Chapter 24: Learning How to Swim!
"W-we're really not this desperate for tanks, are we?" Joseph asked, warily eyeing the Bob Semple "tank" in front of them.
Miho contemplated the idea. The Bob Semple may have been a shoddy, improvised "tank", but it was a "tank" they could field. She stepped past Yukari, who was fawning over the rare vehicle. Regardless of its questionable usefulness, seeing an actual Bob Semple "tank" was a treat for any tank lover. Miho looked inside the "tank" from the rear exit hatch. "Well, if we do want to field it… we're going to have some work to do," she stated.
"What's wrong?" Joseph asked, following her and looking into the vehicle. "Oh," he said, noting the main problem.
Inside the tank was a partially modified Caterpillar RD8 tractor. The interior of the "tank" was built around it, but it seems that whoever last worked on the tank abandoned the project a long time ago. Only the Semple's body was bolted to the tractor, interior fittings were absent and even the turret was gone. "I don't think it's worth the effort," Miho decided.
"Yeah but that RD8 could be of some use," Joseph noted. He climbed onto the tractor and sat in the driver's seat. He fired up the engine, which sputtered to life. "So, it looks like we can just pull the outer shell off the RD8 and we'll be able to use it to drag some light or medium tanks back to the garages once we find them."
"Can we please keep the body? It's a piece of history so it would be nice if we could at least make it into a display or something," Yukari suggested.
"A display of what?" Joseph asked with a laugh.
"Of New Zealander ingenuity!" Yukari argued, "as weak as it may be, it's a testament to their fighting spirit and effort, that no matter what they have or the strength of their enemy, they'll fight using anything and everything they have!"
Joseph and Miho shrugged. "Sure I guess, it's not like we'll fetch a high price for the scrap or anything," Joseph said.
Yukari beamed with excitement. "Thank you!" she exclaimed.
Saori walked past the Bob Semple tank and found something else. "Hey guys, take a look at this!" she exclaimed. Everyone gathered behind the Bob Semple tank to see what she found. Sitting in the bed of another artillery tractor was a circular, well-rounded turret with the same 75mm gun found on the M4 Calliope and the T22E1. Behind the commander's hatch was a .50 cal M2 Browning.
"What's an M24 Chaffee turret doing down here in the back of a.." Miho asked, trailing off as she couldn't identify the tractor.
Yukari rushed over to investigate. "Wow! It's a Voroshilovets heavy artillery tractor!"
Joseph whistled. "Now that's a tractor," he said. He climbed into the tractor bed and examined the M24 Chaffee turret. "Looks like something got left behind," he muttered while opening a notebook sitting on the roof of the turret.
I know these words will not see the light of day, at least not unless someone finds this hidden garage, so I believe I can finally be able to speak the truth about what happened without being mocked or ridiculed. It's all I can do to let out my emotions. The events of the 43rd National High School Sensha-do Tournament have laid a heavy burden on my conscience and I cannot help but be angry at the lies which have only made things worse…
It's been a year since the team disbanded and two since we joined their ranks in Sensha-do. The girls started stirring up all sorts of rumors and lies from the moment we joined. I can hardly walk home from school without fearing that someone will approach me and accuse me of some comment or action that I never did, nor would dream of doing. I had hoped the new school year would alleviate things since our seniors left, but it seems that things have only gotten worse.
I wanted to visit Shiho in the hospital. I just wanted to apologize for the accident, but her parents refused to let me. It's like I'm stuck in a cage and my key to freedom is just out of reach. If anyone finds this notebook, I have two requests.
One, just hear me out, as I'm sure you already have if you've read this far. I never intended to ram Nishizumi and her Panzer III into the river. It was an accident. We never made sexist comments and we never harassed or assaulted any of the girls on the team. We. are. innocent.
Two, please take care of "Bob" and "Bodiless Adna" for me. "Bob" has been my passion project and escape for nearly a year now. I've kept him hidden away in this garage, but he still needs parts that I can't afford. As for "Bodiless Adna," he was the tank of my best friend during the tournament until the girls destroyed his hull by setting it on fire after our disqualification. They just have no limit! We were just in time to save the turret at least. And if anyone who finds this is part of a new Sensha-do team, I ask that you please right the wrongs of the past. Oarai's efforts in Sensha-do are honorable, despite our troubles, and deserves to be remembered positively. Do your best, for the school, and for us.
-Hada Minoru, former vice-captain
"Wow…" Joseph muttered.
"M-my mother's tank fell into an r-river like the…" Miho whispered, looking over Joseph's shoulder. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forward with distress. The memory of a sliding Panzer III crashing into a river flashed in her mind. She could almost hear the rushing water and feel its coldness sapping away her body heat.
Joseph lightly put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Miho brushed a bead of sweat from her forehead. "I-I think I'm fine… I'm just trying to put the story together," she replied.
"I think, from what Hada wrote, your mom's tank got rammed into a river… somewhat like how Kuromormine's Panzer III fell into the river last year. But it doesn't look like it was intentional. Is this what the 'Scandal of 89' was? A scandal built on an accident and a foundation of lies?" Joseph wondered, flipping through the pages. To his disappointment, they were empty
"My mom, she must have nearly drowned… My sister told me a little about what happened in '89, but she didn't tell me much. If she was in a drowning tank before, then why did she shun my actions? Wouldn't she want someone to help others in the same situation as her?" Miho asked. She put her head in her hands. "I just don't understand why…" she whimpered.
"I'm afraid I don't have that answer but trust me, one of these days you'll be able to ask her, to have the strength to demand an explanation. And when that day comes, you'll have us to support you," Joseph reassured. Miho looked up, at both him and Anglerfish Team, who smiled and nodded supportingly.
Miho smiled and grew determined. "Okay, but we have to bring this to everyone's attention somehow," she said, "it could change everything, it might even completely discredit the Blackshirt gang!"
Joseph solemnly shook his head. "As much as I wish for that to be the case, I doubt a single person's writing would be enough to end them," he doubted.
Miho sighed and deflated. "Yeah, I guess. Maybe if we had more evidence," she said.
"Maybe, either way, it looks like Hada wants us to take care of his projects," he said, "Let's find Adna a new body and put Bob to good use once we've finished restoring the headquarters. Maybe we'll find more evidence of what happened all those years ago."
The group agreed and left the underground garage to begin working on the headquarters. The sounds of hammers, discarded debris being thrown aside, and power tools filled the night as everyone worked to rebuild the headquarters. The group was so focused on their work that they hardly noticed the looming fatigue and morning sun. Right as she threw away a garbage bag in a dumpster they had found, Mako turned to see the sunrise. As the light hit her eyes, she immediately stumbled and grabbed onto the M6 tractor with a groan. She weakly pulled herself into the rear seats and laid down to sleep.
Miho turned around to take in the work they had done with a yawn. The siding had been nailed back into place, grass and weeds pulled from the concrete, and all the trash and shattered glass cleaned up. "It looks sorta brand new," she said with a yawn.
"I think it looks good," Joseph commented tiredly, "man, I don't even think I can make it back to my apartment…" He sat against the M6 and fell asleep.
"Wait… we can't just fall asleep here," Miho muttered while rubbing her eyes. She drowsily climbed into the M6's driver seat. "C'mon get up, I'll drive…" she muttered before falling asleep against the wheel.
000
"Did Joseph ever come home last night?" Ross asked while scrambling some eggs on the stovetop. Natalie sat in her high chair behind him eating little fistfuls of Cheerios while William sat at the island sipping a hot cup of Darjeeling Tea.
"I don't think so…" William answered, "maybe I should call him." He pulled out his phone and called Joseph's number. After a few moments, Joseph answered.
"H-hello?" he slurred groggily.
"Where are you?" William asked with a hint of concern.
"Um…" Joseph started, waking himself up. "Well, the Sensha-do garages, at the old headquarters."
"Why didn't you come home last night? You should probably rest with that bite of yours," William said.
"Miho and I did some work on the old headquarters. It looks pretty good," Joseph answered.
William sighed. "Well if you want to sleep, you should probably get back here. Do we need to come pick you up?" he asked.
"Nah, I feel pretty refreshed," Joseph replied, "The M6 is a pretty comfy pillow."
William rolled his eyes. "I'm sure. Well, the team is gonna meet down there in a bit if you want to just stay down there. Apparently, the student council wants to do something," he said.
"Sure, sure, goodnight," Joseph mumbled before hanging up.
William put his face in his hands, but couldn't resist a small chuckle. "Yeah he's fine, he's at the Sensha-do field."
"Another all-nighter?" Ross asked, dishing out the eggs onto some plates.
William nodded and took a plate that Ross offered him. Ross set another, smaller plate onto Natalie's tray and sat down with his own plate of scrambled eggs. "So, what does the student council want?" he asked.
William shrugged. "I don't know, Azusa said the team should go swimming together before the Chi-Ha-Tan match, but that's just a guess," he answered.
"Going to the beach sounds like fun," Ross said, "I haven't taken Natalie to the beach, and there are no tropical beaches in Oregon."
"Yeah, after that mess after the Chi-Ha-Tan match, I think we all could use a little relaxation time," William added.
Natalie seemed to agree if her squeals and babbles were anything to go by as she tried imitating their speech. Of course, she only managed to spill more scrambled eggs over her bib and tray. "You want to go swimming Natalie?" Ross asked. Natalie babbled and slapped her tray. "I think that's a yes," Ross said with a smile, "I'll need to buy swim diapers… I guess a swimsuit for her wouldn't hurt either."
000
While they entered the Sensha-do field and gathered around the garages, everyone on the Sensha-do team looked at the approaching Bob Semple "tank" with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and amusement as it stopped in front of them. Joseph climbed out of the rear hatch and stood next to the machine. "So, we were cleaning up the old headquarters and we found these," he explained.
"We're not seriously going to field that… are we?" Ross asked, holding Natalie in his arms.
Joseph shook his head. "No, it's a piece of junk, and it's incomplete anyway. Still, the RD8 is in good shape, so we can use it as an artillery tractor," he replied.
The Voroshilovets parked next to the Bob Semple. Miho and the rest of Anglerfish and Hyena Team climbed out of the tractor and approached the team. "So Miss President, why did you want us to come out here today?" she asked.
"Well, Azusa wanted to go swimming, so I thought it'd be a good idea. You know, to further everyone's friendship!" Anzu exclaimed cheerfully.
Azusa blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, I didn't mean we all needed to get together," she stuttered, "just if anyone wanted to go together then…"
"It'll be fun! Come on, don't get all jittery," Anzu exclaimed before eating a sweet potato slice and slapping Asuza's back.
"Actually, I think a team-building activity would be good for us," William said, "after yesterday and all…"
"Let's put that behind us and go to the beach together, it'll be fun!" Anzu said.
"Okay then, let's go to the beach together," Joseph agreed.
Miho frowned. "Oh, but I don't have a swimsuit…" she said downcast.
"What? Really?" Saori asked with shock.
"Yeah, I only have the school-issued swimsuit too," Mako added.
"You can't wear that to the beach!" Saori protested, "you gotta get something cute, maybe with frills or something!"
"Frills?" Mako asked.
"Yes, frills!" Saori exclaimed.
"Well then, why don't we go buy swimsuits and beach gear! Naha is the hub of shopping in Okinawa!" Canaveral suggested, "I can show you guys some of the good shopping malls."
"Yeah!" the female students cheered.
"Y-yeah," Miho stuttered.
The boys looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Each of them said a silent prayer, begging for relief from being called upon to help with bags.
000
People walking down the city streets of Naha, Okinawa looked on in surprise and awe as an armored convoy transported the members of Oarai's Sensha-do Team through the city. Nixe II and the Panzer IV of Anglerfish Team led the convoy. The M6 and Voroshilovets tractors drove behind it, each taking on as many students as they could fit so that they wouldn't need more vehicles and get in the way of traffic or overcrowd the beach when they got there. The vehicles pulled into the parking lot of a large mall and parked at the edge of the lot, far away from the entrance and the other mall-goers. Nobody wants their car to get accidentally crushed by a tank or artillery tractor.
Joseph climbed down from the cabin of the Voroshilovets tractor and closed the door. "Man, who says Soviet vehicles aren't fun to drive? This thing has some power behind it!" he exclaimed happily.
Everyone started climbing out of the vehicles. It took some time, but soon everyone was out and gathered around their crewmates. Miho stood in front of everyone to address them. "Okay everyone, let's stay with our teams and give each other some space. We don't want to form one massive group and crowd up the place. We can spend a couple of hours here, but let's not stay here too long. Is one o'clock a good time to return to our vehicles and head out to a beach?" she asked.
Everyone nodded and separated into their own teams. "Alright then, everyone have fun and make sure you get everything you need," Miho said.
Everyone spread out and began exploring the mall. Thankfully it was a massive shopping complex with plenty of space for everyone to explore with dozens of stores to check out. Ross grabbed a shopping basket as he and his crew entered their first swimwear store. "Perfect, they have swim diapers here," he said and put a pack in his basket. "So, do you guys need anything?" he asked, turning to his crew.
"I wouldn't mind a new swimsuit," Jody answered, "gotta look good you know? Maybe you should get one too, like one of those tight ones so you can get Miho's att-" Ross cut her off with an awkward wack with his shopping basket.
"Can't you let that rest?" he asked.
Chloe looked up from a catalog of electric water toys. "Hmm? What about Miho?" she asked.
"You can't tell? She's head over heel-" Ross interrupted her again with another wack.
"We all know that our captain has a crush on me, alright?" Ross snapped, "but it won't work out."
"Wait what? You don't like her back? Damn, tough spot," Tandy commented.
Ross grimaced and looked away. "No- well- I guess- Look, it's not that she isn't… well likable, it's not her it's me," he replied awkwardly.
"Naw, you don't know how to handle your feelings? I thought with all those girls you had back in O-" Jody teased before being whacked again.
"Don't bring that up," Ross snapped, "listen, my own feelings are a mess, I'll admit that much, but I don't like talking about this sort of thing. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to her."
Jody stopped rubbing her side and showed some genuine curiosity and concern for once. "Because of Natalie?" she asked.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Ross answered and started walking down the aisle.
Jody and the rest of his crew followed him. "You know, on a serious note," Jody started.
"That's hard to believe with you," Ross commented dryly.
"Shut up," Jody snapped sarcastically, "you really shouldn't bottle your feelings up."
"And you're the best person for me to explain all my happy little feelings to, aren't you?" Ross dryly replied, stopping and turning around to face her.
Jody scoffed. "Better than nobody. We are your crew and your friends after all."
Ross rolled his eyes. "They," he started and pointed to Alex, Tandy, and Chloe, "are my friends, you…" he stopped and pointed to her, "are an annoyance."
"C'mon don't be like that," Jody pouted, "let your little heart free for once."
"Fine!" Ross exclaimed irately, "I like her too, okay!?"
Jody stopped with surprise. "Damn, I wasn't thinking I'd actually get an answer," she said, "wait, you really do like her back?"
"Yeah, and it's causing a pretty big fu- fricken problem," Ross snapped.
"How? It's obvious you two are just perfe-" Jody began before being whacked again.
"If you want to talk about this, at least be serious," Ross said.
"Fine, fine," Jody relented, "you two like each other, so how's it a problem?"
Ross gave her a deadpan look. "You know what the problem is," he replied.
Jody had a look of recognition on her face briefly. "Ohhhh… you need someone to look after Natalie for the evening so you can propo-" She got cut off with another whack.
"God, do you even actually care or just want to find another chance to annoy me?" Ross demanded.
"Bit of both to be honest," Jody answered, "on a serious note."
"Again, hard to believe."
"Lalala, shut up. What's Natalie got to do with this?" she asked.
Ross sighed. "It wouldn't be fair to Miho. There's no way I could give her the attention she deserves if I have to look after Natalie. Saori made a good point a while ago at the ice cream parlor. I have a lot on my plate," he answered.
"So that's what it is…" Jody said, "what if she's okay with that?"
"High school relationships are supposed to be about going out and partying together and going on cute little dates to the movies or some other romantic stuff," Ross explained, "I can't do that. I can't just put off Natalie like I could for homework or whatever, so it wouldn't be fair to Miho."
"Is that really it?" Jody asked, "or… are you afraid it'll end up like Lisette?"
Ross froze and he clenched his jaw. "You just had to press the button, didn't you?" he hissed. "Well here's your answer, it's both!" he nearly shouted, "I'm a little sissy coward who doesn't think he's good boyfriend material, is that good enough for you?!"
"Jesus Christ, calm down!" Jody yelped, "I'm just trying to help, no need to get all snappy."
"You'd really be helping-" Ross started before Natalie started crying and buried her head in his shoulder. He quickly dropped his shopping basket and cuddled her while swaying back and forth to try and calm her down. "I'm sorry Natalie, I didn't mean to scare you, shhh," he whispered reassuringly. Her little sobs turned to whimpers and she lifted her head up. Ross took a tissue out of his jacket and lightly dabbed her tears away. "It's okay, it's okay," he reassured. Natalie sniffled and wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight. Ross started rubbing her back to calm her down further.
"I'll just leave it at this, Ross," Jody stated with a sympathetic look, "do you think Natalie's happy that you're denying yourself happiness for her? Do you think she'd like that? Do you think Miho's really better off denying her feelings or waiting forever in limbo because you think you'd never be enough for her? I think I can say, as a fellow girl, that she'd rather have something over nothing." She stepped forward and, to everyone's surprise, hugged Ross. "Sometimes, it's your heart that knows better than your head. Who knows, maybe Miho will love Natalie just like she loves you, like a happy little family," she whispered before letting go. "Now I believe I have to pick out a swimsuit!" she declared, shoving away the topic and rushing to a different aisle.
Ross stood in the middle of the baby section with a dumbfounded look. Tandy stepped forward to pass him. "Dang, wasn't expecting something that deep from Jody," he said, "why don't we buy some toys for the beach?"
"I second that," Chloe added, "this place has a great stock."
"Sure, sure…" he trailed off. Well, that just made things more complicated… he thought as they left the baby section.
"Hey Alex, think fast!" Jody shouted and threw an inflatable shark at the silent loader as they entered the toys section.
Alex didn't even flinch as the shark bopped her forehead and fell to the ground. Jody pouted and picked up the shark. "You're no fun," she pouted.
"Hey, what's up Leopard Team?" Noriko asked as she approached with a volleyball in hand.
"Oh hey, Noriko," Jody greeted, "you guys gonna play volleyball at the beach?"
"Of course! We've got to keep our skills up if we're going to restore our club!" she answered excitedly, "you wanna have a match?"
Leopard Team looked at each other. "I'll have to watch Natalie so I'll pass," Ross answered.
"Pfft, don't mind him, he's just scared, we'll take you on!" Jody declared.
"I'm not scar-" Ross started.
Noriko interrupted him, "It's a match!" She held out a hand, which Jody shook.
"You're on!" Jody replied excitedly.
"Don't we get a say?" Tandy asked.
Jody laughed. "No," she answered.
000
After everyone was finished shopping, they all returned to their vehicles with their new swimwear or had changed inside the mall with some that they had brought along. Most of them also draped a towel over their shoulders or wore their clothes over their swimsuits, creating comedic combinations like the rocketry club's lab coats over their swimsuits or Erwin's field jacket over hers.
"Well then, if everyone is ready," Miho prompted. Without anyone needing any last-minute purchases, she continued, "alright then everyone, let's go," she said.
Everyone started piling into their vehicles excitedly. Many students had an extra shopping bag with them, with things like beach toys or other beach necessities. Joseph climbed back into the driver's seat of the Voroshilovets while Canaveral climbed in next to him. "So where's the best beach, Miss Tour Guide?" he asked.
"I know one that's a little ways from here, but it's a great beach that my parents and I went to all the time before I came to Oarai, it's called Mibaru Beach. There's plenty of space. It's a bit of a drive, but it's not too far," Canaveral explained.
"Sounds like a plan," Joseph said before grabbing a handheld radio he had put in the Voroshilovets and called up Anglerfish Team. "So, Canaveral suggests Mibaru Beach, any objects?" he asked.
"That's a good choice," Miho replied, "Mako's already got a map, so just follow us."
"Alrighty then, lead away," Joseph said. The convoy's engines fired up again and the Panzer IV pulled out of the parking lot, followed by the rest of the vehicles.
000
Mibaru Beach was a two-kilometer-long beach that lined a portion of the southeastern end of Okinawa Island near the schoolship docks. Surprisingly the beach wasn't very active with only a few scattered groups enjoying its salty ocean water and warm sands. The vehicles came to a stop at the edge of the beach after driving off the streets and onto the sands. Everyone eagerly began unloading from the vehicles.
Ross set up a large beach umbrella to shade a spot from the sun. Natalie sat on a towel he had spread out in a one-piece pink swimsuit. She playfully drove her tank toy through the sand next to her, enjoying the new experience of being at the beach. Ross couldn't help but watch his daughter with a smile after the umbrella was set up. A light pinch on his foot turned him away from her as he looked down. To his surprise, a crab was pinching at his foot weakly. Ross stumbled away in surprise and fell onto the warm sand.
Chloe and Jody laughed wildly from their own spot while Chloe held a controller. As he picked himself up from the sand, Ross noticed the plastic shell and radio antennae on the crab as it crawled up to his face. Natalie giggled and clapped at her dad's misfortune. "Oh really funny…" Ross complained while sitting up. He brushed the sand off his face and out of his hair while the remote control crab scurried away back to the rest of Leopard Team, who had set up their own umbrella spot.
Several blasts of warm seawater splashed against Chloe and Jody's backs, causing them to cry out in surprise. Behind them, wielding water guns modeled after flintlock muskets were the members of Eagle Team with cheeky smiles. "Oh, now it's on!" Chloe declared, grabbing a more generic-looking water pistol.
Jody, on the other hand, had a more extreme weapon. She flung a ten-gallon water tank backpack over her shoulders. Connected to it with a clear hose was a water minigun. "You attacked the wrong girl!" she shouted and the two began a retaliatory attack on Eagle Team. The water minigun shot quick-firing individual blasts of warm seawater that peppered Eagle Team.
"Fall back!" Patty ordered. Eagle Team ran over into the water, away from Jody's wrath, and refilled their muskets.
Before Jody could chase after them, she and Chloe were attacked by Tandy and the members of Hippo Team, who fired their own water guns at them. Blasts of seawater and laughter filled the air. From their own set-up, Canaveral looked over while the members of Oarai's Rocketry Club built a sand platform behind her. "Man, maybe we should've got some water guns," she said.
"Nah, these are going to be way cooler," Laika commented, pulling out a wide variety of water rockets from their boxes.
"The launch platform is ready!" Kennedy shouted eagerly.
Canaveral excitedly grabbed the biggest rocket they bought along with an air pump. She set the platform it came with onto the flat plateau of sand they had created and ran over to the water to fill the rocket. The rocket quickly filled with water and Canaveral returned to put it onto the platform. "Ready guys?" she asked. The rocket club eagerly nodded in anticipation as she connected the air pump and began rapidly pumping the rocket with air. At the top of the rocket, the air quickly began pressurizing and pushing against the water in the body of the rocket. Once the rocket shell was at its pressure limit, Canaveral disconnected the pump and stepped away from the launch pad.
"Ready!" Kennedy shouted excitedly, holding a pin on the bottom of the rocket that prevented the pressurized water from shooting out.
"Let's go!" Laika answered.
"Three! Two! One!" the Rocket Club counted down. "Blastoff!" they shouted as Kennady pulled the pin. A jet of pressurized water shot out of the bottom of the rocket and it soared into the air. It tilted slightly and soared over the water fight below, spraying them with a rain of seawater before rotating downwards and digging into the ground. The rocket club cheered as it dug into the ground.
"A great success!" Canaveral cheered. Their cheers suddenly went silent as the combined forces of the History Club, Leopard Team minus Ross and Alex, and Eagle Team turned to them.
"We have been suddenly and deliberately attacked!" Erwin shouted and aimed her gun towards the Rocket Club.
Everyone on the Rocket Club stepped back. "Maybe we should've bought some water guns…" Laika conceded.
"No matter how long it may take to overcome this premeditated invasion…" Patty began.
Eagle Team raised their rifles. "The American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory!" Jennifer declared. Eagle Team fired their water muskets simultaneously. A jet of water sprayed the Rocket Club, who began to scramble towards the sea before they were sprayed down by the rest of their enemies.
William sat down in a chair that he placed near the foliage behind the beach which cast a faint shadow over him and pulled out a book. "Looks like they're having fun," he commented.
"It's like combined arms warfare," Miho commented. The Panzer IV was parked nearby in the shade with Anglerfish Team applying sunscreen next to it.
"That rocket launch was pretty cool though!" Yukari exclaimed.
William idly flipped a page. "Yep…" he replied.
"You're really just gonna sit out here and read?" Saori asked.
He shrugged. "I might go for a swim in a bit," he answered.
"Before you do that…" Addison began, stretching out her arms and legs. "You guys have to stretch!" she advised.
"That's right! You should always do your stretches!" Anzu added, "one, two, one, two." She and Addison started stretching together.
"Is that really necessary?" Hana asked curiously.
"If you wanna take your swimming to the max!" Addison replied, "it improves flexibility and warms you up! Gotta get that adrenaline pumping!"
'And if you don't," Anzu followed, "you'll get leg cramps."
Quinn rolled his eyes. "You'll be fine if you don't," he said, "don't listen to little miss tryhard."
"Who're you calling little!" Addison and Anzu shouted.
"I guess both of you," Quinn answered, "Anzu's little miss, and you're tryhard."
"Hey, show some respect to your student council president!" Momo chastised.
Quinn looked unimpressed. "And if I don't?" he asked.
Momo grit her teeth. She began to approach Quinn menacingly, who didn't flinch. "Surprise! Pocket Sand!" Quinn shouted, tossing a handful of sand at Momo before running off.
Yuzu giggled. "Well, at least everyone's having fun," she said.
"Hey, what's that?" Yukari asked, pointing out to the water. In the distance, a large brown object was floating along through the waves.
"It's probably just a rock," Mako mumbled, lying down on the sand to nap, "mmm, warm."
Miho grabbed a pair of binoculars from the Panzer IV and looked out to the sea. "There are people on it!" she said while observing the object, "and they're… diving off it?"
"Diving?" Addison asked. Miho handed the binoculars to her and she looked through. "Huh, they are. They're wearing the Oarai school swimsuits so maybe they're on the swim team. You guys have a swim team, right?"
"We do, maybe they're practicing?" Yuzu suggested.
"Well heck, if you wanna practice may as well go to the beach," Addison said, "that's a strange-looking boat they're on. Looks like a fat brown trapezoid."
"Fat brown trapezoid…" Yukari whispered, "can I see the binoculars?"
Addison tossed the binoculars to Yukari who examined the boat. "That's not a rock or even a boat!" she exclaimed, "that's a Landing Vehicle Tracked (A)!"
"Landing Vehicle Tracked?" Addison asked, "sounds like something the U.S would name."
"They did! It's an American vehicle. It was first used by the USMC at Guadalcanal and later redesigned into two assault variants!" Yukari eagerly lectured.
"Oh, so it's a military vehicle, neat," Addison commented.
"Wait, would it happen to be an amphibious tank?" Miho asked,
"Yes! The LVT(A)-1 and LVT(A)-4 were used as amphibious support tanks. Although the LVT(A)-4 had an open-top M8 "Scott" turret, there were some field modifications that added a roof, so it could be fitted to the LVT(A)-4 as well," Yukari answered, "but it doesn't look like that one is fitted with a turret…"
"It's still a tank we could field if we found one!" Miho exclaimed eagerly, "maybe the swimming team can join us if we found one for it!"
Joseph stepped forward with a photo on his phone. "I think we already have," he said, showing the photo to Miho and Yukari, "someone in the Navy thought it'd be a good idea to mount an M24 Chaffee turret onto an LVT(A) in 1944. Not much came of it though. I could only find two pictures of it online."
"Wow! That's super cool!" Yukari gushed, "who would've thought to do something like that?!"
"And here we came to escape from tanks for a bit…" Miho said with a giggle, "I guess we can't run away from them huh?"
"Alright, I'll go talk to them!" Addison declared and ran out to the water. Everyone stared as she started to swim with wide, swift strokes through the ripples and out to the wide, open sea.
"Wow, she can swim," Yukari complimented.
"She is two-time Oregon state swimming champion, back-to-back too," William said, flipping to another page, "That's why the History Club calls her Nimitz."
"That's impressive," Miho complimented.
Out in the warm East China Sea, Addison swam swiftly and reached the LVT without even breaking a sweat. This didn't go unnoticed by the five girls on top of the floating tank. All of them wore the dark blue school-issued one-piece swimsuit and had shoulder-length black hair. "Hey, mind if I join you guys for a quick chat?" Addison asked as she stopped to hang off the right sidetrack.
"Sure, something we can help you with?" the girl closest to her asked as she pulled Addison onto the LVT.
"Thanks, I'm Addison," she introduced.
"Li Ming," the girl who pulled her up introduced.
One of the girls sitting next to the hull-mounted M1919A4 machine gun introduced herself as well. "Li Mei, I'm her younger sister by a year."
"I'm Ryota Miyahira, a pleasure to meet you," Ryota introduced with a slight bow, sitting on the edge of the turret ring.
"I'm Yoichi Sone and this is Suzu!" one of the two girls standing on the back of the tank cheerfully introduced.
"I can introduce myself you know," Suzu complained, "but yes, I'm Suzu Hirota."
"Nice to meet you all! Are you two," she started gesturing between Li Ming and Li Mei, "transfer students as well? Sorry if it's a bit rude, but I noticed that your names stand out a little."
"No worries! I like telling others about myself," Li Ming replied, "Mei and I are from Taiwan."
"Oh cool, how'd you come to Oarai?" Addison asked.
"Our family moved to Japan a few years ago for work and we came to Oarai to swim," Mei answered.
"That's cool, I came to Oarai for Sensha-do," Addison replied.
"Oh yeah?" Ming said with a raised eyebrow, her face growing suspicious and stern, "that explains a lot, so what, are you gonna force us to hand over the LVT now?"
Addison raised up her hands to cool down the conversation. "Oh, no, no I don't want to force anyone into anything-"
"Then explain Nishizumi!" Suzu demanded.
"Suzu calm down, I'm sure Addison is only here with friendly intentions!" Yoichi interrupted.
"So, just tell us the truth," Mei requested, "what's up with Nishizumi? Are the rumors true?"
Addison shook her head fervently. "Of course not! Let me explain everything, at least what I've been told. The student council was the one that demanded Miho be the captain, not us. Even after that, Miho has been a great leader and a great friend. At this point, she wouldn't want to leave the team anyway," she argued.
"Is that so?" Ming asked.
Addison nodded, but Suzu wasn't convinced. "Well, frankly I find that hard to believe, especially after the last two matches in the nationals. You guys rammed a tank and attacked a tank on foot, causing a student to get bit by a snake!"
"Look, the ramming was a complete accident!" Addison argued.
"How do you ram a tank by-" Suzu started.
Yoichi interrupted her. "By the steering levers sticking, have you actually read the JSF's statement on the matter? That's why no penalty was levied," she explained.,
"Huh? I didn't hear any of that!" Suzu argued.
Yoichi whacked her friend over the head. "Because you only listen to what gossipers are saying!" she scolded.
Suzu crossed her arms and scowled. "Whatever… we're not handing over the LVT anyway," she spat.
"Well, would you join the team with it? We found a turret for it," Addison asked.
"Hm? This thing has a turret?" Ryota asked.
"Of course it does, it goes where you're sitting," Mei spoke up, "which is it? An M3 or M8?" she asked, referring to the light tank turret that was fitted to the LVT(A)-1 and LVT(A)-4.
"We actually found something even better and more unique! We found an M24 Chaffee turret for it!" Addison exclaimed, "it's a super rare combination, the USN only made one prototype!"
That captured Mei's interest immediately. "Only one?! That makes it super special!" she exclaimed.
"I know right?! And it mounts this super powerful 75mm gun and a secondary .50 caliber machine gun on the roof!" Addison added.
"I gotta see that!" Mei decided excitedly, "can we sis? At least let them fix up the LVT and then we can make that decision!"
Ming sighed. "Alright, alright calm down," she said followed by a giggle, "you're getting worked up again." She turned from Mei to Addison. "Let me make one thing clear though. If you give us any reason to think that you're lying about everything then we won't even think about joining, got it?" she warned sternly.
"Girl, from one swimmer to another, I promise that everything I've said is true," Addison affirmed, "we're a good team, everyone's super cool."
Ming smirked. "Well then, let's see how cool you are in the water," she challenged, "Race you to the shore?"
Addison smirked right back at her. "You're on!" she shouted before diving into the water.
Ming dived into the water behind her and swam with all her might. Mei just giggled and climbed into the LVT's empty turret space. "Hop in, I'll uh… 'drive,'" she said.
000
The two swimmers swiftly cut through the ripples of the sea with the turretless LVT(A) not far behind them. Despite their best efforts, the amphibious tank passed them, kicking up water with its tracks. Addison grit her teeth and swam harder, pushing away from Ming. As they approached the shore, Ming kicked harder and drew even with Addison as they crawled onto the sand.
"Dang, you swim pretty fast for a tanker," Ming complimented between heavy breathes.
"I'm no ordinary tanker girl, I'm a back-to-back Oregon state swimming champion!" Addison replied.
"No kidding?" Ming asked as they got up from the sand and brushed themselves off. "Well then, looks like I've got a good chance in the next swimming competition if I'm as good as a champion."
"Maybe, just remember I had to swim out to you guys so I'm not at 100%."
Ming laughed. "Well then, we'll have to have another race later," she said.
Addison held out a hand. "Deal." The two swimmers shook hands as the rest of the swimming team climbed down from the LVT(A).
Yukari excitedly ran over to the LVT(A) and began examining it. "Wow, it's even bigger in real life! This is amazing!" she exclaimed while running around it.
"So what, are you like the Sensha-do team's tank connoisseur?" Suzu asked with annoyance.
Yukari stopped and bowed deeply. "My apologies! I didn't mean to offend you, I just get really excited when I see a new tank."
"Don't mind Suzu, she's a stick in the mud type all the time," Yoichi reassured.
Suzu rolled her eyes. Miho shyly approached the group of students near the LVT(A). "Excuse me, would you girls happen to be on the swimming team?" she asked.
"We're the entirety of the swimming team," Ming answered.
"Oh, my bad," Miho apologized.
"Don't worry about it, I'm guessing your Captain Nishizumi? I'm Li Ming, captain of the swimming team," Ming said with a bow.
"I'm Miho, just that is fine," Miho replied with a bow as well. "Are you five in possession of the LVT(A)?" she asked.
"Yes, I suppose you'd like to have it on the Sensha-do team?" Ming asked.
Miho nodded timidly. "It would be a valuable addition. We have a limited amount of tanks so we need every tank we can get," she answered.
"Well, Addison gave me the rundown. You guys have a turret for it and my sister Mei would like to see it fitted to our LVT."
"Addison told me it was a super rare prototype, and I want to see it in person!" Mei exclaimed.
Miho nodded. "Well only one was built during World War II, so it is a rare tank."
"So, we'd like you guys to fit it for her, then we'll decide on whether we'll join or not," Ming proposed, "and don't try anything funny either. The LVT is the property of the Swimming Team."
"Okay, we can arrange that," Miho agreed, "If you join you can crew the LVT, if not then you can keep it."
Ming smiled. "Good! I'm starting to doubt the rumors about you guys now, you do seem pretty cool."
"Rumors?" Miho asked curiously.
"Haven't you heard? Everyone's saying that you rammed a tank in the tournament and got someone bit because you left your tanks to fight on foot," Ming informed.
Miho's eyes widened. "No, no, no! We didn't ram them intentionally. And the whole snake incident has been taken care of. They're all just unfortunate accidents," Miho exclaimed.
"Oh okay, so you didn't use a snake to get the drop on the enemy's flag tank? I heard that someone threw it into the turret and that's how the girl got bit," Ming said.
Miho covered her mouth in shock. "No! No! That's not what happened at all!" she shouted, "one of my commanders got out of his tank to attack the flag tank with an anti-tank rifle, something I told him not to do anyway and got bit. Nobody intentionally used a snake to hurt anyone!"
Ming stepped back with surprise. "What? That's new," she said.
Miho clenched her jaw in frustration. "No, they're all lies!" she exclaimed, "I don't know who's spreading them, but none of it is true!"
Saori put a reassuring hand on Miho's shoulder. "Calm down Miho, we know what people are saying isn't true. There's no need to get worked up over it," she reassured.
Miho took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Sorry, it's just hard to stay calm when people are accusing my friends of stuff they didn't do. Who would even spread something like that?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have an answer for that," Ming replied, "but I can tell from the way that you're reacting that you really do care for your teammates. That's a good trait for a captain."
Miho bowed. "Thank you, I'm sorry for shouting," she apologized.
"No worries, so you guys having a team outing together?" Ming asked.
Miho nodded. "One of my commanders, Azusa, and the student council suggested doing something fun together," she answered.
"Cool! Mind if we join you? We can take a bit of a break for a bit," Ming asked.
"Sure! We may as well get to know each other if we're going to be working together in the future," Miho replied.
"Woo! I was getting bored of diving practice!" Mei cheered.
000
Another day, another chapter done, this time with 7.8 times more water. Thank you all for your reviews. I'm sure you're all disappointed that Joseph has committed the terrible sin of not using the Bob Semple "Tank" but hopefully he makes up for it with his discovery of some rather interesting evidence about this mysterious 'Scandal of '89'... what happened all those years ago and who exactly is telling the truth...
That'll have to wait for later! Regardless, thank you all so much for the favorites, follows, reviews, and for reading my story. Until next time, goodbye!
Next time on Girls und Panzer: Tank Aces!
Chapter 25: Baiji and Bystrokhodny!