Chapter 14: Pigeons, Rifles, Drawings, and Idols
On the last day of the program, the transfer students visiting Pormort Academy gathered in the auditorium for one final meeting Sunday morning. Alas, at least to the members of Freikorp Oarai, it was just one final address from Representative Sinclair and the American-Japanese Joint Schoolship Development Commission which they mostly tuned out until the end.
"And to the students participating in the 63rd National High School Sensha-do Tournament, best of luck during your matches. Make America proud to have sent you to Japan to support both our schoolship program and the Sensha-do programs of many great Japanese schools," the representative closed. The audience clapped as she stepped off the stage and out of their sight.
Everyone stood up from their seats and slowly filed out of the auditorium. Because they were situated near the entrance, Freikorp Oarai was able to get ahead of everyone and out of the auditorium first. "Let's go! Let's go! If we're quick we can be the first one outta here!" Ross exclaimed and started running out of the building.
"Hey, wait up!" Jody shouted and took off after him. The rest of the crew started chasing them to the amusement, chagrin, and confusion of many of the other transfer students.
One girl with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a uniform from Pravda High School leaned against the wall outside of the main building. "Those brats still haven't got their act together," she complained.
Diantha stepped out of the building and stood next to the girl. "And yet they still, time and time again, continued to best your school in the state tournament back home," she commented.
"Whatever, those weren't fair fights! I mean can you really beat a Tiger I H2 with a Panzer III?" the Pravda girl exclaimed.
"Your great Katyusha was able to beat Kuromormine's Tiger I last year in the 62nd Nationals with a T-34," Diantha pointed out.
The Pravda girl growled angrily. "Katyusha could beat a Tiger II with a T-60! She has provided us with a great many things that will allow us to finally crush the eagles! We are no longer behind the Prussians in technology!"
Diantha quietly giggled. "Well then, would you mind sharing what she has given you?" she asked.
"Ha! As if I'd fall to your tricks again! You'll have to wait for us to crush St. Gloriana before I reveal our new tanks. For all I know you could be an enemy spy! The Stasi will have your head!" the Pravda girl accused
"Very well Katrina, you can hide your secrets. If you'll excuse me, I have to return to St. Gloriana. I'm sure Darjeeling would like to know that Pravda's transfer program has been given some new toys to play with by their benevolent overlords," Diantha said before gracefully walking down the stairs of Pormort Academy.
"Hey! You're not supposed to know that we have new tanks!" Katrina shouted. Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake and she covered her reddening face.
Patty, Jennifer, and the girls from Saunders walked past her. "Well then, hopefully we'll fight you early on so we can find out about what you've got Katrina!" Patty exclaimed cheerfully as they passed. Katrina only turned away and groaned while the Saunders girls laughed.
000
Freikorp Oarai took the bus the Department of Education provided to them to take them back to Tokyo International Airport, but instead they were taken to Japan's largest schoolship port, the Kai no Iriguchi, the Entrance of the Sea. When they looked out of the windows on the side of the bus, they could see 32 unique schoolships docked for miles to both the north and south. They sat in shock with their mouths agape at the engineering marvel.
Aside from the many concrete ports that stretched out into the sea, the port also connected each of the docked ships with a suspended road and walkway allowing for the top decks of each ship to be connected without traveling below deck. "Impressive…" William commented. This is the current future of humanity. Not amongst the stars but conquering and settling the vast seas, he thought.
One schoolship was impressive, two were unimaginable, but they could only marvel at the impressive vessels as they drove past the 32 schoolships, which could each house dozens if not one hundred thousand people, that would compete in the 63rd National High School Sensha-do tournament. At the last port on the southernmost side of the port was the Zuikaku, the ship they had called home for two months. It along with several other minor schools was dwarfed by the giants of Saunders University High School and the USS George Washington, St. Gloriana Girls' College and the HMS Ark Royal, Pravda High School, and the Kiev, and Kuromorimine Girls' Academy and the Graf Zeppelin. Freikorp Oarai's bus stopped in front of the Zuikaku and they disembarked from the bus while still admiring the ships around them.
"I'm sure it would shock you to learn that this isn't even half of Japan's schoolship fleet," William informed. Everyone else's jaws finally hit the floor. William stepped past everyone as they admired the ships. "Well everyone, we've got to get going, the drawings for the tournament are this evening. No, not everyone will need to come, just the commanders, but anyone who wants to come is welcome," he addressed.
Jody raised her hand. "No, you cannot harass Ross at the drawings," William answered. Jody pouted in response and lowered her hand. Ross turned to her, narrowed his eyes, and loomed over her menacingly.
William signed and shook his head with it in his hand. "C'mon guys, we're not toddlers pull yourselves together," he said to the two eternal enemies.
"But it's funny!" Jody objected.
"Do it on your own time," William demanded.
Jody stuck her tongue out and quickly kicked Ross' feet out from under him before taking off to escape onto the Zuikaku. Joseph helped Ross up, who was thoroughly annoyed at his gunner for her antics. "Moving on, we'll meet at the Sensha-do garages at three, head out together to wherever this drawing is held at three-fifteen, and with a little bit of luck we'll be home by suppertime and get some much-needed rest," William explained.
000
Ross softly knocked on Miho's door when the trio of commanders finally made it back to their apartment. William and Joseph walked past him and entered their own apartment a few doors down. Miho opened the doors and peaked out. Her eyes lit up when she saw Ross. "Hi Ross!" she cheerfully greeted and fully opened the door.
"Hi Miho, how's Natalie doing? I hope she wasn't too much trouble," Ross asked as he stepped in. Inside the lights were slightly dimmed and Natalie sat on Miho's cot with her eyes glued to the TV screen, which was playing an episode of Boko. Is this show just about how much this teddy bear gets his face bashed in? Ross thought, Yeah probably.
"Oh no, she wasn't any trouble at all! Just a few wakeups in the night, but I'm used to it anyway," Miho said.
"Used to it?" Ross asked, "you have trouble sleeping?"
Miho stopped and stared at Ross blankly for a few moments before she shook her head a little. "O-oh yeah, just the occasional trouble. Nothing abnormal, nope!" she exclaimed.
Uh-huh… Ross thought before turning to his daughter and kneeling next to Miho's cot. "Hey Nat, I'm back!" He greeted eagerly.
Natalie turned her eyes away from the TV and looked at Ross. Her eyes lit up in recognition and she smiled widely before clumsily crawling over to him. Ross picked her up with a smile and she snuggled into his chest. "Dadadadadadada," she babbled.
Ross cuddled her for a moment before turning back to Miho. "Miho, I can't thank you enough for this. It means a lot to know that she was in good care," he said.
"Don't worry about it, it was fun to have her over!" Miho replied.
Ross smiled and awkwardly pulled out his wallet from his jacket with his free hand. "Regardless, I hope this will make up for it," he said while handing her several bills.
Miho slowly took the money and looked down at it for a moment before offering it back to Ross. "It's fine, helping a teammate and a friend is payment enough for me," she said.
Ross held up his free hand. "No, please take it. I wouldn't want your work to go uncompensated," he said.
Miho gave him a small pouty face before she had a new idea. "How about you take the money and buy Natalie some Boko toys so she'll have some when she isn't here at my apartment?" she proposed.
Ross frowned and sighed before taking the money back. "Fine, I'll get her some Bokos," he relented.
"Good!" Miho exclaimed, "if you ever need someone to watch her again then I'm more than willing to have her over again!"
Ross smiled. "Thanks, Miho, it means a lot."
"Don't worry about it. You know, Anglerfish Team and I usually have dinner here every Friday. You and Natalie are welcome to join us this week if you'd like," Miho offered.
Ross smiled and turned to Natalie. "Well Nat, what do you think?" he asked.
Natalie babbled excitedly. "I think she'd like that," Ross said.
Miho giggled. "Alright then, I'll let everyone else know! If you'd like, you can bring something as well."
"Well, I'm no chef, but I've got a few dishes I can… dish out," Ross joked.
Miho's giggles turned to full laughter. "Okay, that was pretty good," she managed to get out.
"Well I am the only student here who can make dad jokes legitimately," Ross joked with a wide smile.
000
As three o'clock drew near, Joseph was rushing to complete a project in his workshop that would give them a definite advantage in the first round and also for the rest of the tournament. At his work desk, he sat tinkering with a pair of glasses with a drill. He carefully drilled a small hole into the right side of the frames. Around him, six other pairs of glasses sat on his desk with various forms of damage. "Come on, just a little more," he whispered while slowly carving a hole just big enough for the microcamera he bought for Yukari's inflation mission.
A faint snapping sound caused him to freeze and stop drilling. He cursed and threw the glasses aside. "I should've bought thicker frames…" he muttered. He scowled and grabbed another pair of glasses. They didn't have any prescription lenses in them so they were fairly cheap. After another nervous look at the clock, he started to carefully drill a hole for the microcamera again, and once again, the frames snapped. With another flurry of curses, he threw them aside. He grabbed the next pair angrily and recklessly shoved the drill into the right side of the front portion of the frame. "You like that you annoying piece of-" he shouted before the drill cut through the frames neatly.
He removed the drill from the frames and admired his handy work. "Huh…" he said while looking over the hole, "works for me."
He applied a small amount of glue to the microcamera and gently slid it into the hole. With that completed, he turned to the right ear support, where he fixed a small Bluetooth earpiece to the frame, which also supplied the camera with the power it needed to record and even stream the footage back to Joseph's computer. While the glue for his masterpiece dried, he turned to another project of his.
He picked up a small metal box with bars at the front. Inside, a small white bird cooed. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you Kleinetaube," he whispered and opened the barred door. The bird hopped out of his cage and pecked at the desk. "You've got an important role for this tournament. Don't let me down."
The pigeon cooed again. "Alright, let's try to get the harness to fit again," he said. From another box on the ground, he pulled out a pigeon harness with another camera that was bigger than the one on the glasses but would still be camouflaged against the white harness and the feathers of the white bird. He pulled out the wings of Kleinetaube and fitted the harness to him. He smiled and opened a drawer to pull some corn kernels from a container he had to give to Kleinetaube as treats. Joseph playfully tossed the kernels one by one at the pigeon who caught them all in the air. Outside he heard the doors to the garage opening. "How about we put you to the test?" Joseph asked. He pulled open his phone, connected it to the camera, which streamed footage back to his phone, and showed the Pigeon a picture of the garage. "Go investigate," Joseph ordered. The pigeon flapped its wings and took flight. He flew out of his office and hovered in the larger space of the garage above the Panzer IV and Stridsvagn M/41.
Through the feed, Joseph could see that his visitors were not pleased with the knowledge of the pigeon's "infiltration" of the garage. Miho and Anglerfish Team, except for Yukari who was suppressing laughter, were trying to shoo away the bird with the rest of the commanders of the team split between hiding behind their peers or joining the shooing. Joseph laughed and pulled out a trench whistle. With a deep breath, he blew and the whistle released a shrill scream. From the feed, he could see everyone covering their ears as the whistle resonated throughout the garage. The feed turned away from them shortly after the whistle and Kleinetaube flew back into Joseph's office. "Good work," Joseph praised. He fed the pigeon another corn kernel. The pigeon cooed and perched himself onto Joseph's shoulder. Joseph stepped outside to greet the panicked crowd. "Settle down everyone!" he shouted, "for I have tamed this great beast and it bows to my command!"
"Why in the world do you have a pigeon!" Momo demanded.
Joseph smirked. "Fear not, for this great beast is on our side, observe as I reveal his purpose!" he dramatically boasted. Using a flashlight on his phone, Joseph illuminated Kleinetaube's chest. The lens reflected the light from his phone. "This great beast has been fused with my mechanical wizardly to produce a surveillance drone that the enemy will never suspect that it is telling us their every move, location, and intention."
"You've been performing animal experiments!?" Azusa asked with fear in her eyes.
"No, no, no, it's fitted to a heavily camouflaged harness. See, I show Kleinetaube a photograph, for example." He paused to take a picture of the Panzer IV. "Of the Panzer IV, then I show this photograph to Kleinetaube," he explained and showed his pigeon the photo. Kleinetaube cooed and took flight again and flew above the Panzer IV. "Kleinetaube seeks it out and hovers over it. The camera streams to my phone and once I think he has completed his mission, then I can send a command to the camera to make a whistling sound, or I can use my trench whistle to call him back," he explained. He demonstrated the recall function by pushing a button on his phone that created a whistle from the pigeon's camera that caused it to return to Joseph's shoulder. "Then, Kleinetaube gets a kernel," Joseph finished and tossed a kernel towards his bird.
Everyone stood in awe, except for Momo. "You can't keep a pigeon here! It's against the rules for students to have pets!" she chastised.
"Kleinetaube isn't a pet! He is an asset and a fellow crew member!" Joseph argued.
"To which crew!?" Momo countered.
Joseph laughed dramatically. "To Taubemannschaft, Pigeon Team of course!" he revealed. He flipped his whistle to the other end, revealing a second whistle and blew, creating a differently pitched noise. Through the holes in the roof that still needed to be patched two more pigeons flew down. One pigeon that was larger than both of Joseph's other pigeons landed on his helmet while the other, which was in between Kleinetaube and the largest pigeon in size perched on his shoulder. "Meet Großetaube and Mittleretaube! My personally trained pigeon surveyors!"
"You have three pigeons!?" Momo exclaimed angrily.
"For now," Joseph answered with a smirk.
"For now?! You will get rid of these pigeons at once! It violates school rules!" Momo demanded.
Miho stepped forward and stood between Joseph and Momo, trying to calm the situation. "If I may Momo if what Joseph is saying is true, I think this could be beneficial to the team," she said.
Momo seemed to cool down slightly. "But we can't make exceptions for the Sensha-do Team, it'll make the student council appear biased," she objected.
"You know, the Agriculture Department keeps horses on board," Saori noted, "would the Sensha-do team having pigeons be much different?"
"The Agriculture Department is a bit different from the Sensha-do Team," Yuzu spoke up, "they're a course so they follow different regulations. That and the school owns the horses and adults take care of them, where in this case you seem to be the owner of these pigeons."
"But what about the rabbits tended to by us first-years?" Azusa asked.
"Same situation," Yuzu answered, "they're owned by the school."
"I'm not handing over these pigeons to the school. I want to use them for the team, but they are my birds. I tamed them and I'm caring for them, even if pigeons are pretty low maintenance. They eat almost anything we do. Especially Großetaube, he's got a bottomless stomach," Joseph said. Großetaube angrily pecked Joseph's helmet. "That's not food you fat bird!"
"Bottom line is, we can't have these pigeons here," Momo said, "I believe the rules on that are quite clear, correct Miss President?"
Anzu stood in thought for a moment. "No rules say the club can't have animals on their roster, we'll just leave Pigeon Team to Joseph and just put them under the club roster," she decided.
Yuzu and Mom turned to their president with blank stares. "I-I…" Momo stuttered before clearing her throat, "the president has made her decision. Don't let these pigeons be a drain on the club's resources and they can stay."
Joseph smirked. "Oh trust me, I'm sure they will be of great use. Right captain?"
"R-right, just keep them under control, okay?" Miho said.
"Of course, of course. They'll only peck me because they're all jacka-" he started before being cut off by angry pecking from Großetaube, "cut that out!" he waved an arm at the fat bird.
Once the birds had settled down he turned back to the commanders. "By the way, I kinda forgot to show you something we got back when we got our new uniforms Miho," Joseph realized. He went into his office and put his pigeons away before pulling a large crate out with chains locking it tightly shut. "Actually no, now I remember why I didn't show it to you. It's because someone in charge of the delivery didn't do their job and SOMEHOW we didn't get the keys to unlock the chains," he complained, "so I had to wait to get this!" he exclaimed while showing off a pair of tools
"Is that a crowbar?!" Miho nearly shouted.
"A crowbar and a pair of bolt cutters!" Joseph declared. He eagerly sliced through the large chains holding his treasure from him. The chains groaned and rattled, but with enough force, they fell to the concrete floor with a loud rattle. Joseph tossed the bolt cutters aside and gripped the crowbar with both of his hands. He jammed the tool between the lid and the crate and pushed. With the sound of cracking wood filling the room, the lid flew open. Joseph tossed the crowbar aside as well and reached into the crate. With a loud grunt, he pulled his treasure from the crate. "Und das ist meine Wunderwaffe!" he shouted.
In his arms was the first anti-tank rifle to exist. Shining with a dark German steel receiver and displaying a rich wooden stock, the Mauser Tankgewehr M1918 was a powerful 13.2mm anti-tank rifle fielded by the German Army during World War I to fight the new weapon of war, the tank.
"Hold on a minute!" Miho exclaimed, "Is that legal!?"
Joseph only smirked. "The Germans were particularly crafty with their beutepanzers. I believe Yukari might be more knowledgeable on the subject?"
Yukari, always a reliable source of tank knowledge, stepped forward "Um yes! The 13.2mm bullet that the Tankgewehr fires has a Sensha-do variant that disintegrates and is safe to use. The Germans during World War I replaced the frontal Lewis Guns on their captured Mark V tanks with the Tankgewehr. Also, many guns that weren't mounted on tanks like Ross' Vickers-Crayford Rocket gun are also approved," she explained.
"Right… I guess I forgot about the rocket gun," Miho said.
"Plus the Elefant might have troubles in rough terrain, so having this on foot-" Joseph started.
Miho's face grew stern and cold before she interrupted him, "Absolutely not. You can have the rifle, but only if you mount it to your cupola and DO NOT use it outside your tank, got it?" she demanded.
Everyone stepped back as Miho glared at Joseph. Holy crap… Joseph thought fearfully. "Uh, right, right, only in the cupola. Yes ma'am!" he stuttered. He put the rifle back into the crate and hastily covered the other two rifles at the bottom of the crate with the packaging peanuts before closing it.
"Good, it's too dangerous to use on foot. We will only get out of our tanks for reconnaissance and other non-combat roles. I want to make this clear, there will be no combat outside of your tanks. No anti-tank grenades, no anti-tank rockets, no infantry weapons. Understood?" she addressed sternly.
"Yes, ma'am!" everyone shouted.
000
After Joseph put his weapon(s) away, the team left for the drawings for the nationals. They all easily managed to fit onto one bus, since it was only Anglerfish Team, Turtle Team, and the commanders of each tank. In the front row, Ross and Joseph sat at the window seats on the left and right sides while Miho and William took the aisle seats. Behind them were the rest of Anglerfish Team and the rest of the commanders sporadically filling the rest of the seats. As the bus departed, Ross gently bounced Natalie on his knee and turned to Miho. "So who do you think we'll face in the first match?" he asked.
Miho sat with a little anxiety and thought about the question. "Among the regulars, any one of them would be a tough fight, but with 32 schools competing… that's double of last year's competition and many are new schools like us. They're entirely up in the air on what they'll bring to the tournament," she answered.
"I see… I'm guessing those larger schoolships will probably bring larger and harder hitting teams," Ross replied.
"Definitely, but there are some smaller schools that are unpredictable and can definitely hold their own. I faced Jatkosota High School at Kuromorimine once in an exhibition match and they were a tough nut to crack, even for Kuromormine," Miho said.
"That's the school with the really, really large pine tree and is constantly covered in snow, right?" Ross asked.
Miho nodded. "Even though their tanks aren't strong, they have deadly accurate gunners and can maneuver a battlefield like nobody else. I never met any of their members personally, but there's a legend about one of their snipers who nobody outside of their team knows or even knows what tank they use. Her concealment is so good and her firing is so accurate that she's never needed to reveal herself to get a good shot," Miho said.
"They don't even know what tank she crews?" Ross asked.
Miho nodded again. "We beat them before she revealed herself to us, and scurried away before we could even get a glimpse of her. At least that's what Mika, their captain, said."
"Perhaps she was lying to keep up the legend? After all, deception is the heart of warfare," Ross proposed.
This time, Miho shook her head. "No, Mika's always vague, but she doesn't lie, at least so I've heard. The team is shrouded in so much mystery."
"I see, did you know some schools have transfer students from America of their own participating? We saw some girls from Saunders that we've faced before back home when they were part of the Kansas Union Private School from, well, Kansas."
"That far?" Miho asked with surprise.
"Yep, they're the best in the nation in three things, singing, drinking, and fighting," Ross answered.
"Are they participating in the tournament? Do you know what tanks they could bring?" Miho asked eagerly.
Ross smiled. "Oh, they'll be first in line. They'd never shy away from a fight even if they were wasted out of their mind, especially if they're wasted."
Miho covered her mouth in shock. "T-they drink? Isn't that illegal?"
"Technically yes and no. Patty always said they could get around it by drinking beer with less than 3.2% alcohol in Kansas. Somehow they always end up with 3.19% percent and nobody knows how they do it. It's probably because a lot of them are Irish…"
"But can't they still get in trouble for being drunk?" Miho asked.
"Oh definitely, I think, every state is different, but they never do," Ross answered.
"Well, do you know what tanks they could field?" Miho asked.
Ross bit his lip. "You aren't gonna like it… the M4A3R8 U.S Marine Sherman tanks with a co-axial H1A-A5 flamethrower," he whispered.
"Flamethrowers?!" Miho squeaked, "those can't be legal!"
Ross laughed at his captain's expense. "Of course, they wouldn't be armed. They're deactivated and if you looked closely you could see the part where the barrel meets the turret is blocked. It's entirely for show," he explained.
"You jerk…" Miho pouted. She took a deep breath and calmed down. "So, we could face M4 Shermans with fake flamethrowers to intimidate us?"
Ross rolled his head back and forth in thought. "Possibly, that's what we faced last back home. Go figure, the tankers who descend from the men of the 1st Regiment of the Irish Brigade and the 1st Arkansas Colored Volunteers would use the flame tank named after one of the most famous American Civil War generals who was famous for well, burning Atlanta to the ground," he noted, "Oh well, support plantation, prepare for cremation."
"I think we could've expected Shermans from Saunders anyway. Personally, I hope we can face St. Gloriana again. The tea they sent was delicious," Miho said, her mouth already starting to water at the idea of freshly brewed English tea.
"Meh, I'm not much of a tea drinker. William can't stop drinking Darjeeling Tea though," he said before leaning in to whisper into Miho's ear, "don't tell him I told you this, but I've heard him regularly talking with Darjeeling over the phone."
Miho blushed. "Are they… you know, interested in each other?" she asked.
Ross chuckled. "Jeez captain, I didn't think you were into the whole romance gossip business. But no, believe it or not, at least I think. All I've heard them talk about is Ralph Waldo Emerson's books. Can you believe that?" he whispered.
On the other side of the aisle, Joseph lightly nudged William's arm and leaned over. "Take a look at that. Miho and Ross look like they're getting pretty friendly," he pointed out.
William glanced over. "Look at Miho's face…" William whispered back, "kinda red like a blush isn't it?"
"Oooh is our boy Ross flirtin' with girls again?" Joseph whispered, adopting a southern accent.
"If my eyes aren't deceiving me, then perhaps," William replied.
"Wanna bet on them?" Joseph proposed.
"Okay 'Tandy'. 11,150.30 Yen on them getting together," William bet.
Joseph smirked. "Sorry boss, I only do business in freedom bucks," he replied.
"Oh shut up, it's exactly ten dollars," William said.
Joseph laughed quietly. "Alright, 10 freedom bucks on the opposite," he countered, "Oh and no cheating, I don't wanna see any rigging you got that?"
"I'm an honest man doing honest business," William promised.
On the other side of the aisle, Ross and Miho's attention turned to Natalie. "Did you bring a pacifier or something like that?" Miho asked.
"Of course, I wouldn't want her bothering anybody there and if she gets to be too much trouble I can just step out for a bit. I've also brought her earmuffs. How will this whole thing be set up again?" Ross asked.
"We'll all gather in a large auditorium. Officials call schools up one by one and they'll draw a number. That number could be 1-32 and that'll determine who they face. One faces two, three faces four, and so on," Miho explained.
"Who will draw the number?" Ross asked.
"The team captain, but every commander present will stand behind them to be displayed to the crowd," Miho answered, "It's just a traditional thing though, so if you don't want-"
Ross interrupted her. "No," he said.
"No?" Miho asked.
"We'll follow you Miho, that's what giving you our dagger signifies," Ross affirmed, "so what if they glare, taunt, or laugh? Eagles are apex predators, as are leopards, hyenas, and lions."
Miho stared at him before smiling widely. "Alright! Anglerfish are apex predators too, so I won't be afraid either," she declared.
Ross held back a laugh. "I'm sorry, it's not that what you're saying isn't inspiring and reassuring, but I can't imagine your anglerfish mascot as an apex predator," he managed to say before starting to laugh.
Miho frowned and pouted, "And here I am trying to back you up…"
"I'm sorry, really, it's just-' he started before lightly laughing again.
Miho turned away and crossed her arms, although a growing smile betrayed her posture. "No-nope too late to apologize-" she managed before laughing herself. "Okay it is kinda funny," she admitted.
"Kinda? You're the one laughing along," Ross pointed out with amusement.
Miho calmed down a little. "Okay, okay, it was really funny. Is that good enough?"
"I suppose that'll do," Ross relented. Natalie seemed to agree if her innocent and cheerful giggles were anything to go by.
000
The auditorium where the drawings would take place was massive and a crowd gathered at the front of the building to view the large screen which broadcasted the drawings onto the streets of Tokyo. As Oarai's Sensha-do commanders, plus the rest of Anglerfish and Turtle Team, stepped out of the bus, they were directed by a lady in a parade military uniform. "Hello tankers, my name is Ami Chōno, I'm a member of the Japanese Sensha-do Federation's Strengthening Committee and Chief of Match Operations and Safety. I'll just be running a quick check to make sure you are all members of the Oarai Sensha-do Team and you can move along to the auditorium," she introduced and informed.
"Wow, it's like we're celebrities!" Saori exclaimed.
Ami smiled. "I suppose you are, after all, Sensha-do is growing incredibly popular. Perhaps you'll have loyal followers of your own, tankers of Oarai," she said, "Now could the captain come forwards?"
Miho shyly stepped forward. "That would be me. I'm Captain Miho Nishizumi," she said.
I thought you looked familiar… Ami thought Shiho is not going to be happy to see this… "Miho, it's good to see you again. Do you have any guests to declare?" she asked pleasantly.
"Yes, my friends and crewmates, Yukari Akiyama, Saori Takebe, Hana Isuzu, and Mako Reizei," she answered formally.
Her crewmates raised their hands. Ami looked at her tablet and cleared them for access. "Good, please wait in the queue so I can approve the rest of your team," she directed and gestured to a line roped off from the crowd viewing the T.V which led to an entrance to the auditorium.
"Of course," Miho said and led her crewmates to the queue.
"Wow, Miho, you were super professional there, like a movie star!" Saori exclaimed while Ami began approving the remaining commanders.
Miho blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Well, my sister actually taught me how to handle occasions like this last year," she explained.
"Wow, so the Nishizumi Style is professional on and off the battlefield!" Yukari exclaimed.
"Of course, it's more than just a way of Sensha-do it's a- it's a- it's a way of life," Miho answered, starting to look downcast.
Ross stepped forward to be approved. Ami blinked for a moment, seeing a boy in a Sensha-do team for the first time. "Right, Oarai's Sensha-do team is Co-ed, of course. You are?" she asked.
"Ross Huot. This is my daughter, Natalie Huot. I hope it's okay to declare her as my guest," Ross introduced, trying to be as professional as possible.
"Oh, I'm afraid we can only allow guests to be fellow crew or team members…" Ami stated. She saw Ross' face fall and tried to respond adequately. "Let me make a call to the JSF Strengthening Committee Members organizing this event. Perhaps they'll make an exception," she informed.
"O-of course," Ross curtly replied.
Ami opened her cell phone and began a call. As Miho looked up, she caught a short glimpse of the caller ID and its photo even from a short distance away.
A stern woman with black hair with straight-cut bangs and the name of Shiho Nishizumi sent fear down her spine. W-w-why is s-she calling Mother?! What's happening?! She panicked. Her breathing quickened and her limbs felt weak. She stumbled, causing Yukari and Hana to grab her.
"Miho! Are you okay?" Yukari asked.
Back with Ami, the call connected and she put the phone up to her ear. From the other side, a professional and cold voice spoke, "Miss Chōno, what do you need?" she asked plainly.
"Mrs. Nishizumi, there's been a minor hang-up in the approval process with Oarai-" Ami started.
"What is their problem?" Shiho interrupted.
"Well, you see, one of the male commanders from Oarai brought his daughter and-"
"No, turn the boys away. They aren't welcome," Shiho commanded sternly.
Another voice from the call spoke up. "Mrs. Nishizumi, you cannot just turn them away if they are members of the team," an older male voice spoke.
"They are violating unspoken rules and traditions. Turn them away," Shiho demanded, "Oarai alone entering is right on the line, allowing male foreigners in is excessively crossing that line."
"Those rules are not law. Your proposal to ban boys from Sensha-do was not approved by the Strengthening Committee. You have no authority to force them out," the director of the Japanese Sensha-do Federation, Shichiro Kodama, "Let them through. He and his daughter are allowed to attend."
That was all Ami needed to hear and she hung up on the call to prevent Shiho from opposing the matter anymore. "The committee has approved an exception for your daughter. You may proceed," she informed with a smile.
"Thank you," Ross replied and bowed. He stepped past and joined the rest of the group when he found Miho being tended to by the members of Anglerfish Team. "Miho? What's wrong?" he asked, cutting his way through the group of commanders.
"R-Ross? What happened? Why did she call Mother?" Miho asked.
"Your mother? She needed to get an exception from the committee organizing the event for Natalie and said she called the JSF Strengthening Committee to get that, which she did," Ross explained.
"B-but the caller ID was of my mother," Miho weakly said.
"She must be a member of the committee then… don't worry, everything's fine now," he reassured and took her hand with his free hand.
Miho looked up and their eyes met. She started feeling calmer when he reassured her and she tightened her grip onto his warm hand. "O-okay, then is everyone approved?" she asked.
Ross gave her a smile and looked behind him, just as Joseph walked past Ami, who likely had a phone vibrating like crazy in her pocket. "Looks like it," he said, "Well then, shall we continue?"
Miho nodded and stepped past everyone, completely oblivious to the fact that she still tightly held Ross's hand and he was being pulled along with her. Joseph stepped forward next to William and stood up on his toes to whisper to him. "Is it too late to rescind that bet?" he asked quietly.
William only shook his head, smiled, and began to follow the group of tankers who began to follow Miho and Ross. Gonna be ten dollars richer once this tournament's through… he thought confidently.
000
Inside the auditorium front room, a cool, quiet, and controlled environment gave the team some relief from the chaotic Tokyo city life that was certainly new to everyone on the team. Oarai, despite having a school ship with over 30,000 people onboard, only managed around 15,000 people calling the port city home. Hitachinaka was just north of Oarai and had over 150,000 people, but it paled in comparison to Tokyo's sprawling metropolis and 14 million people population. Compared to the entire State of Oregon's population of just over four million, it truly was an unending, chaotic, and overwhelming place for Freikorp Oarai. Thankfully they were past it now and we're now in the company of more friends.
"It would seem that Oarai made it after all. Greetings," Darjeeling greeted with a bow, of course, careful not to spill her freshly brewed cup of tea. Her crewmembers of Orange Pekoe and Assam bowed as well.
"Darjeeling, it's great to see you again," Miho greeted with a bow.
"Indeed," William followed, "have you completed Nature by chance?"
Darjeeling giggled softly. "Of course, and I'm excited to begin another discussion about it. I'm afraid now is not the right time though. I would like to meet the other commanders on your team. You have such a wide variety of tanks, so you must have a wild variety of interesting commanders," Darjeeling said.
"William, Ross, Joseph, I'm glad to see you again," Diantha said while she approached.
"Have you met them before Diantha?" Darjeeling asked.
"Yes, several times we were opponents in America. I do hope we meet on the battlefield once more. They have taught me much," Diantha replied.
William nodded. "You were a fine opponent, I do hope we can battle again soon," he said.
Diantha giggled. "If we do, it shall certainly be thrilling, exciting, and certainly challenging," she said, emphasizing her last word.
"Oh dear, it seems we must get going, the drawings will begin soon and we must find our seats," Darjeeling sadly said, "I hate to break this gathering up, but we must get going. Goodbye and good luck with the drawings. Until we meet again." The girls from St. Gloriana curtsied before leaving and the commanders from Oarai bowed or curtsied in response.
"Let's find our own seats as well," Miho suggested. Everyone agreed and entered the main room of the auditorium. The first thing they noticed was the depth of the room, which reached down dozens and dozens of steps and dozens of rows of seats stretching around a large central stage. As they shuffled into an unoccupied row, they noticed that there were people on the stage. Specifically five girls of the 1st Arkansas Armored Volunteers and the five girls of the 1st Armored Regiment of the Irish Brigade.
Erwin and Yukari recognized them instantly. "Is that?!" Yukari started.
"It is! The Civil War Idols!" Saori exclaimed, causing everyone to look at her.
"You know about them, Saori?!" Yukari exclaimed.
"Of course! They've been all over the internet, on idol sites, social networks, they're a huge hit online, how could I not keep up this trend?" Saori explained.
"Could someone explain why our friends at Saunders are now all of a sudden idols?" Ross asked, "what even is an idol?"
Saori entered a Yukari-like dreamy lecture mode. "An idol is a type of entertainer! I guess they aren't officially idols, since idols tend to stick to just singing and dancing, but the Civil War Idols have just exploded online!" she lectured, "I guess they're like a band-idol hybrid!"
"It's like a fusion of Sensha-do, history, and idol culture. There's nothing like it, especially coming from foreigners!" Yukari followed, "the most incredible part? They've done both traditional English versions of their songs and Japanese versions of their songs!"
"Indeed, I only got involved because I want to judge how true they were to their 'Civil War Roots', but I have to say, they've been creating some unique music that certainly has the right historical flair," Erwin commented.
"Wow, so they're real idols, right in front of us!" Azusa exclaimed, clasping her hands.
"Maybe we should form a Volleyball-Idol group!" Noriko suggested.
"Shh! It looks like they're about to start a song to open the drawings!" Anzu added.
Everyone fell silent as the lights focused on the girls on the stage dressed in a full uniform from the Union in the American Civil War. "Hey everyone!" Patty shouted into a microphone, "Before we begin the drawings for the 63rd Sensha-do National High School Tournament, the Japanese Sensha-do Federation has requested that we, the 1st Armored Regiment of the Irish Brigade!"
"And the First Arkansas Armored Volunteers!" Jennifer followed.
"Give you all a song showing the new spirit of Sensha-do this year, with new schools, American transfers, and a whole new view on the sport we love!" the two shouted.
"Now we've got a song that we've done before. It's actually an old song, an old New York City folk song," Patty said, playing a few strings on a strange-looking string instrument that she was holding. "By the way, this little instrument I have here is a Bouzouki, it originates from Greece!"
"A perfect complement to an old folk tune! Now this song dates back to the American Revolution, the War of Independence from Britain, and then it was updated during the American Civil War for the valiant soldiers who went off to fight for the Union!" Jennifer explained, wielding a standard electric guitar.
Patty played a few more notes before following up on her friend's explanation. "Now we've updated it again, only we're not singing about soldiers, but about the people here who have buttoned down the hatches and faced fire and fury for competition, honor, and for just plain good ol' fashioned fun!" she shouted, "Now this song's had a lot of names, the Irish Volunteer, the New York Volunteer, but now it's time for the Sensha-do Volunteer!" she exclaimed.
When she finished, the low drone of a set of bagpipes filled the auditorium alone for a moment before Patty began playing her Bouzouki along with the bagpipe's tune while the rest of the band, consisting of additional guitars and drums, stomped their feet and clapped their hands along. They built up the beat until after 30 seconds or so, Jeniffer struck her guitar strings and joined the bagpipes and Bouzouki with the drums, creating the foundation for their song which they played for another minute uninterrupted before they began to sing.
"We come from every foreign soil," Jennifer began
"We're from this native land," Patty followed.
"We're every culture and every creed that are known to man," the two joined together.
Patty broke away again, "And on our streets, on any day!"
"Every language will you hear," Jennifer followed.
The two energetically joined together, feeling their emotions begin to flow. "Yet when tragedy strikes we band as one, like Sensha-do Volunteers!"
Everyone else in the band joined together, "We take in stride the trouble and strife like Sensha-do Volunteers."
Patty stood alone on the center stage once more. "We come from every walk of life," she started.
"The poorest to the grand," Jennifer followed.
"And side by side those fateful days we stood to bear a hand!" the two sang.
Patty broke away again, "And though to those from far away quite different we appear."
"Yes, we're black and tan!" Jennifer sang
"We're yellow and white!" Patty followed energetically
"We're Sensha-do Volunteers!" the entire band shouted, "We take in stride the trouble and strife like Sensha-do Volunteers."
Patty knew the final part was coming, so she gave it everything she had left while Jennifer gave her a powerful beat with her guitar. "Now, some will say the world is grim," she sang, feeling her eyes water.
"And hope a distant dream," Jennifer sang, feeling her own eyes start to water.
"Humanity a world away, but if they'd only seen," the two joined for one final time, "Our citizens emerge that day with their fellowman to cheer. Well, it's a different tale they'd have to tell,"
"Of our Sensha-do Volunteers! We take in stride the trouble and strife! Like Sensha-do Volunteers!" the band finished with emotions flaring high, their eyes watering and their hearts beating wild like a tank's engine at max RPMs.
A peaceful silence fell on the auditorium as the notes faded away and the band's hearts cooled. Then, from most of the audience, a thundering applause roared throughout the auditorium. Patty and Jennifer stood at the front of the stage, nearly completely overwhelmed by the applause. Patty sniffled and wiped her eyes clear. "I-I think they liked it," she said.
Jennifer smiled and wiped her own eyes. "You think? I haven't seen you get that passionate since we first played Free and Green," Jennifer gushed.
At the front of the crowd, a blonde girl with a curvy body sat with her arms crossed and a bright smile on her face. "So Alisa, are taking these guys in worth it yet? Not only will this get tons of sponsors, but our team has had the highest morale in years!" the blusterous third-year asked.
The second-year with brown, short pigtails and a freckled face frowned. "I'll admit Kay, the budget has been getting nice and large since we took them in. It's a good short-term investment," she mumbled. "Hopefully they don't mess up in the tournament… They often play their little tunes instead of actually practicing," Alisa said.
A tall girl with short, tomboyish gray-brown blew a bubble of pink bubble gum idly. With a distinct pop, the bubble collapsed and she spoke up. "Whatever happens, I'll be ready to take the shot," she said, not with overconfidence or swagger, but with a calm and determined mood.
"That's my Naomi," Kay said with a bright smile.
At the top of the auditorium's seats, Oarai's tankers looked shocked except for William, Joseph, and Ross. Yukari was the first to speak up. "That was incredible!" she exclaimed.
Everyone else started chiming in their thoughts around Miho, who just sat with a smile. That's the real meaning of Sensha-do. That's what I want my style to be like. Fluid, energetic, accepting… she thought happily.
But two distinct groups did not clap. There were no excited comments, no amazed stares, and no calm smiles. The first group came from the Graf Zeppelin schoolship, the practitioners of the Nishizumi Style, Kuromormine. Maho sat with an empty frown, no emotion, positive or negative, but Erika next to her let her opinions be known. "We're wasting time we could have spent practicing. This is supposed to be a quick drawing, not some drawn-out idol ceremony," she complained.
A girl next to her with reddish-brown curly hair and dark blue eyes was frowning as well, while also trying to subtly look around. I wish we could do more things like this… it's more fun than just mechanical routine. Koume thought, but right now I have to stay focused.
A group of girls on the opposite side of the auditorium of Kurmormine wasn't pleased with the ceremony so far either. "Grr… this is what we have to interrupt our schedule for? I'll send those little cutsie idol wannabe tankers to the Siberian waste and let them freeze!" A short angry blonde girl with blue eyes seethed. Next to her were two girls with blonde hair and blue eyes as well, but one was a bit taller than her and the other was far taller. On the other side was another tall girl with deep dark brown hair and light blue eyes.
"Леди Катюша права, мы тратим драгоценное тренировочное время для Сборных," Klara, the tall blonde said over the short captain between her and the other tall girl. (Lady Katyusha is correct, we're wasting precious training time for the Nationals.)
"Действительно, ИС-2 нуждается в дополнительной работе, прежде чем он будет готов," Nonna, the tall dark brunette, replied. (Indeed, the IS-2 does need more work before it is ready.)
"Hey you two, I said no Russian!" Katyusha complained.
Katrina simply nodded, choosing not to speak. If my fat mouth keeps running on, I might let others know about our plans… Katyusha would definitely serve a cruel punishment if that happened, she thought.
"These fools talk about unity and 'fellowman,'" Katyusha scowled, "Katyusha will crush them all the same…"
After the "Civil War Idols" cleared the stage, the drawings could finally begin. The curtains at the back of the auditorium parted to display a large projected bracket with 32 slots to be filled and a drawing box placed at the center of the stage. With all the spotlights on her, Ami Chōno stepped forward onto the stage. "Thank you all, practitioners of Sensha-do, for attending this ceremony today! It is here where your road to victory begins or where you will pave the way to bitter defeat! Ultimately; however, your fate is in your hands, so give it 120% no matter your opponent!" she shouted.
A roaring cheer came from the crowd causing Ami to smile brightly. "But before we begin, I'll have to discuss a few rule changes. Of course, the biggest one is the expansion to 32 slots. We've had so many schools eagerly starting up Sensha-do programs and ready to jump into it that we've been forced to add on another round to the national tournament," she announced. Of course, the board behind her and the 32 floating cities docked in Tokyo gave it away.
"In the wake of last year's tournament, we've also added several new provisions for safety with your handbooks so please do be sure to study them thoroughly, as we request at the start of every new tournament," Ami informed.
Everything seemed so routine so far, nothing new or different from the year before for the second or third years. Until Ami Chōno finished her section on safety and procedures. "Now onto the final and most important change. We've seen a growing and concerning trend with teams spending larger and larger amounts of money on better tanks. This is causing a problem, especially in an era of unprecedented expansion where many schools will not be able to field the same quality of tanks. Thus the JSF will be adopting a new rule relating back to the World Wars and a fruit as old as warfare itself, the spoils of war. A new trophy tank system will be implemented for this year's tournament. We will allow a winning team to claim a defeated enemy's tank and temporarily transfer it to the victor for the remainder of the tournament. Subsequently, any crew members of that tank will be allowed to stay with their tank and fight alongside their former enemies. Today's enemies will be tomorrow's friends," she explained.
A lot of the audience members sat in shock at this announcement and looked between their comrades. Miho sat in reflective thought over the new trophy system. Taking the enemy's tanks and becoming teammates with them? That's a strange decision, but I guess it'll help smaller teams, and if they can pull an upset, give them a serious boost in the next fight. Imagine the tactical possibilities… Miho thought. She sat in silence before another thought came to her. If we face Kuromormine in the early rounds, could we win and allow Maho to join us for the rest of the tournament?! She could feel her heart race in excitement at the idea until her mother invaded her mind. She would never let it happen… Miho's heart fell. She looked up as high as she could without standing up or drawing attention to herself and tried to find Maho in the sea of heads.
By the time she gave up her search, the first competitor had already been called up. She cleared her thoughts since they could be called up at random after the previously called upon had drawn a number as it was a random selection system. A few more schools passed including Kuromormine and Pravda, but each drew slots in completely open brackets. Tension continued rising.
"Number seven!" Kay called out for Saunders University High School with her commanders, including Jennifer and Patty, behind her. Another empty bracket. Miho scanned the brackets again. Somehow, every bracket had been filled with one and only one school. 16 schools had taken randomly shuffled numbers and no match-ups were decided. Whoever would be called up next would be the first to know who their opponent is.
"Our next competitor, Oarai Co-ed Academy under Captain Miho Nishizumi!" Ami Chōno declared.
Miho felt her legs freeze and a cold, sapping feeling invaded her body. Then, a gentle hand was laid over her own. To her right and left, Hana and Saori gave her reassuring smiles. "Let's go, commander," the members of Anglerfish Team whispered. With her crewmates, fellow teammates, and her friends next to her, Miho stood up and faced the stares of the crowd.
"Remember, we're the apex predators of this sport now," Ross whispered with a smile. Miho nodded and stepped past everyone, leading them all down to the stage. The commanders lined up along the bracket wall while Miho stood behind the drawing box with Anglerfish Team right behind her. After one final look at everyone, Miho reached into the box, pulled out a piece of paper, and held it high for everyone to see.
The announcer let everyone know Miho's number. "Oarai draws number eight!"
Miho looked down at her number and realized who they were up against. Initially, she felt fear and anxiety fill her heart before her commanders and crewmates stepped forward to stand next to her. From Ross at the right end holding little baby Natalie, to Anzu at the left end who had forced her into this in the first place but now gave her an honest and full smile. Despite the cheers from the girls of Saunders who thought they were in for an easy match, Miho felt the most confident for a match in her life. "We'll take in stride the trouble and strife! We're Oarai's Volunteers!" Miho declared.
"We'll take in stride the trouble and strife! We're Oarai's Volunteers!" her team shouted beside her. Miho's eyes met Kay's and Saunders' cheering stopped.
"Well, then Nishizumi! If you can keep that spirit up on the battlefield, then I can't wait for our match!" Kay declared, giving her a thumbs up and a toothy smile.
Miho smiled back before her team started exiting the stage. They sat back down in their seats one by one, but none of them wanted to remain still. Everyone wanted to be in their tank that moment, firing the main gun, shifting the gears, changing radio frequencies, and loading the gun.
From Kuromormine's seats, Maho remained silent as usual, but Erika managed to scowl further. "What naive children…" Erika insulted.
Miho… you're no longer the scared, timid girl that Kuromorimine used, Maho thought with a hint of disgust at her last word, you've grown so much and I'm unable to take part in it… Maho's heart was split between pride and sadness. Keep growing stronger, little sister. I love you.
She was able to sneak a glance back to where Miho was sitting and could tell she could barely stay in her seat. She hasn't shown that energy in years… Her thought train was interrupted when she noticed movement in the corner of her vision. She identified the person as the boy she did not want anywhere near her sister. Her sadness and pride were replaced by concern for her sister and disdain for that boy. "Erika, I'll be back in a moment," she said while quietly getting up.
"Understood Captain," Erika responded mechanically. Maho quietly exited through the closest exit and entered the hallway just outside the auditorium that connected the various exits to the front room.
Ross turned to the right and walked towards an empty bench near the bathrooms. He sat down and placed Natalie in his lap and gently removed her earmuffs. "Are these what's bugging you, sweetie?" he asked and examined Natalie's ears. They looked red and irritated slightly. "Hopefully this isn't a symptom of a worse problem…" Ross muttered. He took out a few tissues from his diaper bag and wetted them with cool water from a water bottle. Gently he wiped off her ears and pushed the cool tissues behind them to cool down her skin and provide some relief. His treatment worked and she relaxed into his lap with a smile on her face and began to suck her thumb. Ross looked over the earmuffs, noting that the padding near the center was getting worn and exposing the hard plastic underneath. Well, there's the problem. I guess it's time to get her new earmuffs.
Maho stopped and observed the two from a distance for a moment, but still hearing Ross's sweet words of concern and his care for his daughter. Her heart warmed a bit. Maybe I don't need to be concerned… she thought. She thought about the idea for a moment, but it still didn't sit right with her. No, there is always more than what's on the surface. She stepped forward slowly and stepped in front of Ross and Natalie. "Excuse me," she said.
Ross looked up and froze, clearly recognizing the girl. "You, what do you want?" he asked coldly.
"I need to have a word with you," Maho stated.
Ross narrowed his eyes. "Unless you're here to apologize then you can-" He paused to find a way to say how he was feeling without swearing in front of Natalie. "Then you can just go," he finished.
"That is part of it, I suppose. I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Miho's sister, Maho Nishizumi," she said. With a quick look around she made sure nobody was nearby. "I'm sorry for what Erika said. She took things too far."
Ross's eyes widened. "Well, I wasn't actually expecting an apology, but if you're actually looking to smooth over relations then you're going to have to get your blonde friend to apologize as well," he demanded.
"I'm afraid that won't happen because although she did take her message too far, she wasn't exactly wrong in her concerns," Maho asserted, "you boys are on thin ice. I don't exactly like the idea of you operating tanks, especially around Miho. This is your only warning. Hurt her or damage the reputation of Sensha-do and Kuromormine will not hesitate to take action."
Ross stood up and glared at Maho. Their eyes met and although Maho was a year older than him, he still matched her in height. "Just like how you took action against Miho and drove her away when she lost you a match so she could save her friends' lives?" he asked coldly.
Maho gaped at Ross before gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes. "I shouldn't be surprised that you would result to bringing that up when you wouldn't even understand everything around it that is going on. Boys like you always try to find a way to avoid the main issue," she spat.
"Really? I'm the one who doesn't understand everything? Everything I know about the incident comes from Miho and Miho alone, so I think I have a pretty reputable source," Ross countered, "we just want to compete with the same honor and respect as our female teammates. Don't stereotype and generalize us as if are just dumb jocks or playboys who only go around chasing girls…" He paused and looked away with sorrow in his eyes. "Those are the types of people my friends despise the most in all honesty," he said quietly.
Maho didn't stop staring him down. "Both you and Miho don't understand everything going on between myself and my mother. As much as I hated it, I have my reasons for doing the things I did and saying the things I said," she hissed, "There's nothing more to it to discuss. Keep your distance from Miho and stay in line. That's all I have to say." She turned away stiffly and walked off.
Ross continued to glare at her until she re-entered the auditorium. He grit his teeth and his heart raced. He sat down once more and let out the breath that he was holding without realizing. He put his head in his free hand and groaned. Then he felt a soft, but clumsy pat on his chest. Looking up, Ross's eyes met with Natalie's little brown eyes that she shared with her dad. With a wide smile, she hugged him and pressed her head against his chest right where his racing heart was. Ross's eyes softened and hugged her back. "That was something, wasn't it?" he asked softly. He took a few more deep breaths and let his heart calm down, which was certainly assisted by his daughter's affection.
From the auditorium, he heard a loud, final applause before people started leaving the auditorium. Miho was the first of Oarai's group out and she rushed over to Ross. "Hey Ross, how's Natalie doing?" she asked with concern.
Ross looked up and Natalie released him from their hug. "Yeah, she's better now. The padding on her earmuffs was starting to wear out so it irritated her ears. But they look a little better now," he explained while pulling the drying tissues from behind Natalie's ears, "Yep, looks as good as new!" he exclaimed.
"I'm glad to hear that!" Miho said, "Hana suggested that we should go to a cafe. Would you like to join us?" she offered.
Ross smiled. "Sure! That sounds like fun!"
000
So... this was a long chapter and I changed the title from the last chapter's title reveal. Blame my poor planning skills and how excessively large this chapter got before I even got to Yukari's escapades. I wish I could have got this out closer to New Years Day so I could have wished everyone a Happy New Year, but this chapter got dummy thicc and the clap of it-
Anyway! Happy New Year everyone! A bit late, but it still works. We've got everything that needed to be done, done so now I can confidently say that the next chapter won't need a title change!
Next time on Girls und Panzer: Tank Aces!
Chapter 15: Special Agent Yukari!
Additional Note: The song sung by the Civil War Idols is based on the song Merrily Kissed the Quaker/The New York Volunteer by The Brandos, naturally all credit goes to them.
Additional Additional Note: Credit and thanks to Nazz11 for the capture/trophy tank system and for allowing me to use it in this story with my own unique twist on allowing the crews to transfer along with the tanks temporarily.