Dein Weg ist Mein Weg

Chapter XXVII

The Return

"Maporin! You're alive! And you're back!"

"Hey, get off me! Of course I'm alive. And stop calling me that! My name's Maho, nothing else."

A feeling of calm entered Ami's heart as she neared the garage and heard Maho's annoyed arguing with Miss Takebe. After the two weeks of absence from the team's training sessions, though they hadn't been much more than lectures that the Nishizumi-heiress could probably recite from memory, she had feared that Maho wasn't going to return to the team. Which would have been a damn shame. Through her upbringing and prior experience at Kuromorimine, Maho was easily the most skilled and experienced tanker on the team, and even if she didn't seem able to see it herself, she was most certainly the one most suited to command.

"Miss Nishizumi," Ami said with a smile as she arrived at the gathered team. "How good to see you again."

"Captain Chono," Maho answered with a nod, wriggling free of Takebe's clinging grasp. There was something different about her, even if Ami couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maho's tone was as dour and serious as always, but there was a hint of something else there as well. A conviction, a confidence, a burning passion. Ami didn't know what it was, but it was clear enough in Maho's eyes that it couldn't be argued with.

"I see you've applied some of your other talents." she glanced over at the Panzer IV, making note of the incredibly well-drawn phoenix painted on the side of the turret. It wasn't difficult to recognize Maho's handiwork, even if the detailed and realistic style did clash somewhat with the more cartoonishly drawn symbols on the team's other tanks. "Nicely done, I like it."

"Thank you, Captain."

Ami nodded once more to Maho, before clapping her hands together and calling out to the gathered members of the team. "Alright, everyone! I know it's been two long weeks of waiting for you while the tanks were being repaired, and that you're all excited to get to work with practice. So let's not dilly-dally any more than we have to. To your tanks, please, and we'll begin out on the range in ten minutes."

The hustle and bustle of activity quickly took the spot of the silent standstill that had up until now grasped the garage, as the team dispersed and headed towards their respective tanks. All except two. Azusa and Maho remained in place for a few seconds, a single unbreaking glare shared between them across the yard, until Azusa finally turned towards the M3 Lee and walked away, her hands having balled into fists.

"Well then, Maho. Shall we get going to the observation tower?" Ami asked from behind her, even as Maho let her scowl follow Azusa's path into the garage. "Maho? Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Maho muttered as she turned around to face the advisor. "Everything's just peachy."

Ami didn't believe her, but she chose not to say anything. "So. Shall we get going?" she asked again, nodding towards the observation tower.

Maho paused for a moment´and looked down at the ground, remaining still and silent as she stared at her open palm. "No…" she said quietly as she closed her hand around nothing. "You go. I'll be of more use out on the field."

Ami gave Maho another look, but in the end just nodded and began making her way to the observation tower. Maho, for her part, turned towards the Panzer IV, and steadied her breathing as she stepped over towards it. She had done this procedure more times than she could count during the past week, but it was still a struggle.

Even as she reached out her hand towards the armored beast for what must at least have been the hundredth time in not even a tenth of the number of days, she felt the invisible wall trying to push her away, and even when she had broken through and grabbed hold to pull herself up and on top of the tank, the phantoms playing games in the shadows of her mind did their best to dissuade her.

But she pushed on, through the pain and the strife and the images and the memories.

She pushed on, and climbed up and into the commander's seat of the Panzer IV.

"Good work today, everyone!" Captain Chono said with a smile, clapping her hands as she usually did.

"Thank you very much," the team answered in unison, and bowed to the advisor. While Azusa couldn't speak for anyone else, she was pretty sure they were all feeling a bit sore and exhausted after practice. Because of the two weeks without tanks, Captain Chono had decided that this week's practice sessions were to be double the length to compensate, running four hours instead of the usual two. The sun was already nearing the horizon as they finished up, and she was looking forward to getting some food.

But first there was something else she had to do. She sighed, steeled herself, and began walking forwards.

"Captain Chono," she said shortly, interrupting the conversation the advisor was having with Commander Nishizumi. "Here," she added, and pulled out a piece of paper from her left breast pocket, handing it to the captain.

"Miss Sawa? What's this?" Captain Chono asked as she accepted the folded paper and opened it.

Azusa didn't say anything at first, only giving a bitter scowl at the Commander. "I quit," she said definitively, turned, and walked away to her waiting friends, leaving Commander Nishizumi and Captain Chono behind without another word.

Maho sighed and put a hand against her face as she left the garage. She had done horribly during practice. Four hours of doubt, mistakes, second-guessing, and screw-ups. The only success she could even remotely feel satisfied with was being able to stay in the Panzer IV all-throughout the session without a break, although she had been starting to feel a bit light-headed near the end.

Then there was the cyclops, obstinately bickering with her over the radio to no end and refusing to follow the orders she did manage to settle on. Sometimes the arguments even got so heated Ami had to intervene from the observation tower, which only sapped time from the session. Time the cyclops ought to have spent improving her near useless aim.

And to top it all off, now one of the better tank commanders had quit. Not that Maho cared what Azusa did. If anything, she was just glad to not have to see that liar's face around anymore. But obviously she couldn't say that out loud to Ami, and so had instead been forced to discuss the matter with her for the better part of half-an-hour. But now, she was finally free. Free to go home, eat, and sleep.

Or so she thought.

"Maporiiiin!" Saori shouted and waved, getting up from the bench she had been sitting on together with the rest of the crew as they came over towards her.

"You're never gonna stop calling me that, are you?"

"Probably not!" she answered with a grin as they approached.

Maho just sighed. "Fine…" she muttered. "What is it now?"

"Are you done talking with Captain Chono?"

"Yeah," she answered shortly. "And unless there's something else, I just want to go home and eat." She put her hands in her pockets, and started to walk away, but after a few steps she was stopped by a hand wrapping around her wrist.

"Comma-I-I-mean-Maho, wait!" Yukari said, but as Maho turned to look at her, she let go and took a step back. "S-sorry, Comma-Maho. Sorry, Maho. We just…"

"We were all gonna go eat together," Saori interjected, saving Yukari from her predicament. "There's this place over by the fountain with these great crêpes that I've been wanting to try forever!" She smiled in her usual excited way, causing maho to roll her eyes for a moment.

"No, I'm not a fan of crêpes, so you…" She sighed as her answer died down and she looked at the quartet awaiting her response. "You know what, sure," she said after a moment's pause, mustering what excitement she could into her voice. "I'd love to."

The scene before Maho was almost inviting in its familiarity. The ruined city stretching out before her, and the chilling rain cutting at her skin by now felt as familiar to her as the memories of the match against Pravda had once been. But now the ruins couldn't taunt her, and the rain couldn't chill her spine. She could only feel the fire within her burn hot, her skin still warm to the touch even in the freezing rain.

She walked out of the alleyway as she had done dozens, if not scores or hundreds of times by now. She had lost count. But this was going to be different. She could feel it. She could hear the rumble of tracks in the distance driving closer and closer, and she could hear the voice of her clone in her mind, egging her on. It was high time she finished this, and took out the flaming monster that dared use her likeness, that dared taunt her with her mother's voice.

So she began walking, walking down the road towards the sound of the tracks and the rumble of the engine, through the ruined streets and past crumbled buildings, with the rain drowning out all else. As she walked, she passed ruined husks of tanks, and limp, unmoving bodies, just as she had before. She saw the StuG III, the Type 89, and the rest of Ooarai's tanks. Down one side street she could spot a Panzer III, down another a Panzer II, and in a third she saw an M13/40, all of which she ignored. She had to. Both to preserve her conviction, and to keep her front firmly towards her enemy.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she came face to face with her doppelganger. A perfect mirror image of herself, adorned in purple flames, and standing up in the commander's cupola of the black Tiger that was her steed.

"You want to end the charade, you told me…" Maho said bitterly. "You want to destroy me. You want to see me crumpled up and discarded." Her eyes narrowed, and she stared daggers at her foe. "Then come on! This moronic farce has gone on too long! So let's go; You and me! Two of us enter, one of us lea-"

She didn't get any further. She didn't have time to react. When she saw the smirk, it was already too late. The flash of cannonfire lit up the dark sky, and a round smashed into the ground before her, cracking it open and throwing her into a wall, debris and rubble raining down upon her.

Her vision was blurry, and her head was fuzzy. A crippling headache muddied her thoughts as she tried to get up, and she could feel trickles of warmth run down her arms. Glancing down, she could just make out some small streams of red. Blood. Her body was growing weaker, giving out from the strain. She could feel it.

But the moment she managed to get to her feet, unstable as they may be, she received another blow as her amethyst clone struck her in the chest, and pushed her back against the wall, pinning her throat with her arm and pressing hard. Her body was screaming with pain as she struggled, every moment her reserves of air and energy diminishing.

"You're right," it said with a smug look. Cold, superior, and full of disdain. "This is a charade, one which I will put an end to. You are weak, no matter what you tell yourself. You always were." It pulled back a hand to strike. "And now, you're going to die."

Maho tried to struggle, tried to push against the arm holding her in place to get free, but she couldn't. "You…" she wheezed with what little air she had left, "first…"

The crack of thunder masked the moment of impact, as Maho's knuckles struck against the face of her clone, knocking it back. She had put everything she had left into the punch, and with what little energy she could muster, she threw herself at her attacker and pinned it to the ground, grabbing it by the shoulders and shaking it against the pavement.

"You! Are! Not! Me!" she yelled through heavy breaths, as she went on to hold her the amethyst clone down by the throat with one hand, and deliver punch after punch to its face with the other. "And you can damn well go to hell! You and Mother both!" she muttered as she pulled on what little reserves of adrenaline were still flowing through her veins, and pulled back one last time, feeling the raging fire within her burn, raging beyond control. She was angry, angrier than she had ever been, and could feel a prickling feeling begin to spread through her fingers, then her hand, and then her entire lower arm. There was a jolt of pain, and suddenly her skin began to crack, glowing embers breaking off and luttering off into the wind as her arm began to burn with crimson flames.

Looking down, she could finally see fear begin to make itself known in her enemy's eyes, and she couldn't help but smile, even as she could taste blood on her lips. She closed her fingers into a fist, and struck. Struck with all the strength her raging body could give her, but she was too late. The Tiger fired and struck her clean in the chest, throwing her back clean across the street, and knocking the air from her lungs as she impacted with the ground. As she lay there limply, barely able to move, she could see the purple flames of her doppelganger limp to the tank, and hear the roar of its engines take it away.

"I… I… I did it…" she said through struggling breaths, "I beat the bastard…"

"No…" she heard her own voice say, "We just made her angry…"

The scattered selection of bottles, jars, and cans clattered slightly against each other as Ami opened the door of her fridge, and pulled out the box of leftover curry and an accompanying six-pack of beer. With the microwave whirring along, she opened one of the cans, took a big swig of it, and collapsed by the table, her attention flitting at random intervals between the microwave and the TV for the next few minutes.

There wasn't anything of particular interest on right now, with the most entertaining thing she could find being some random drama. A girl in love with her terminally ill coworker or something. She didn't pay it very much attention, and seeing as she only started watching somewhere in the middle, none of it really made very much sense. All Ami had the energy or interest to gather was that the girl was good-looking, and that had she been the one in this situation, she'd have gone out with the way-hotter secretary instead. She'd have asked them out, gotten some nice dinner, drunk them under the table at some bar, and found a decent hotel to spend the night at. That was her idea of a good time. This girl was clearly putting too much time, effort, and thought into the honestly quite dull-looking co-worker. Besides, he was gonna die anyways, so what was all the fuss about?

After a short while the microwave pinged, and she tossed the now empty beer can into the trash before getting up to grab her food. As she sat down again with her curry and a fresh can, she zapped around the channels again, but the drama was still the least boring thing on offer, so she resigned herself to her fate.

Having spent the past couple years in the JSDF meant she didn't mind being away from civilization and proper city-life, but at the same time it wasn't like she wouldn't have preferred to go out to a bar, get properly drunk, and find someone to handle her human urges.

But, living on a school carrier made that an impossibility, or at least a very rare occurrence. So she was stuck having to spend her Friday evening with leftover curry, cheap beer, and a boring drama where the heroine was clearly going after the wrong person.

Well, maybe the co-worker was a bit cute. And he did seem like a very nice person. But since he was gonna die anyways, the secretary was clearly the better option. They were probably a better screw anyways.

…

"Oh but come on, don't die now, you bastard!" she yelled and tried to keep those pesky tears from her eyes. "She just told you she loves you, and you're gonna bloody die?!" She took another swig of her beer, and sniffled for a moment.

Oh, great, now the stupid secretary's gonna come in here and make a move… she thought bitterly and ground her teeth, but her anger at the secretary's tactlessness was interrupted by a knock at the door.

She let a quick curse pass her lips as she sighed and got up from her place to check on the door. Who the hell could be accosting her at this time of night?

"Maho?" she said in surprise as she opened the door. "What on earth are you doing out this late?"

"Sorry," Maho said despondently. "I just… I don't know. I just hoped you could give some advice…"

Admitting weakness or fault was not something considered desirable in the Nishizumi style. And Ami would be lying if she claimed to not be surprised by Maho's outright confession. They had known each other for a decade, and the signs that something was wrong were all there. A distant look in her eye, slightly slumped posture, and just the slight oddness in her body language all spoke of Maho's defeated mindset. It was the sort of signs one picked up on after years of friendship. Not that any long standing friendship or deep knowledge of the Nishizumi style was needed to understand. It was obvious enough just from looking at her how much speaking the words out loud pained her, and that whatever conviction or fire had been present at the start of the week seemed to have petered out and been reduced to embers.

"Sure…" Ami answered after a moment's thought and stepped aside, ushering Maho in while straightening her top. It was one thing to let a student into her home late on a Friday night, it was another thing entirely to do so in a state of disorder. "Sorry about the mess."

"Don't be…" Maho answered shortly as she removed her shoes and sat down by the table inside the small apartment. "I've seen worse. I've caused worse…" she added quietly.

"Alright… So, what can I help you with?" Ami asked as she returned to the table. "Seeing as it couldn't wait until Monday, I assume it's urgent?"

"It is. Or, no, I guess it isn't. It's just… I just keep… I mean…" Maho's voice kept quieting down between each attempt, and she seemed incapable of establishing eye contact, instead keeping her gaze firmly fixed on either her knees and the curled up hands she kept laying upon them, or the table before her. Now her voice fell silent once more, but no new attempt was made. Ami knew from experience not to force the issue, and so they just sat there for a few minutes, with Ami waiting patiently for Maho to be ready to talk about whatever she was there for.

"Hey, uh… Ami?"

"Yeah?"

"We're friends, right?"

"Of course we are."

"And you can keep a secret, right?"

"Sure can."

"Then… well… I mean… what I wanted to talk about… it's… it's…" She paused once more and groaned in annoyance at her own inability to speak, looking down once more before looking up at the table again. "Would you… would you mind if I took one?" she asked cautiously, and directed her gaze at one of the unopened cans of beer.

"You know I'm technically a teacher, Maho. I can't let there be rumours I give alcohol to minors. Not to mention students who I'm responsible for."

"Yeah… I guessed as much…" Maho mumbled, "I just… I just thought it would he-"

"So don't tell anyone about this," Ami continued, and threw one of the cans into Maho's lap. Surprised, Maho looked up to see a sly smirk on Ami's lips, as she held out her own beer, ready for a toast. Maho, still overtaken by surprise, answered with a sheepish smile and opened the can, clanking hers gently against Ami before they both drank.

"Blech…" Maho grimaced, staring down at the can and wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "That is disgusting…"

"Sure is," Ami answered with a grin, and took another swig of her beer. "But, it's the best I could get my hands on without going ashore. Not to mention on a teacher's salary."

The two looked at each other for a moment, Maho with a grimacing frown and Ami with a satisfied grin, before both started to laugh. It wasn't a roaring laughter by any stretch of the imagination, but a slight chuckle at the awkward comedy of the situation at the very least.

"So, what's up?" Ami asked and gave Maho a patient look.

At first Maho didn't say anything. She just stared blankly ahead and remained silent. But after a moment, she sighed and lifted the can to her lips once more, tilting her head back as she downed gulp after gulp, almost running out of air as she emptied the can and setting it down on the table with a bang. She shuddered for a moment, her face turning into an ugly grimace as she dealt with the vile taste.

"I don't know," she finally said, and glanced over at Ami before returning her gaze to the cluttered table. "I just keep screwing up. I keep screwing up, and I keep worrying about screwing up, and I keep doubting myself, and I keep second-guessing myself, and I-" Her words, which were usually scarce and measured, where now tumbling over themselves in their attempt to get out.

"Hey, hey, Maho, it's fine," Ami interrupted, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just calm down. We're not in a hurry, so just take it slow and walk me through it."

Maho paused, and exhaled. She drew another couple of breaths just to be sure, before continuing. "I'm screwing up at practice. All the time. I keep giving the wrong orders, or I spend time I wouldn't have during a match just second-guessing myself. It always feels like I'm missing something, or that there's something I haven't thought of that I really should, or that I'm going to get someone hurt." She sighed. "I tried to get back into it. I really tried. I tried getting back in that stupid tank again, and I tried commanding again, just like I did back at Kuromorimine. But nothing's working. I just keep screwing up." She paused for a moment, leaning back slightly against the wall. "I don't know… Maybe I'm not as good of a commander as everyone seems to think. I should just quit while I'm ahead. Let that cyclops take over and do what she will with the team."

"Well, let's settle that last one before anything else. I've seen you fight, Maho. I've seen you command, how you handle yourself on the battlefield, and let me tell you; you're every bit the commander everyone thinks you are. If not more."

"Then why do I keep making a mess of things? I lost against St. Gloriana, I lost against Saunders, and now I'm probably gonna end up losing against Anzio of all people. If I'm so great of a commander, why can't I win a single stupid match even though I'm doing things exactly like I did back at Kuromorimine?"

"That's your problem," Ami said casually as she opened another can of beer for herself. She casually glanced at the last can remaining on the table and then at Maho, but Maho just shook her head. She didn't need reminding of how disgusting the taste of it was, and so Ami just shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Maho asked bitterly. She didn't like beyond toyed with, and Ami knew that well enough.

"Your problem, Maho, is that you're trying to do things like you did at Kuromorimine, and it's not gonna work. At Kuromorimine you commanded a team that already had decades of tradition when you showed up. It had been the victorious team for eight years running, and you had dozens upon dozens of some of the best-kept and most well-maintained tanks in the entire Japanese High School Sensha-Do-circuit. Now, you're leading a team with five OK tanks maintained by four overworked high schoolers and crewed by complete beginners. There's a world of difference."

"Look, I'm trying to get them up to a decent level. And sure, they're improving rapidly, but it's still not anywhere quickly enough for us to be able to win."

"You're not listening," Ami continued. "Sure, getting the team up to snuff is important. As is getting your hands on more tanks and the crews to man them. But that's not my point. My point is this: You're also a beginner at all this. You've never had to put any work into leading, because your word was considered law both because of your name and because of how the team worked traditionally. You've never had to put any work into training a team from beginners to skilled tankers, because there was no such thing as a beginner at Kuromorimine. The people who joined the team there were already hardcore tankers by the time they signed up. These girls have been doing this for barely a few months. And finally, you never had to put any thought into how you wanted to command, because at Kuromorimine you were always going to be following the Nishizumi style and its doctrine. But now, you need to figure out what works for you, and what works for the team. Hopefully it's the same thing, but it often isn't. And in that case, you're going to have to make some compromises."

"So what should I do then?"

"Don't look at me. I'm not here to command, only to advise. This is something you need to figure out, Maho."

Maho sighed, and stared at the wall opposite her. "All I know is the Nishizumi style. And I know I hate it."

"Well, then that's one option off the table. That is what we call progress."

"Doesn't get me any closer to an answer though, now does it?"

"Maybe not," Ami said and shrugged. "But I'm sure you're going to figure something out sooner or later."

"Doesn't it matter that I'm not as sure?"

"Not at all." Ami paused, and chuckled for a moment. "You know, a few years back there was this guy I served with, an American. He was always the most determined and the most confident and sure of himself and his abilities. So one day I asked him why he never seemed nervous or scared, and he said this quote that kinda stuck with me. 'Act as if yee have faith, and faith shall be given to you'."

"So in other words," Maho said with incredulity and looked indignantly at Ami, "your advice is 'fake it til you make it'?"

She nodded. "Exactly."

Maho shook her head, and sighed. "You know what, I think I'm gonna need that…" she said as she reached out and grabbed the last can of beer, opening it and grimacing as she took a sip.

"Commander?"

"Good afternoon," Maho said and gave a small bow. "I hope I'm not intruding, but I was wondering if I might trouble you for some information?"

"Oh, sure thing!" Erwin replied with a grin and gestured for Maho to enter. "Please, come in. And no need to be so formal, we're teammates are we not? Fellow sisters in arms?"

"Yeah… right…" Maho answered quietly and hesitated for a moment before stepping through the door and into the large house. "So… uh… Is this your parents house?" Maho asked as Erwin led the way down the large corridor.

"Nah, my family's from Joso," Erwin answered absentmindedly. "We just rent this place."

This information gave root to more questions than it answered for Maho, as she had assumed a house this big must have been lived in by a family of four, if not more. "So, then you live here by yourself?"

Erwin stopped to look at Maho, first with confusion, but the look soon turned into one of dawning realization. "Oh. No, of course I don't live here by myself. That'd be beyond pompous. We share it, the four of us together." She gave a sly look and continued walking down the hall, with the implication that Maho was to follow. "We've got a guest!" she yelled, with the call echoing slightly through the large house as they rounded a corner into a large central room, seemingly functioning as a living room and dining room both, with a kitchen being visible through a doorway on the opposite end.

"Oh, good afternoon, Commander," Oryou greeted as she glanced up, before returning her attention to the large table before her. "It would seem you have another shot to breach the perimeter at Dunkirk, Erwin. Operation Dynamo got delayed another turn."

"Excellent!" Erwin replied, "just as planned." She then turned back towards Maho for a brief moment. "D'you want anything? Tea? Coffee? Juice?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine, thanks…" Maho answered absentmindedly, her attention focused by the rather conspicuous display set up on the central table.

Splayed out and covering almost the entirety of the large table in the center of the room, was a map of western Europe, covered from edge to edge with a hexagonal grid and scores upon scores of tiny cardboard markers, far too many to count. "Fall Gelb?" Maho asked as she took a step towards the table, and studied the board further.

"Yup!" Erwin answered excitedly, and looked like she was about to launch into a rather detailed tirade, but Oryou interceded herself into the conversation before she had the chance.

"Erwin's commanding the Axis, whereas I'm mounting a decent defense as the Allies." It seemed true enough. Looking at the board, the German advance through the low countries looked to have petered out around Sedan, with a far wider perimeter around Dunkirk and the encircled British Expeditionary Forces than historically. "I had to let her have her way with Denmark and Norway to make it happen though, and I don't even want to talk about the Netherlands."

"Huh…" Maho said with an appreciative nod. "But then, what's going on here?" she asked, and pointed to a loose concentration of grey chits spread out behind the blue and yellow ones, presumably representing French and Belgian forces, a thin gap in the line having seemingly been the path through which they had streamed through.

"My magnum opus!" Erwin replied with a triumphant grin. "German Panzer-units had far more freedom of command, and were simply given a mission to fulfill, leaving the minutiae of how up to the commanders rather than the generals. It harkens back to the maneuver warfare innovated by the Prussian army and von Moltke the Elder. And as the game reflects this, I used that flexibility to my advantage!" She grinned, and gave a theatrical flourish of the arm over the area of her breakthrough. "By the end of this turn I will have a second encirclement by Calais, and next turn, Paris will fall!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Oryou said with confidence. "Besides, there's no way you'll get enough combat factors together to make that work."

"Yee have little faith! I've been planning this operation since last night, and nothing's gonna stop me. Not even bad luck."

The friendly bickering continued back and forth, but Maho didn't listen. She was focusing on the map and chits before her, studying Erwin's panzers and what path they had seemed to take to their current positions, and how they could move after that. As she continued staring at the concentrations of units and their positions on the map, it slowly began to make sense to her, even if she didn't know the exact rules the game was played by.

Rivers blocked paths of advance, roads provided lifelines and shortcuts, and forests served as obstacles to be circumvented, or to be pushed through. The countless chits forming the lines of battle began to appear as stronger or weaker sections of wall to be overcome, and the scattered armored units in Oryou's rear were on their way to strike a killing blow. It was as if staring through time, as she could almost visualize what had led to this state of affairs, what was about to follow, and how it would all play out.

After what couldn't have been more than a few moments, these scattered observations coalesced in her mind, forming a single understanding. And with that understanding came a thought. A thought that made her smirk as she stroked her chin.

"This platoon is going to strike south towards Cambrai," Maho noted, as if mere fact, running her fingertip across the board to mark the path she envisioned for them "These two are advancing through Arras before splitting towards Abbeville and Amiens, and these are going west to Lumbres, to cut the French off at Wissant. Aren't they?" she asked and looked up from the table. Apparently she had interrupted the ongoing banter, as Erwin and Oryou both looked at her in astonished and impressed surprise.

"Uhh… yeah…" Erwin answered, barely keeping her mouth from hanging agape, "that's… that's the plan…"

"Whereas these Belgian units are going to attempt to link up with the encircled BEF," Maho continued, looking back down at the board again. "It won't work, so instead the French 3rd armored is going to try and break through the German line towards Ghent. The Axis forces there are going to fall back, but the line will hold. Finally the Allies will scramble what motorized units they have, as well as those remnants of the French air force," she gestured to a small stack of units near Reims with a marker reading 'Depleted' on it covering them, "and they'll be sent to halt the German breakthrough and to block them from reaching Doullens."

"Do… do you play, Commander?" Erwin asked.

"No, not in the slightest," Maho answered and shook her head.

"Then… then how… how did you…" Oryou stammered, still not being fully able to grasp the accuracy of Maho's analysis.

"I thank you both for your hospitality," Maho said shortly, cutting Oryou off and nodding to them both. "But I have to go."

"Wait, weren't you here to ask for some information?" Erwin tried to remind her, but Maho was already on her way to leave.

"I was," Maho answered over her shoulder as she stopped by the doorway leading into the long hallway. "But you guys just gave me an idea. I'll see you both at practice on Monday."

"...and now, with Maginot Girl's Academy having fallen to our might, we shall go on towards the finals, as we were always meant to! Ooarai shall fall to us just the same, and then the championship will finally be within our grasp! We shall finally seize our place in the sun as the greatest Sensha-Do team in Japan, and then the world! Avanti Anzio!"

"DUCE!"

"DUCE!"

"DUCE!"

"DUCE!"

The spanish steps aboard the Aquila was filled to the brim with cheering crowds of Anzio students, chanting their praise and support for the Sensha-Do team, and for Anchovy, their school's leader and team commander.

Even as the crowds continued cheering, hungry for more, Anchovy turned on the spot and began to make her way back towards the team's garage with a bitter frown on her lips. They had defeated Maginot, yes. And now they were facing Ooarai. Some no-name school no one had heard of in 20 years that only had 5 tanks. They weren't going to be a challenge. Under any other circumstance she might even jump with glee at the prospect. But Ooarai weren't just some no-name school.

Somehow, they had Maho Nishizumi leading them. Maho Nishizumi, who had taken everything from her. Maho Nishizumi, who had vanished into a puff of smoke after last year's finals. Maho Nishizumi, who many had presumed dead. Maho Nishizumi, raised from the beyond and returned to the world of the living. Maho Nishizumi. "The greatest Sensha-Do commander in Japan". Anchovy chuckled to herself as she walked, the cheering chants growing ever more distant with every turn. I suppose I'll be one of the first commanders in the world to face a ghost on the field.

But as she reached the team's garage and entered the large building, her frown was swiftly overrun by a smug grin.

Taking pride of place in the middle of the garage, nestled between the CV.33 tankettes and the Semovente assault guns under the beam of light created by the skylight, stood a dark sage monument to Anzio's strength, the blade with which she would pierce through the other schools of the tournament and lead her team to victory. Carro Armato P-26/40, the Italian heavy tank which was to serve as their new flag tank, and her steed and lance both.

At least that was what it represented to the team, and to all those cheering crowds of students outside. But to her, it was so much more.

To her, it was the tool with which she would take down Maho Nishizumi. The tool with which she would make Maho Nishizumi experience all the pain she had brought upon her.

Next time on Dein Weg ist Mein Weg: Maho puts her idea into practice, Rabbit team try to get Azusa back, and the final preparations for the match against Anzio takes place

Author's Notes:

So, after a week's break I'm back!

Before anything else, I just want to say thank you for all the kind words of support you've given me after I decided to give the chapter some extra time. I did feel some worry when I first took the decision, so I want you to know how much I appreciated the support.

But anyways, let's get to what actually happened this week. Maho is back as the Commander of Ooarai, although that of course doesn't mean things automatically solve themselves. We get some small concessions on Maho's part to the rest of Phoenix team (boy, that is gonna be a change to get used to, huh?), and Azusa leaving the team entirely. I wonder how that will affect the ongoing feud between her and Maho?

The only real regret I suppose I have with this chapter is with the practice session. Originally the plan was to have a scene to show the team practicing and Maho's doubts, but in the end it just felt repetitive and not overly interesting to read. And with all of the other scenes saying basically the same thing, I decided to cut it. Would have been nice to show some of it instead of just telling, but I still think this was for the best.

We also get some Maho (literally) fighting with her demons, with some limited success, which was fun to write and I hope I struck a good balance in how it panned out. There's also a neat scene I think over on the Aquila giving us some small insight into Anchovy and Anzio.

The scene with Erwin and Oryou was a lot of fun, especially since I'm a big hex-and-counter wargamer myself, so I loved getting to see them play in der film, and to get to expand on that was great. Hopefully the scene didn't get too nitty-gritty in its descriptions and it was still easy and fun enough to follow along with.

Then I suppose there's the elephant in the room: The scene between Ami and Maho. To start off with I want to make it clear that I in no way support underage drinking or giving alcohol to minors. I would hope that those being bad things is obvious, but this is fiction so we're allowed to play fast and loose with some things. Still, I really liked both writing and reading back that scene, so I hope you all enjoy it as well.

As for reviews from ch26, I'm starting to realize how difficult it is to respond to these in bulk, so going forwards I'm gonna try my best to reply to your thoughts and reviews directly instead. Still, I love to hear your thoughts, theories, and feedback, so please, if you do have the time, leave a review, if you so wish of course. It's always the highlight of my day to read your kind words.

Until next week, see you later!

/Rihno

P.S.

While I hope to be able to release ch28 next week, just to be on the safe side I'm not going to make any promises. Just thought you all should know that the days of guaranteed weekly updates are probably over for the moment.