"...and as you all know," she continued, as Emma neared. "Saint Gloriana's boasts a proud and storied Sensha-Do tradition, dating all the way back to the early 1900s."
Making a sweeping gesture over the entire complex to the left, she explained, "With support from the British looking to expand their colonial influences in Imperial Japan, the then-Yokosuka National Boarding School for Boys and Girls opened the first themed Sensha-Do team in Japan with 5 Mark V's and one Mark VIII, named 'Rosy'. All were donated by the Royal Hong Kong Tankery Club"
Emma walked up to the front of the group, and pointed to the front of the entrance, "Rosy still stands at the front of the complex today, as a monument to the beginnings of our team."
"Ah, Lieutenant Colonel," the girl bowed to her presence, then gestured for the group to do the same. "Ladies, this is Orange Pekoe, one of the commanders of the team, and also the youngest of the three."
Pekoe smiled awkwardly, and hastily motioned for them to get back up, "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope you all enjoy your time here at Saint Gloriana's." She turned her attention back to the girl. "Sorry, Nilgiri, I just need to pick up the new recruits."
"Hmm, right." Nilgiri mumbled, remembering part of her orders. She turned back to the group. "Any ladies that have signed up for the Sensha-Do program are to follow Lady Pekoe to your quarters. Those of you enrolled in the General Studies course are to continue with me for the rest of the tour."
The group split up, with roughly a fifth of the group breaking off with Pekoe, and the rest of them continuing with Nilgiri. As Pekoe checked off each recruit's name, she was shouldered by accident by one of the girls in the General Studies group. "Hey, watch where you're going."
"...sorry." The reply was terse, and short, and that was all Pekoe got out of her before she spun around abruptly and continued following Nilgiri's group.
"That wasn't very sorry-hey, come here!" Pekoe exclaimed, briskly walking up and putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Now, apolog-"
"Urk!" was all that was heard, as the girl dropped her luggage bag, spun around, and pinned Pekoe's hand behind her back, and her body against the wall. "Ow…that hurts…"
"I said, 'sorry'," the girl replied shortly, pushing up against the wall harder. "Now, how about you apologize for placing your hand on me."
"Why do I have to-" Pekoe began, before the girl pushed harder, "Owowowow fine, fine. I'm sorry!"
The girl let go of Pekoe, who swung her arm around slowly to nurse it and stretch it out. With no other words, she picked up her luggage bag and chased after the General Studies group.
"Blighter, that one," Pekoe groaned, as she began to regain feeling in her arm. She shooed off the recruits who swarmed around her, alleviating their concerns. "Not to worry, girls. If I went to the nurse every time I had a sore arm, I might as well rent out the bed there for after practice. Now, let's go. You all need to be introduced to the rest of the team."
While the recruits picked up their belongings and began to make their way to the barracks, Orange Pekoe bent down to pick up her clipboard. "Blimey General Students," she muttered with some contempt. "They always did know how to cheat in a fist fight."
She ran after her group, as the last bell of the day rang.
General Studies Group
"...and the dormitories are over there, to our right," Nilgiri explained, pointing towards a large section of British-style flat apartments, stacked 4 stories high. It was enclosed by a small bush border, and there were archway entrances proudly proclaiming 'STUDENT HOUSING' on hanging signs.
"That concludes the tour for today," Nilgiri finished off, as a stream of students began to file out of the school building. "Please check your orientation packets for your schedule, flat number, and key. You will have the remainder of today and the whole weekend to explore campus at your leisure. Remember, classes start at 7:00 AM Monday!"
The group dispersed among the crowd, to mingle about and find their rooms. Most girls, having only enough to afford shared housing, began to introduce themselves to their new flat mates and allowed themselves into their new homes for the next couple of years.
She stood there, all by herself, as the trickle of students began to lessen. Most girls, off to after-school extracurriculars or returning home, only gave her the occasional side eye as she continued to stand there, until the evening came.
As the air became cool, and the sound of crickets began to penetrate the sky, she finally grabbed her luggage bag, emblazoned with a steel Iron Cross and white border, and began walking down the Boulevard, eventually coming to the far end of the housing, close to the ship edge.
She hung a right, and entered the lobby of her building, which was long empty at that point. Entering the elevator, she pressed the button for the highest floor, and waited as the elevator car began to slowly climb up.
Eventually, the doors gave way into the hallway of the 4th floor, and she walked all the way to the end of the corridor, until she eventually got to her room. She stared at the door for a while longer, before opening up her packet and taking out the key.
Opening the doorway and letting it swing wide into her single-bed flat, she took it all in for a moment, before resolving herself to be let in. As she took the first step in, though, she saw a letter on the floor.
Turning on the desk lamp and shutting the door, she set her bags down and looked over the envelope, finding it only marked with a sender's address. Tearing it open, she began to read the letter over.
To NISHIZUMI MIHO
Hello, and on behalf of the Saint Gloriana Sensha-Do team-
She crumpled the paper up and threw it in the trash before reading another word. With little else to do, she turned off the light, and crashed on the bed.