly." The girl gave her friend a warm smile. "And we both know that Miporin wants nothing more than to spend this festival together with us. So you can be certain that she'll come running towards us when she's done."

That was true, and in her heart Yukari knew that the words her friend had just spoken were the truth. Being reminded of that fact made her feel already better. Now she knew that she would just need to be patient. "So we just have to wait for Nishizumi-dono to show up, right?"

"Yep!" Looking over her shoulder Saori knew that she had to go now. "Well, see you later."

"Ah right, good luck Takebe-dono. I'll come and join you once my break's over. Until then." Waving until her friend disappeared behind one of the tanks, Yukari began to think about how she could best bring this news to her best friend. A lot was going through her mind, but there was one thing she was certain of; her idol had to know this.

'I really want to show this to Nishizumi-dono.' She reminded herself how badly she wanted to do this. More than anything this was something so exciting that she simply had to share it with her best friend. 'I know that Nishizumi-dono would want to see this as well. This is pretty big alright. I know that she'll be just as interested as I am.'

Just thinking about her friend's reaction at seeing the news brought a smile to her face; Yukari could feel her heart racing in her chest at the mere thought of getting to watch such exciting news together with her idol, her friend.

'This is so exciting; I can't wait to tell her about this.' It was an exciting prospect for Yukari, this was also the first time for her to be able to witness something like this. When the previous one had come to visit she had not been aware of it, nor had she been able to go and visit any matches or such.

Looking over towards their own tanks Yukari was wondering just what it would be like, there was so much unknown waiting for her that she found it getting harder to keep her excitement in check. 'I hope there's going to be a match soon, I'm dying to go and visit it. This is going to be so cool, seeing people from outside Japan practice Sensha-Do. I never dreamed that I would ever get a chance to see it for myself, I'm so happy now.'

Feeling her hand tremble a little Yukari knew that exciting times lay ahead of her. And with that thought, she also gave a prayer of gratitude for having come to Ooarai in the first place, where she may have had her reservations and doubts about coming to a school that had long stopped practicing the sport she was beyond grateful that she had stayed, that she had listened to her parents' advice, grateful that all of her concerns and fears had proven to be unfounded.

"Ooarai is my home, I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here right now. I... I love this place... I love this school... I-I love all of the people I've met here... m-my friends..."

Feeling something warm and wet running down her cheek Yukari was uncertain when she became aware that she was crying, crying tears of joy. "... I guess... it's true..."


Ooarai school carrier – meeting room16.35h Saturday

Having resumed the meeting the representatives from MEXT, the Federation, and the members of the Ooarai student council could tell that the talks were going into more pressing matters. And one girl, in particular, was keen to make the most of it.

"Now as we did mention before the break we have composed a report on the foreign team and a few other related matters. For your convenience, we have brought several copies of this with us but I must state that these are for your eyes only until further notice," Sugawara explained to them while his associate provided each with a copy of the report.

Opening one of the copies and reading it Miho stopped as she came across the page that listed this team's captain, a young woman no doubt if the attached photo was any indication to go by, and besides given that she attended a university she was definitely older than them.

"Germany, huh?" Just seeing the name of that country made her think about her sister leaving soon, it was an odd sensation, one that she could not describe. Somehow the notion that a team from Germany was here while her sister would leave next week made her feel uneasy.

'I guess I don't like the idea of onee-chan leaving... I wish she could stay in Japan...' She now knew that deep inside she was not happy about her sister leaving; it just did not sit well with her. And perhaps she was subconsciously projecting some of her resentment on to these Germans even if that was unfair of her.

'No, that isn't right. They don't have anything to do with this. Guess I really don't want her to go, I should be happy for her to get this opportunity but I... I just... can't...'

Seated next to her Yuzu began to notice for a second time that there was something off, and leaning a little closer she asked her, "Nishizumi-san, are you alright? You look like you're sad."

Shaking her head Miho said that it was alright, and with her making a quick mental note not to let her emotions get the better of her again she took a deep breath before turning her attention back to the file. This time going back to the start and reading the team's name.

Staring at the name made her pinch the bridge of her nose as she realised even the name was already taxing her knowledge of the German language, sure she had studied it during her time at Kuromorimine but this was a lot to swallow.

"Ah right, that's how it goes in German..." she said underneath her breath as she tried reading the team's name a second time, struggling just as much with it as she did the first time. Letting out a troubled sigh after the third attempt and Miho felt dumb for not being able to do anything as pronounce a name in German, in her defence it was a convoluted one.

Throwing a glance to her left and right she was glad when it was clear that nobody had taken notice of her plight, good, that allowed her to regain her composure a little.

"U-Universitätsausbildungssonderverband Wolfshund..." she whispered so as not to have anybody overhear her, it was such a complicated name but she had to remind herself that it had more to do with the language itself.

If she was not mistaken, and there was every chance she was, it would roughly translate as something like a university education special-purpose group though that did make it sound a little silly to her.

"Still…" she mumbled as she knew that despite the silly translation this was not a team that any of them should underestimate, already the name told her several things that gave her reason for concern. '… I'll need to read this again back home when I have time.'

It was a lot for her to take in and no doubt there would be even more within the pages of the report. All of it was going to take time for her to process, and right now, time was something that she did not have. 'Something to do after the festival, I'll need to read it at least once, preferably twice, before I can inform the team. No doubt there's going to be a lot of questions from the team and they all deserve answers. They need to know this as soon as possible.'

"Nishizumi-san?" Yuzu asked as leaned closer to the girl next to her, "Are you finished with it? If so could I have it back?" The girl asked while she was hinting at the report that Miho was still holding in her hands.

"Oh right, yes you can have it Koyama-senpai," the younger girl responded quickly before she turned to her side and kindly presented the older girl with the report. "Oh, if it's possible Koyama-senpai I'd like to read it again after the festival is over. Do you think I could take it home with me?"

"... I'm afraid not, Nishizumi-san," Yuzu answered while she shook her head, her ponytail moving in unison, "This isn't allowed to leave the office until further notice. I'm sorry about it but that's part of the agreement but I'm sure the Prez will let you read it in the office if you ask her."

That was quite a setback for Miho, and she could not understand why but given that it was part of the agreement with both MEXT and the Federation there was nothing she could do.

"I'm sorry, Nishizumi-san," Yuzu said as she could see the disappointment in the younger girl's eyes, "I'll explain it to you later."

"Ah okay."

Looking at her copy Anzu raised an eyebrow. Leaning forward in her seat she reached out and grabbed the report that had been placed in front of her; perusing through it she came to a sudden halt as she realized something.

Looking at the people in front of her she asked the question that was at the fore of her mind. "Why this new format all of a sudden? This seems to be a little too sudden to implement such a change, and besides, why are we being informed of this, shouldn't this be something for the Pro-League instead?"

Hearing that question it dawned on Miho that there was more at hand here, and Anzu apparently had the same idea, as the diminutive girl continued with her line of questioning. She was right, there to be a reason why they were being informed of a new format for matches. There was clearly something else at play here but Miho did not dare to imagine what that could be. Some of the possibilities were frightening to her.

"That ah yes, well, I ehm... Well, I guess that does deserve an explanation, doesn't it?" Leaning to his side to have a quick talk with his colleague the girls from Ooarai were paying close attention to the pair of Sugawara and Kikuchihara who were quietly discussing with each other. It was clear that Anzu's question had unsettled them.

Turning back to face them Suguwara cleared his throat. "Alright, then I-"

"So I take it then that you're expecting us to go up against them and see just how tough they are, am I right? After all, why else go through all the trouble and show us this." Anzu cut him off right there, tapping her finger on the table.

Although visibly stunned at first, the man much to his credit made a quick recovery and calmly confirmed the small girl's suspicions. "... Getting straight to the point I see. Well, to cut a long story short, yes we fully intend for your school to go up against them at some point," he scraped his throat before having another sip of water before he continued with his explanation, "However, and this is something that I must stress, we have no intention for you to go up against them immediately. We are fully aware that your team will need time to get used to the format of this particular type of match, and as such we are prepared to give you the required time needed to familiarize yourself with these new rules."

"What?! This is outrageous!" Momo cried as she slammed her hands on the table. "You're planning on setting us up to face off against University students again?! How dare you?! How D-"

"Kawashima!" Anzu said, stopping her subordinate from going any further. "I apologize for this outburst from one of my staff. That said she does raise a valid point. What exactly are the intentions of MEXT with this match? What is it that you are after?"

"... I know how this must look to you Kadotani-san but I wish to assure you that there are no intentions to use this as a means to cause ill your school. That is not an option, for the benefit of the sport and our county's prestige we are forced to turn towards other means."

"For the benefit of the sport? Our country's prestige? Please excuse me if I don't appear entirely convinced," Anzu said in return.

"We understand your reluctance," Kikuchihara was quick to say. "We are fully aware this may be hard for you to believe given prior events. That said, this is still a matter of grave importance to us, and one that both MEXT and the Federation feel that your school has an important role to play. Your school has proven that it can measure itself against our best."

Listening to the explanation Miho was not sure what to make of it, this was not what she had been expecting when she had first laid her eyes on these people. 'We don't even know a thing about this team and they've already made the decision that we're the ones that are going to have the most important match against them. I'm a little worried.'

"But these students, they're university students you know. We're only high scholars, we should not even be considered for going up against them so why us and not other university students instead?"

Sugawara nodded in acknowledgment of that question. "Yes, that is indeed a good question. Why you, your school? Why not instead of a selection from a university team? Or perhaps those who have already met the qualifications for participating in the Pro-League? Surely any of those would be more than sufficient for seeing how good this team is."

The people opposite him did not say a word; they were all waiting for him to continue as it was obvious from his manner that he would.

Leaning back in his seat he had a quick sip from the glass to his right before he continued, "The truth here is that there is some concern that perhaps the entire system about teaching Sensha-Do might be flawed, as painful as it is for me to admit, but your match has created a loss of confidence in the current ways that the sport is taught at the higher levels."

"As hard as it may be to believe Kadotani-san," the woman from the Federation who had introduced herself as Sarashina informed the girls. "But what Sugawara-san says here is true, there are various concerns amongst high ranking officials with both the Federation and MEXT that the current methods may be insufficient for the goal that has been set."

Leaning back in her seat Anzu began contemplating what all of this could mean for them, she already had an inkling but now it would appear that it was even worse than she had feared. To her, it appeared more of a knee jerk reaction rather than a well thought out one, but it was clear to her that both the Federation and MEXT were in an unenviable position.

"Believe me when I say that we would rather have things be different," Sarashina continued with her explanation, going through great lengths in an effort to allow the students from Ooarai from understanding their point of view in this matter. "That is why we, unfortunately, have to make an appeal towards your school for aiding us in this matter. Quite frankly the Federation does not see an easy way out of this."

With her arms folded across her chest, Anzu had a look at Sarashina before turning her attention back to Sugawara, taking a deep breath before she said. "So you want me to believe that because we were able to defeat a university-level All-Star team with a hand-picked selection that there are now people, high-ranking people I should add, within both MEXT and the Federation who have concerns? And those same people believe that we, a high school team, stand a better chance? I find that a little hard to believe."

"Yes, as unfortunate as it sounds," was the answer that Sugawara gave her in return, and those present in the room could tell those words were weighing heavily on him. Whatever it was that he had been told by his superiors it was obvious that the man himself did not agree with it, not entirely that is. Even so, he would never be in a position where he could voice either his opinion or his concerns on this matter.

"I deeply apologise for the burden that is being placed upon your school."

Anzu nodded in acknowledgement of his apology, she knew how things must be for the man. She did not blame him for any of this; he was but simply the messenger. No, the real people she was upset with were somewhere else and she pretty much had her doubts on if she could ever have those people held accountable. Not that it would change anything.

"Believe when I say that we would have rather seen a different course of action. There might be a better alternative available to us but at the moment this is the one that a lot of people feel that this course may offer us the answers we seek in the quickest manner," Sarashina explained to them but from the expression on her face, one could tell that even she did not believe this entirely. "This is not something that should be expected of any high school, much less one that has only recently returned to the sport

"Yes," Anzu returned. "We're badly going to need all the extra time we could get, not to mention whatever additional funds that could be allocated to us as we'll be required to not only expand the team but also upgrade whatever vehicles we have. This is not going to be a simple task, and at the moment our resources are pretty limited."

"We fully understand that," Kikuchihara voiced her agreement. "For a high school like Kuromorimine or Saunders, this would be a tall order as well though they would also be in a better position than you given their extensive vehicle park, not to mention they both possess the required connections to acquire more or better vehicles."

"Ah yes, one of those privileges of the big schools," Anzu said tongue in cheek, making no attempt to hide her annoyance on that matter. This was a major advantage that the big schools enjoyed, and something that made it hard for many less privileged schools to face the strength of such schools on a more equal footing.

"We understand your concerns but this is not something that falls within the scope of this meeting. And as such we shall not further discuss it, however, if you wish to voice your criticism on that issue we are more than willing to discuss that in a separate meeting."

Nodding her head in agreement the diminutive girl informed them that she would like to discuss that topic at a different date, as well as further discuss the topic of additional funding for her school. The date for that they discussed once the meeting was over.

"It is good to know we can come to an agreement then," Sugawara replied while he was making a few notes in his report. "You have been very cooperative with us thus far; to be honest I had my initial reservations about discussing this issue with you but the dialogue thus far has been very constructive. You have my thanks for that."

"Not at all, I'm glad to know that you are open to dialogue Suguwara-san," Anzu said in return. "You have been very accommodating to us as well."

Listening to how the talk continued between Anzu and the representatives was leaving Miho with an unpleasant feeling in her stomach. The longer this was going on the more she became of the opinion that this was something she would rather not be any further part of.

Eyeing over to where one of the reports laid Miho found herself whispering. "I'd have to see and make an appointment with the student council so I can read it there. Still, it'd be better if I could read it at home."

She just wanted to have the chance to read it at her leisure, and while her first preference was for her reading it in her own apartment she had to admit that Anzu's office would be the next best thing as it was unlikely anybody would disturb her there.

"I guess that would work," she said to herself and while thinking about it she was oblivious to what was being discussed between Anzu and the various representatives. That it would really matter as there was bound to be debriefing at some point.

'The Prez is bound to have everything that is being said in this room to be recorded, I know that it sounds terrible but I can imagine that she wants some insurance.' A cruel thought, a rather sly act but in her heart Miho knew that the diminutive girl did not resort to such ends with any malign intent.

"Of course it goes without saying that there will be benefits for your school should you be willing to accept this proposal. It would be inappropriate for us not to offer something in return for your efforts, we are naturally aware that preparations for this match will require time and of course, funds."

Anzu nodded.

"At the moment I cannot go into any specifics regarding the sum of the funds that are being set aside but you have my word that it will go a long way to assist you with expanding your school's Sensha-Do team. That said, we can also offer several other incentives for students in particular, if you wish we can discuss those at a later date."

"We'll consider the offer but we would prefer further details before we can make up our mind. As you can guess this is not a matter that can be made lightly, a lot is hanging on this, and as such we must make a well-informed decision."

"Of course," Kikuchihara remarked as she wrote down a few things. "I'll have somebody send you a preliminary list in the coming week, if you wish for any further additional material with regards to this here is my card."

With Yuzu accepting the card from the woman, the meeting continued for a long while. Each side bringing a topic to the table they wished to discuss further, then the other would seek to negotiate to a point where all parties would accept. Matters and subjects seemed to be going back and forth across the table as either sought to gain the most benefits. This way the meeting kept on going for almost two hours before both sides were able to come to a mutual agreement, and with all those involved making a bow and thanking the other for their time and effort it was finally possible for the meeting to be adjourned.

"Thank goodness," Miho said underneath her breath as she pushed herself from the table to stretch her legs but there was still something that she would like to know. "I guess I'll just have to go and ask her then. Well, here goes."

Approaching the older woman she was feeling uncertain about this but she knew that it was also the only way she had to try and get a bit more information, not something she was confident about but she knew she had to try.

"Hello Nishizumi-san," Kikuchihara said as she noticed the young girl approaching her. "Is there something I can do for you? Oh, also thank you very much for attending this meeting, your presence here has been most appreciative."

"Ah no... It was nothing. Thank you as well for taking the time and effort to hear what we had to say," Miho replied, offering her own words of gratitude in return. "Say Kikuchihara-san, I was just wondering if perhaps we could talk a little, about this proposal from you."

Shaking her head the woman made it clear that it would not be possible. "I'm sorry but we cannot provide you with any additional information with regards to this foreign team, to do so would be a breach of the terms and conditions under which this exchange program operates."

Letting out a sigh Miho understood what the woman was telling her, she knew that she could not ask for any further info with regards to the team's organisation and equipment but at the moment that was not what she was interested in.

"Yes, I know that," she said.

"Then why do you come and ask?"

Miho nodded her head. "Because there is something else I want to ask you about. It's about what your colleague said about how the sport's popularity has been in bad shape for a few years now."

Kikuchihara looked the other way. "Ah that. Well, I guess I can tell you about that if you have any further questions about it. That said, I don't know all the details that well myself so I may not be able to answer all of your questions."

Miho knew that as she had expected that the woman would not be able to answer all of her questions. Even so, any question that she could get an answer for would help her. For the rest, she was going to have to do her own search for answers.

"When did this decline start?"

Craning her neck back to gaze at the ceiling before answering Kikuchihara gave off the impression that she was not certain about it. "I think, but I don't know if this is true or not, that it began about five to six years ago. But opinions still differ on what could have been the cause, not to mention also what if it is just one or several causes that led to this outcome."

"Uh-huh," Miho said in return, she had a good idea what was the cause for it all. It was in simple terms, though she expected there to be far more at work, that her former school had been winning the National Tournament for several years in a row at that point.

"At first it seemed that it was only minor, a slight reduction in the number of visitors. Nobody at first thought much of it but as this trend kept growing over the years the government became worried about this development."

Just as she had thought, in hindsight that should have been something that more people should have seen coming, although she was happy for her former school to have been able to achieve nine victories in a row, something almost unheard of, she knew deep inside that this would have had consequences for other schools.

"I guess a lot of other schools simply felt that there was no point in participating anymore because Kuromorimine always won, is it?"

"Yes," Kikuchihara admitted, "That is what has likely been the catalyst but I do not feel that the current decline is solely their fault. Others share the blame for this as well. However, it is not up to me to assign blame here."

That was likely true; even so, Miho was not overly fond of pointing fingers at others as in her opinion that never helped to resolve a problem.

But she had another question that she was keen to ask. "Can I ask something else about this foreign team?"

Kikuchihara had a reserved look on her face but told her that as long as it would not be about any specifics of the team's tankery composition she could. "Go ahead."

"So this team from Germany, when do you think they will arrive in Japan?"

"Actually," Kikuchihara said, "They are already here. The team arrived about three weeks ago though the ship carrying their tanks and other equipment only arrived last week. We've had to deploy multiple teams of inspectors to make sure that we could go through all of their tanks and assert if they can be used in a timely manner."

Miho raised an eyebrow. "So I take it that is why we have to wait for somebody to come and inspect our M3?"

"Yes, but rest assured that once someone is available they will be sent to your school with all due haste. Getting that matter settled has a priority to us."

That was reassuring to hear although Miho had to remind herself not to get too optimistic about it; she would have to see it to believe it. Especially in light of what she had been told earlier. Still, that would be for another time.

"So I guess that means they have a lot of tanks, I kinda expected that when you told us what kind of team it is. Tell me; is it normal for countries outside of Japan to have a different approach to Sensha-Do?"

"I don't know, to be honest, we have never really paid close attention to certain developments in Europe, the United States, or Russia for that matter. Perhaps that is also why our country seems to be falling behind compared to them, we've clung to its traditional form for far too long."

"The traditional form eh..." Miho mumbled underneath her breath, she did not know what exactly could be counted as the traditional form though she could well imagine that her mother's Nishizumi style would likely be considered to be the norm.

"Kikuchihara, we have to go," Sugawara addressed his colleague, informing her that it was time for them to take their leave. "We have a lot to go over before we can send in our report, and we still have a meeting with the chairman of the Sensha-Do Federation."

The woman nodded in acknowledgement.

"Kadotani-san, I would again like to offer you and your staff my thanks for your hospitality. We will be in contact to further discuss the finer points at a later date. Please be certain to inform us should anything arise on your part."

"We certainly will, Sugawara-san," Anzu said in return and began to escort their guests to the door. "Rest assured that we will contact you in the near future with regards to our agreement. For our school, there will be a lot riding on this one."

Saying their goodbyes as well the two women of the Federation also took their leave, wishing the students of Ooarai all the best in their future endeavours. Again came the reassuring words that should any of them have any questions or inquiries for additional information they could always contact Ami.

"Ah Nishizumi-chan~," Anzu said, her tone serious, as she stopped Miho at the door, "Listen, I know that we didn't sign an NDA or such but I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about what you heard here with your friends.

Miho was surprised, even shocked to learn this as she could not understand why.

"I know this might confuse you but this is not something that the team needs to be burdened with," the girl explained to her.

"But they have a right to know, they need time to prepare..." Miho rebuked.

Nodding her head in agreement Anzu said, "Yes, they do. But not this weekend, this weekend they should enjoy the school festival. That is why I don't want them to know just yet."

Listening to what the diminutive girl had to say Miho had to admit that she could understand the reason behind it, but that did not mean that she felt good about keeping this from her close friends. She knew that Yukari was in all likelihood already aware of this German team, it only made sense that if any girl were to be aware of this it would be her.

"But when are you going to tell them?"

"Next week, once the festival is over and things are back to normal we'll tell them. The team does deserve to know this, but they should be told through an official briefing and not by hearsay. Please, Nishizumi-chan."

Contemplating it Miho decided, in the end, to comply with Anzu's request, she would not discuss it with her friends for the remainder of the school festival even though she made it clear that it did not sit well with her.

"Alright, Prez," Miho said while she nodded her head, she understood that there would be no point in trying to further argue the matter. It was not going to do either of them any good and right now she was keener on going back to see her friends, she could do with seeing them, as well as having a few light-hearted talks.

"Please make sure that you do not let anything you have heard slip past your lips, Nishiumi," Momo stated, looking as stern as ever, "It's of the utmost importance that word of this does not leak out until we have had some time of our own to digest all of this. I can assure you that this is just as much for us to take in as it has been for you."

Shaking her head once more, Miho understood that all too well, she had already agreed to not discuss this with her friends. As much as she wanted to, she was aware of what had been asked of her.

Taking the girl's silence as a yes, Momo said her goodbyes as other matters required her attention now that the meeting was officially over. Taking her leave the girl disappeared from their sight.

"Well, Nishizumi-chan, I think it's best if you went back to your friends at the tank shed," Anzu remarked as she opened the door while gesturing for Yuzu to come with her. "I bet there's plenty for you to do there. And above all, make sure you enjoy yourself, take care Nishizumi-chan~."

"Until later, Nishizumi-san," Yuzu said as well. "Give our regards to the others. And be sure to enjoy the remainder of the day."


Ooarai school carrier – tank sheds – 17.55h Saturday

"Miporin! Where have you been?!" Saori shouted at the top of her lungs the moment she caught sight of her beloved friend. "Miporin, you idiot! Do you have any idea how long we've been waiting for you?! Why did you have to keep us in the dark for so long?! You meanie!" Tears ran down the girl's cheeks as she lunged towards her friend.

"Nishizumi-dono!" the fluffy-haired brunette cried out as she spotted her friend, tears of happiness running down her face as she could not hold back, being overjoyed at seeing her friend back. "You're back! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you back, Nishizumi-dono!"

Finding herself at the center of attention all of a sudden, Miho was overcome by emotions as she saw the expressions on her friends' faces; they all had really missed her. Her friends' happiness at her return washed over her in a warm, uplifting wave.

"So where have you been? Nobody has seen you since you left with Kawashima-senpai," Saori began to question her friend; all too keen to find out where she had been for the past couple of hours. "Don't tell me they made you do something embarrassing."

"Oh uh, no," Miho said in return. "It was just something that they needed me to be present, that's all. It was nothing serious."

"Thank goodness."

"Well, we're all glad to have you back, Miporin."

"That's right, the only thing that matters right now is that Nishizumi-dono is back!"

"Good you're here."

Taking it all in, Miho was glad that she was back with her friends again; nothing was going to do her well other than to spend time with these girls. After what she had been through with the meeting it would do her good to have some peace and quiet to allow her to wind down a little. Now it felt like she could finally relax at last.

"It is good that you're back here. It hasn't been the same without you, Miho-san," Hana said as she hinted at the Panzer IV behind them. "A lot of guests have asked us where they could find you; it seems that you're pretty popular with a lot of girls. Quite a feat I say so myself."

Letting out a nervous laugh Miho was not sure how to reply to that, and instead, she opted to change the topic, making a question of her own. "So what happened to Shannon-san and her friends?"

"Well," Hana said in return. "After you left with Kawashima-senpai they stayed for a bit, we had quite a chat with them, to be honest before they had to leave. It did sound like that Shannon-san, I think it was, seemed to be disappointed that you had to leave all of a sudden."

"Yeah, that girl was really into you Miporin, really got the impression that she was a big fan of yours."

That made Miho feel a little embarrassed, she knew that there were fans of her in the country but she had never really given it any thought. That was until she had come face to face with one of them all of a sudden.

Meeting that girl had been somewhat unique for a lack of a better word; it had definitely been a pleasant experience but at the same time it had also made her a little cautious. There was just no way for her to know what kind of person this fan might be.

What if they were a crazy or even scary person like she had heard tales about? That was just wrong and as quickly as she had realized she pushed such unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Uh... um, Nishizumi-dono?" Yukari cautiously asked.

"Yes, Yukari-san."

"Do you happen to have some time available at the moment?" the girl asked while she was holding up her laptop for the girl to see, giving off the impression that there was something on it that she wanted to show to her friend.

"Oh that's right," Miho said as she realized it. "There was something important that you wanted to show me before I had to leave, right? Well, I think I should have some time for it right now as there don't seem to be any guests at the moment."

Hearing their friend say that the other girls had a quick look around the building, nothing for themselves that, bar the members of the tankery team, it was largely devoid of people.

"Ah, that's odd," Saori muttered as she realized it as well.

"Good for us," Mako said, deadpan.

"I don't think it's right for you to say that, Mako-san. You should know that we need to attract more guests than usual with this festival if we want to have as many students as possible to sign up for our school. You understand that do you?"

Letting out a soft yawn Mako made no impression that she could care what the girl next to her had said, or for that matter had even heard her begin with.

"Mako!" The ginger-haired girl shot at her.

No reaction, not even so much as batting an eye. One could almost be excused for thinking that the girl was indifferent to their cause but that was not the case, Mako simply had her own, rather unique, way of expressing herself. Sometimes it was her silence that made the sound of thunder, speaking volumes.

"I guess Reizei-dono is just keen on being able to catch some rest," Yukari remarked, jokingly referring to their drive's love of catching a nap whenever she could. A fact that was well-known to her friends, and one that was not going to change any time soon.

"That she is," Hana chimed in but other than that as she was for some reason not interested in having a go at one of her friends, though perhaps that more to do with her having set her sights on her on one of her other friends; and one, in particular, piqued her interest.

"We'll leave the two of you to it," Saori uttered as she and the others left, leaving just Miho and Yukari to themselves while they would make use of the current peace and get something to eat.

Setting her laptop down in front of them Yukari was visibly excited. "Oh, this is so cool, Nishizumi-dono! I know that you're bound to be interested in this as well!

Holding up her hand Miho asked a question. "Say, Yukari-san. Just out of curiosity, where do you actually learn this? Did you find this on that site you showed us before; you know the one about Sensha-Do in general?"

"Huh? Oh no, no I heard this from Minase-dono," Yukari beamed.

"Who?"

"Oh, she's a classmate of mine and she seems to be pretty interested in Sensha-Do though she's not interested in joining the team.

"I see," Miho remarked, slightly adjusting herself before she continued. "It's just that I haven't heard you mention her before. How long do the two of you know each other now?"

That gave the messy-haired brunette cause to pause. "Well... I guess since school started this year but to be honest I've never really talked much if any with my classmates. I just preferred to keep to my own... and then I met all of you..."

Miho grew quiet as she had no answer to that; she had always guessed that Yukari might have trouble speaking to other people but that did not make it any easier to hear.

Seeing the look in her friend's eyes Yukari could tell what she was thinking and it prompted her to say, "It's okay Nishizumi-dono, I've got all of you now. I'm really happy that I got to meet all of you, you're the best friends I could've ever wished for."

"... Yukari-san..."

Finishing her stuff Yukari went back to her spot and sat down next to her friend. "Plus it seems that lately it's been going a lot better between me and my classmates. Well, at least with most of them. It definitely feels that way ever since Minase-dono began talking to me in class."

"I'm really glad to hear that," Miho said in return, expressing her happiness at hearing such joyous news. To her, it was such great news to learn that Yukari was having an easier time talking with her classmates and perhaps making friends with some of them. "I'd like to meet her sometime. Do you think you could introduce me to her, Yukari-san?"

"Of course Nishizumi-dono!" the girl proclaimed while saluting her friend. "It'd be my pleasure to introduce you to Minase-dono though I think she's more likely to show up here tomorrow. She said she would come to see me again."

"Oh, I see. Well, then I'll be looking forward to seeing her."

"Yes!" She could not be happier, to be honest, she had been hoping for that to happen but she could not have imagined that it was going to happen tomorrow. It already made her tremble with excitement at the prospect of these two girls getting to meet.

"So, shall we watch what you wanted to show me?"

"Ah yes! Of course!"

Sitting down quickly she opened the page she had bookmarked and selected the footage that she had been dying to share with the girl next to her. "There you go, Nishizumi-dono! Please have a look at this. Oh, that's right, here's an earplug for you."

"Thank you, Yukari-san.'

"You're welcome!" Barely had she spoken the words or Yukari had to turn away to hide her cheeks, which were turning bright red. Her idol still had such a strong effect on her, such words were already powerful enough to let her feel an aching sensation in her chest.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah yes! Yes! Nothing's wrong with me!' She tried to laugh it off.

Watching the footage Miho began to feel a sense of guilt wash over her as she had another look at her friend's face, it was painfully clear to her that Yukari was beyond herself with joy while she was watching the footage and what that footage meant.

"So ehm Yukari-san, is this the same team that you told me about before? When we were on the train for our match against Tarczay High, remember?"

"Yes indeed! That's a very astute observation Nishizumi-dono! Ah, this is so cool don't you think, that a foreign Sensha-Do team has come to Japan? And they're even from Germany! They're one of the first nations to create the sport! Oh, this is so cool!"

Taking a deep breath she knew that she could not tell her friend the truth, and it pained her more than anything. There was no doubt in her mind that Yukari would be beyond excited to know what she had learned today but for now, she could not tell her.

Doing her best to fake her ignorance Miho nodded. "I guess when you look at it like that, then it does sound pretty exciting. But is this going to affect any of us? I mean they're in high school like us are they?"

"Oh... ah no, from what Minase-dono told me high schoolers aren't eligible for the exchange program. Still, it's really cool and I can't wait for the chance to see one of their matches. You think that the way they play Sensha-Do in Germany is any different from ours?"

"... To be honest I don't know, Yukari-san," Miho admitted, thinking about it she had never really given it any thought, sure she may have mused on it before but that was the extent of it. "It could be but I don't really know. I've never seen anything about Sensha-Do in other countries but I'm sure that you'll get to see more than enough of it with them being here in Japan."

"I sure hope so!" Yukari said in her excitement. "I can't wait to see what cool tanks they might have. Maybe they even have tanks that don't exist in Japan! Oh, just thinking about it gets me so excited! I'd so want to go and visit a match of theirs!"

Not being able to help it Miho had to chuckle as the face her friend was making was just too cute for words, it was exactly what she needed the most right now; something to put a smile on her face.


Ooarai school carrier – Miho's apartment – 21.05h Saturday

Lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling of her room Miho found it hard to calm her mind after all she had learned during the day, perhaps not a surprise given how turbulent it had been for her. Where would she even begin?

Rolling over onto her belly she let out a deep, troubled sounding sigh. "I guess there's not much I can do about it now... I'll just need to do my best until the student council feels the time is right to tell the others... I just hope it'll be soon..."

It did not sit well with her, and it had taken every bit of her strength that Miho could have mustered to not tell Yukari when she was shown the article. It just made her feel terrible that she had to feign ignorance when her friend sat next to her and turned on her laptop.

"I can't believe that Yukari-san already found out..." she said underneath her breath before she rolled over, the knot in her stomach was still there, making her feel uneasy. She could tell that her friend had been beside herself with excitement at sharing this news with her.

"She was definitely happy... well, I guess it shouldn't really be a surprise. She just loves tanks so a team from Germany should give her plenty to get excited over," Miho said to herself as it took little effort to imagine the look on her friend's face.

The sound of a ping caught her immediate attention and getting up from the bed Miho made her way over to where she had left her cell phone, seeing that she had gotten a quick message from Saori made her smile.

Her friends had likely noticed that something was off about her, and although that did make her feel a little worried she could not deny that it also made her happy. "Guess I'm not that good at lying, I don't want to lie to them anyway. If it was up to me I would've told them about it... though..." she grew quiet.

Would it really have been alright for her to tell her friends about this and run the risk of ruining their weekend? No, that was not something she had any right to. Nobody had the right to do that to any of her friends, it just felt wrong to her.

Having sent her message to Saori she put the phone down and went back to her spot on the bed to lie down again, letting her thoughts wash over her.

"What a day..." she whispered as she began to think again over what had been said during the meeting, and how it had made her feel about her sister leaving for Germany. To be honest, Miho felt uncomfortable about the whole matter, she knew that she was going to miss her sister dearly. "... Onee-chan... why did you decide to go?"

With her eyes not fixated on the ceiling once more, Miho began to wonder if she could even bring herself to properly greet the people from the German if they were to ever meet. She did not know why but she just knew that at the moment she would struggle with it.

"Though, it's not really fair to blame them for it," she said underneath her breath while closing her eyes, imagining her sister's face as she did. "... Maybe it's because it's all of a sudden, she never told me about it before. Guess she had her reasons for doing so..."

There was so much going through her head that Miho, at times, found it hard to focus. Today seemed to have done a number on her, and to think she had been looking for it when she had woken up this morning.

Rolling onto her side her eyes came to rest on the small laptop that was lying on her desk, gazing at it she found her curiosity getting the better of her as somehow it made her think if she could find that website that Yukari had shown her before.

"Ah, I don't know what the name of the site was though I guess it shouldn't be hard to find it," she told herself as she got up from the bed before begrudgingly making her way over towards her desk. "... Why am I even doing this? It's not that I could talk about this with Yukari-san tomorrow. Then again why couldn't I?"

Turning on the laptop a thought began to form in her mind, nothing was stopping her from talking about this with her friend; just as long as she would keep herself solely to what was already available online nobody could accuse her of breaking her promise.

"Let me see," she mumbled while going towards the search engine that she normally used, briefly thinking on what terms she would enter she decided to simply go with the most obvious. "Foreign team Sensha-Do match, yeah that should do it."

Pressing enter Miho watched as one search result after another began to appear, there were an awful lot of them, to begin with, but a cursory glance did tell her that a lot of them were too old to be of any use to her, there would be no point in looking through articles or videos from three or more years ago. No, what she was going to need was accurate and up to date information.

"Guess there's a bit too much on the web," she reminded herself that it may have been better if she had been a bit more detailed. "... Maybe it's better to continue with this after the school festival is over. Yeah, I think that'd be the right thing to do."

Thinking about it she knew that tomorrow was going to be a big day, even bigger than today had been. And it was beyond a shadow of a doubt that tomorrow was going to be even more taxing for her, despite that knowledge she was very much so looking forward to it.

"There's going to be a lot of people coming to see us, even more than there have been today," she whispered while leaning back to gaze at her ceiling. "Still, I don't really know if I can do it, greeting so many people, ah just thinking about it makes me nervous..."

Stretching her arms she knew that she was going to have to perform the opening act of the festival tomorrow, just another thing that Anzu had decided on early. How fortunate for her that it was rather simple, that did not take away that she was going to address the crowd who would gather at the stands. "... I don't know if I can even do this. I don't like standing before a crowd but there's no choice. I know why they picked me for it, and I have to agree with their reasons for it, but I'd rather be with the others."

Laughing it off she knew that there would be no other way, and luckily the speech that she was going to give was pretty short so there was that. Even so, it did not take away that she was nervous about standing in front of so many people.

"And there's this to worry about..." With her eyes coming to rest on her screen and the name that she had typed in, she began to wonder where she should even begin. "How am I even going to bring this news to them? I don't think they're going to accept this, and they have every reason for not accepting this."

Moving her cursor towards some images she began to peruse them, trying to find out what exactly any of them could expect but to be honest she had no idea herself. When it came to the sport outside Japan, she knew as much as the next person.

"Well, I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Still, I can see why Yukari-san was so excited about this; no doubt there must be a lot of other girls out there who feel the same." Clicking on a link she found herself reading the article that popped up, it did not tell her all that much but she could still make out that the person who had written it was pretty excited about it. "They're not wrong though, a foreign Sensha-Do team here in Japan is pretty exciting, I wouldn't mind meeting them, maybe I could even learn a thing about what Germany is like. Hmmm, maybe they can even tell me a bit about the university that my sister went to."

Gazing at the image she realized something. "Oh that's right, I guess they probably don't know Japanese, my German isn't all that good, and my English isn't any better either..." Letting out a disappointed sigh Miho became aware that trying to talk to these people might prove to be harder than she thought, which put a bit of a damper on her hope that she could perhaps learn a bit more about where her precious sister was going to study.

"Guess it would've been too good to be true, I'll need to see if there's somebody I could turn to for help translating for me," Miho whispered while thinking about how would be able to help her but at the moment she could not envision anybody. "... I should call it a day..."

Closing her laptop before letting out an exasperated sigh she knew that she had reached the end of the line, she was just tired, and the long day had taken its toll on her. She was going to brush her teeth before she would lie down and go to sleep.

"... Tomorrow is going to be just as exhausting, no, even more than today has been. I need to make sure that I get enough rest; otherwise, I won't be of any use to the others. They're all counting on me..."

Rubbing her eyes she knew that she pushed herself from the desk, slowly going in the direction of the bathroom. It was late enough already and she had a big day ahead of her; whatever concerns she may have lingering could wait until tomorrow.


Author's note: Hey folks, here is the latest chapter for you all to read and hopefully enjoy.

Been a rather odd year with all sorts of things happening throughout the world and it is going to be interesting how next year it going to work out for a lot of us.

Well, there are plenty of good things to be looking forward to, there are a lot of great anime coming out in January and some favourites I am excited for include Cell at Work S2, Lai-Back Camp S2, Slime S2, and a fair amount of others. No doubt there will be plenty of other good stuff to enjoy as the year continues.

Plus there is of course that in March the 3rd episode of das Finale will be released though at that point only in Japanese cinemas so for those of you in Japan hurray. Rest of us are going to have to wait a little longer.

Still, we'll get that 10 min start of the episode somewhere in January or possible February so there is at least something for us as well. Of course what we all want is the full episode.

As this is the last chapter of the year to be posted all that leaves me is to wish you all to have some happy holidays, a safe New Year's Eve, and hopefully a good start to 2021. Let's pray that it'll turn into a better year for us than 2020 has been.

Well, take good care of yourselves folks.

Happy Holidays and a safe and prosperous New Year to you all.