Chapter 30: An Adaptation of Old Tactics
Anchovy stared at her handheld radio in shock. "H-how did they manage to take out our mighty tankettes with only two tanks!?" she exclaimed. She grit her teeth in frustration and squeeze her radio's handle. "Koume, assault the central village with all your strength! Forza Centrale will attack from the north. Operation Macaroni WILL succeed!" she demanded.
"Understood Captain," Koume replied.
"No, Duce! You are to refer to me as Duce Anchovy!" Anchovy scolded.
Koume shook her head with a hint of annoyance from her Panzer IV, leading a convoy of a Semovente, a Panzer III Ausf. N, and two Panzer IV Ausf Gs. "My apologies… Duce Anchovy," she relented. She opened the commander's hatch and stood outside the cupola on the lookout for ambushes. In the distance to her left was the village, but it lacked any feasible route up the hill except for the southern and northern pathways. She kept idly surveying the area as the convoy drove around the village. "All halt," she ordered as they completed rounding the village. In the distance, she could see smoke rising into the skill. "Duce, should we attack immediately once we arrive or should we wait for Forza Centrale to attack in the north?" she asked.
North of the village, Forza Centrale, consisting of Anchovy's P. 26/40 serving as the flag tank, the Turan II, a Panzer III Ausf. N, and two Semovente 75/18s, reached their position. The northern defenders of Oarai, Hippo, and Rabbit Team were just out of sight while Forza Centrale was just out of their sight as well. "We are in position, begin the assault by using your short barrels to bombard the enemy and soften up their defenses," Anchovy ordered.
The Panzer III Ausf. N and two Semoventes passed Koume's Panzer IV and took positions in firing range of the village entrance. "Focus on bringing down the buildings with HE. Fewer places for them to hide," Koume instructed. The short-barreled cannons aimed skywards while they were loaded with high explosive shells. A tense moment passed before they came to life. The 75mm shells flew into the air in an arc towards the village. The shells rained down onto the outer houses of the villages, raining down explosion after explosion onto the buildings. Clouds of dust rose from the bombardment. This lasted for several minutes as the guns roared, leveling the defensive capabilities of the village.
Concealed in a ditch away from the village; however, was Leopard Team with Ross observing the enemy tanks bombarding the village. "How are you holding up Miho?" he asked. Through his radio, he heard loud explosions and crashing sounds as buildings started to give way under the bombardment.
"We're fine, from that range, all those short barrels are only good for shock and awe bombardment. They won't take us out," Miho reassured, gripping her cupola walls as her tank shook from the bombardment.
Ross wasn't reassured by the sounds of chaos from his radio, but he pushed it aside and adjusted his Stalhelm. "Alright, Alex, load AP," he ordered. Alex slammed a shell into the breech. Ross stared through his periscope in tense silence as Anzio's guns thundered. Hold… hold…
The guns stopped firing as Koume analyzed the effect of the bombardment. Several houses had been leveled and the road was now littered with debris, but Anglerfish Team was still nowhere to be seen. "Let's try it again with the Panzer IVs firing as well," she decided. The Panzer IVs elevated their guns to aim…
"Fire! Then close in!" Ross ordered. The Type 100's gun fired a shell straight into the side of Koume's companion Panzer IV, knocking it out in a surprising explosion.
"What the?!" Koume shouted in panic. She turned just in time to see Leopard Team leap from its ditch and storm forwards to get a shot at Koume, who was being shielded by the other Panzer IV's wreckage.
"Now!" Miho ordered. The Panzer IV sped around the edge of a wrecked house into sight. It quickly came to a halt before firing a round toward Anzio's force. The round soared through the air and ripped a piece of spaced armor off the turret of a Panzer III Ausf. N.
Koume's Panzer IV reversed around her wrecked companion and aimed the turret towards the Type 100. "Fire!" she ordered.
"Angle the armor!" Ross ordered. The Type 100 skidded to a halt at an angle as Koume's Panzer IV fired. Its shell impacted the front of the Type 100 but bounced from the aggressive angling. "Return fire!" Ross ordered. His 88mm gun aimed.
"Angle our own armor quickly!" Koume shouted in a panic. The Panzer IV roasted quickly before Leopard Team fired. The Type 100's gun fired and its shell flew towards the Panzer IV. The shell crashed into the angled armor plating and bounced as well.
"Damn it!" Ross shouted in frustration. By this point, the Panzer III Ausf. N started to focus on him while Miho tried to keep the Semoventes occupied by trading shots back and forth. "Chloe, blind the Ausf. N with the MG!" he demanded.
"On it!" Chloe replied. She grabbed the MG and started firing at the Panzer III. The machine gun peppered the gunsight of the Panzer III, preventing it from getting an accurate shot.
"Commander, I can't aim!" the gunner of the Panzer III complained.
"Just shoot!" her commander replied.
The short-barreled 75mm gun fired, sending a low-velocity shell above the Type 100. "Go, go! Try to go around the Panzer IV to its side or rear armor!" Ross ordered. Tandy responded by slamming his steering leers forward. The Type 100 surged forward towards Koume's Panzer IV. It kicked up a cloud of dust that obscured the Panzer III's aim, so even without the MG34 peppering it with 7.62mm bullets it could not fire on it.
Koume glared at the Type 100 as it neared. "Fire whenever you can!" she ordered. The breech clicked shut as her loader finished loading. The turret slowly started to turn, tracking the Type 100 as it rushed to flank Koume. "Come on… come on…" Koume muttered.
Ross shoved open his hatch and grabbed the Vickers-Crayford Rocket Gun. He quickly slammed a HE round into the gun and shut the breech. He quickly aimed the gun at the turret of his opponent and fired, sending a high explosive shell into its gun sight.
"Dang it! I almost had them!" Koume's gunner complained and began adjusting her aim again.
The rear of the Panzer III Ausf. N burst into flames as Hana took it out with a precise shot from far away. "Let's get those Semoventes…" she muttered. She zeroed in on the flat armor of the assault guns who fruitlessly lobbed shells towards the Panzer IV, but the low velocity of the HEAT rounds made them incredibly difficult to hit faraway targets with them. Yukari slammed a fresh round into her gun. Unlike the short barrels of the Semoventes, her L/48 gun had plenty of range to use. She pulled the trigger and her gun fired again. The front of one of the Semoventes burst into smoke and fire as the shell knocked it out. "One more…" she muttered. Yukari quickly loaded another shell. She pulled the trigger again to the same result, the last Semovente was knocked out with a precise shot.
"Nice job Hana!" Miho complimented happily.
Hana smiled. "Thank you, now let's get that last Panzer…" she muttered and began to zero in on Koume.
Koume's gunner failed to get a good aim at Ross before a shell slammed into the ground to her left and exploded. Koume turned around with shock to see the wreckage of her teammates and Anglerfish Team staring down at them. "Abandon the Type 100, drive forward, and get us out of here!" Koume ordered. The Panzer IV surged forward just in time to avoid another rocket gunshot and a round from Hana.
"Shoot…" Hana muttered.
Ross slammed his fist on his cupola irately. "After them Tandy!" he demanded.
"With pleasure!" Tandy replied. The Type 100 spun around and began chasing Koume's Panzer IV as she tried to flee.
Miho narrowed her eyes at the sight. "Ross, are you confident that you can take out the Panzer IV?" she asked.
"Just give us some time then yes!" he replied.
"Good, then we'll break off and reinforce the northern front!" Miho informed, "Mako, take us around to the north of the village." As she finished speaking, more loud explosions could be heard from behind her.
"Captain Nishizumi, the rest of Anzio's tanks are bombarding our line!" Erwin informed.
"Right, we're coming!" Miho replied.
The ground shook at the northern front of the village as shells rained down on the defenders. "Fire back, don't let up!" Azusa ordered. Her 37mm and 75mm guns responded with shells of their own, bombarding the enemy which had taken a position in a treeline not far from the village.
"Fire!" Erwin ordered. The StuG III's gun roared and fired a shell back at the attackers, shooting up a cloud of dust among Anzio's forces.
The 57mm cannon of Nixe Team joined the fray as it fired high explosive shells from further away, using extreme elevation to fire on Anzio like a piece of artillery. The machine gunners tensely waited for their time to attack Anzio's forces but kept watch on their flanks just in case an enemy slipped through. Victoria stared through her own commander's viewport in the cabin, waiting for their chance to attack directly. "It's been soooo long since I've been on the frontlines, how exciting!" she exclaimed.
Despite the rapid bombardments, it was clear a stalemate had formed. Both sides shelled each other with no restraint, but no tanks were taken out. Anchovy observed the chaos from a short distance from the front, but out of direct firing range much like Nixe Team. "How could the southern attack be nearly wiped out!? They're supposed to be outgunned, exhausted, and outnumbered!" she shouted in fury, "first they realize our carri armati falsi were fake, then they wipe out the fast encirclement force, and now they wipe out the heavy encirclement force!? Operation Macaroni has completely failed!"
"Duce, we can still pull through!" Carpaccio reassured. Her Semovente fired round after round into the village, flattening walls and fences. Her arms screamed in exhaustion after loading another shell and she stumbled momentarily, but she kept pushing on.
In the village, Anglerfish Team arrived at the front. Miho looked over the damage and the lines with a critical eye, trying to figure out a way to break the stalemate. "Miho, I hate to tell you this, but we're starting to run low in HE shells!" Erwin reported.
Miho bit her lip. They couldn't keep up the stalemate and were evenly matched since the Type 95 and A7V couldn't really knock out the enemy tanks from their position. She racked her brain for a way to break the stalemate. This is a lot like the trench warfare of the Western Front in World War I… she thought, wait… the Western Front! She found a solution! "Listen this is going to be risky, but I want Pheasant, Rabbit, and Nixe Team to suppress the bombarding enemy with everything you have! Hippo Team, you and Anglerfish Team will rush at the enemy while they are suppressed, speed past their line and attack the flag tank behind them. Try to find a weak spot in their line and breakthrough! Do you think you can pull that off!?" she asked.
Joseph and William's widened as they made the connection on what the plan reflected. William dryly chuckled with a smirk. Looks like Miho's taking inspiration from our ancestors… "You heard her guys, let's do this!" he shouted, "Freikorp…"
"Voran!" the crew of Nixe II shouted together.
"Let's do it!" everyone else replied.
"Alright, Mako, get us as close as you can to the front without exposing us to direct fire. Once our suppressing forces engage, I want you to push at full speed into the forest! Yukari, load AP, Hana we'll have one shot at this, the moment we stop I want you to take out that P. 26/40!" Miho ordered.
"Alright," Mako replied.
"You got it, Miho," Hana assured.
"Let's do this!" Yukari exclaimed while loading a Panzergranate 39 round. The Panzer IV sped towards the frontline but stopped just on the outskirts of the village. Nixe Team stopped just behind a pile of brick rubble. A street over, Pheasant Team stopped behind another pile of debris. By this point, the village had been completely ruined, but that only made it even more defensible.
A moment of silence fell upon the village as Oarai stopped returning fire. "Hey Miho, I kinda have a strange request…" William said.
The road the Type 100 chased Koume's Panzer IV down on was surrounded by trees that slightly blocked out the sunlight. If it wasn't for the fact he was in a battle, Ross would have found the route scenic. But he was busy firing round after round from his rocket gun at Koume's tracks in a desperate attempt to stop the enemy tank. He grunted in pain as he closed the breech once more. His muscles screamed in pain and his fatigue from a lack of sleep was taking hold. He aimed the gun towards the Panzer IV's tracks and fired.
Just like the HE rounds that came before it, the round missed the track and harmlessly exploded off to the side, kicking up dust and gravel. "Damn it!" Ross cursed as he pulled the hot shell from the cannon and tossed it aside. Below him, the MGs spat bursts of bullets towards the Panzer IV, but to no effect.
In her Panzer IV, Koume nervously eyed the tank chasing them and tried to come up with a plan. Anchovy's currently engaged in a stalemate, trying to regroup with her would only cause problems, but it's not like I have any other options… she thought before looking down at her map. Scratch that, there aren't even any easy roads leading back to the village nearby, and going cross country would just make us an easy target. We'll have to take out the Type 100. That's our only option. "Gunner, turn the turret around and return fire at the Type 100!" Koume ordered.
"Yes ma'am!" her gunner replied. There's no way I could hit them while we're moving! She thought but remained quiet. The turret started to slowly rotate, turning its gun backward at the Type 100.
"Jody, move your MG fire from the tracks to the turret sights," Ross ordered.
"Alright!" Jody exclaimed. The gun moved a bit to turn the MG34 away from the tracks and towards the gun sights of the Panzer IV.
Ross jumped back up to his rocket gun and loaded a new shell. He pushed his shoulder against the gun to get it to stabilize. "Come on…" he whispered as he aimed. He closed in on the tracks once more and fired.
The round soared through the air and crashed into the right track of the Panzer IV. The track links flew through the air as the track shattered at the impact. The rest of the track spun around and flew off the Panzer IV. The suspension wheels dug into the ground and the tank veered to the right.
"Now's our chance!" Ross shouted. Tandy slammed on the brakes and the Type 100's treads dug into the dirt road. But the tank did not stop fast enough and crashed into the back of the Panzer IV. The impact shook the tank and it began to slide just like the Panzer IV. The Type 100 slid into the ditch on the left side of the road while the Panzer IV slid to a stop on the road.
When they came to rest in the ditch, the gun of the Type 100 was facing away from the Panzer IV with the rest of the front hull and facing upwards. However, the Panzer IV came to a stop with its hull facing away from the Type 100 and its turret pointing backward. The 7.5cm Kwk 40 rang out with the firing of an AP shell towards the Type 100. With no time to react, the Type 100 was hit by the shell in the rear and knocked out in a plume of smoke.
Koume smiled with exhaustion as she gazed at the destroyed Type 100 through her periscope. "Good work everyone," she complimented warily.
Ross just stood dumbly in the commander's hatch while looking down at the smoking engine deck. He sighed and turned to the Panzer IV before flashing them a smile and a thumbs up.
William pulled a trench whistle from his pocket and put it to his lips. After a sharp breath, he blew into the whistle. Over the radio, the shrill whistle pierced everyone's ears. Oarai's guns came to life, mixing with the shrill whistle in an orchestra of battle. Their shells exploded around Anzio's remaining tanks while the machine guns rained bullets onto Anzio's remaining tanks.
"Now Mako! Go Hippo Team!" Miho shouted over the chaos. In response, the Panzer IV and the StuG III sped from their cover, kicking up some dust from the road that had been flagstone once but had been blasted into gravel by the battle.
"Anchovy, I think I can see movement from Oarai's lines, but I can't see them!" Carpaccio reported in a panic.
"Keep firing! Don't retreat! Don't relent!" Anchovy ordered.
Miho winced as a shell nearly hit her tank. In the chaos, it would've been impossible to tell if it was friendly or hostile. But that was part of the plan. The Panzer IV and StuG III stormed through the field surrounding the village and Anzio's frontline. They trampled over fences and dodged shell holes as the shellfire intensified with Anzio returning fire. Come on… come on! Miho thought anxiously as they crashed through another fenceline.
A shell haphazardly fired in their direction exploded in front of the Panzer IV. The sound it made blasted through Anglerfish Team's eardrums and smoke filled the tank. The tank lurched over the crater's edge and Miho's head crashed into the edge of her cupola. Her steel helmet clanged against the steel before she caught herself and pulled herself back into her seat.
"Are you okay Miho?!" Hana asked franticly, barely audible above the chaos.
"I'm fine, focus on the enemy!" Miho shouted back.
The Panzer IV crossed the crater and was back on solid ground quickly without losing speed. Only one more fenceline was left before they would be face to face with Anzio's tanks. That fenceline gave way as easily as the others and Anglerfish Team and Hippo Team were closer than ever to Anzio.
"How'd they get so close?! Turn, get the StuG!" Carpaccio ordered. The last Semovente, stationed on the left part of Anzio's front, started rotating in place to aim at the side of the StuG III.
"Saemonza, fire on the Semovente!" Erwin ordered.
"You got it!" Saemonza replied. The StuG III charged at the Semovente as it turned towards them. Both tanks faced each other for a brief moment before their fronts collided. They were both shaken by the impact, and their guns were thrown off target. Saemonza quickly grabbed onto the controls of the StuG III's gun and pressed her face against the sights. The gunner of the Semovente did the same and both guns aimed back at the hull of the opposite assault gun before firing. They were both taken out in a flash of fire and the pop of a white flag.
Anglerfish Team emerged from the smoke directly in front of the Turan II at the center of the frontline. "Fire Hana!" Miho ordered.
"Right!" Hana replied before firing. Despite the vibrations and chaos around them, the round hit its target and knocked out the tank in a plume of smoke.
"Yukari reload, Mako to the left!" Miho ordered. Yukari responded by slamming a fresh shell into the gun while Mako swerved the tank to the left of the Turan II, right in front of Anzio's flag tank, the P. 26/40. Both medium tanks faced each other with their guns. The guns fired and their rounds flew past each other and sped to their targets. The P. 26/40's Granata Perforante 75/32 exploded against the Panzer IV's hull in a flash of smoke and fire.
The Panzer IV's Panzergranate 39 round bounced off the side of the P. 26/40's turret. As the smoke cleared, Miho waited for either the declaration of victory or her own tank's white flag to pop up. Except, neither of those sounds came. She poked her head out of the turret timidly and scanned the roof, but no white flag was in sight, despite the massive scorch mark on the front of the hull.
"Miho! The Granata Perforante 75/32 on has 79mm of penetration! They can't take you out frontally without HEAT!" William shouted over the radio.
"Yukari, load another shot quick!" Miho ordered as realization washed over her. Yukari scrambled to load another round into the gun. As the breech clicked shut, Hana wasted no time and didn't waste their second chance. The gun fired again and this time its shell hit, knocking out Anzio's flag tank in a spectacular explosion. Behind her, the Panzer III Ausf. N fired a HEAT round into the rear of Anglerfish Team, but it was a moment too late.
"Anzio High School's flag tank has been eliminated! Oarai Co-ed Academy is the winner!" Ami declared.
Every commander of Oarai's remaining tanks slumped backward in satisfied exhaustion. Despite being outnumbered and devoid of energy, they had obtained victory once again. William had to chuckle to himself while he leaned against the 57mm cannon of Nixe II. "Just like Caporetto," he whispered before letting his eyes rest.
Ross smiled while holding Natalie as he leaned against the hull of the Type 100, which had been extracted from the battlefield and returned to Oarai's prep lot. In front of him, he could see the declaration of victory and replay of the final moments of the battle on the spectator screen which wasn't far from the prep lot. From the corner of his eye, he could see the group of former opponents watching the screen while clapping. Why not head over? Good relations can't hurt, he thought before walking over. He caught their attention quickly and they stood up.
"I have to say, Mr. Huot, that was a rather spectacular performance out there," Darjeeling congratulated.
Ross blushed and smiled. "Well, we just did our best, but thank you nonetheless," he replied.
"Aw, is this your daughter I've been hearing about?" Orange Pekoe asked while cooing over Natalie.
"Yeah, this is Natalie, my daughter," Ross answered. He couldn't help but feel a bit of father's pride while saying that.
"Well, she's very cute. Oh! Pardon me, congratulations on the victory," Orange Pekoe exclaimed with a bow.
"Thanks, I hope you guys enjoyed the show," Ross replied with a smile.
Kay ran over with a fresh bottle of soda. "Heck yeah, we enjoyed the show! That bombardment, the movement, everything just screamed excitement!" she shouted.
"Although I won't be as brash as Kay… even I have to say that you did well in that fight, even if it was just against Anzio," a surprising voice complimented from behind.
Ross nervously turned around to meet Maho's stern, stoic gaze who was joined by Erika. "Captain, why are you complimenting these… these boys?" Erika asked.
"Just because they are boys does not mean we should disregard their abilities… to a certain extent," Maho deflected.
"Well thank you, I'm very glad you aren't outright calling us dumb jocks, brutes, and idiots. We're here for the same reason you are, for fun competition," Ross replied sourly.
Maho narrowed her eyes. "You are misinformed. Kuromorimine is not here for 'fun competition.' We are here to promote the true style of Sensha-do, the Nishizumi Style, the one true way to victory and glory. Sensha-do is no game or sport, it is a martial art," she said.
"Kuromormine can believe whatever they want, but we don't want Sensha-do to become that. Sensha-do is meant to nurture smart, courageous, and moral students from honest, fun competition," Ross argued.
"And yet it cannot achieve those goals if it is merely a game," Maho stoically rebuked.
"And why not?" Ross asked.
Another stoic, unexpected person spoke up, "Maho, that's enough. There is no possible way to reason with them." The woman slowly approached from behind Maho and Erika, standing over them like a despotic queen that resembled Maho, but older and more mature. "I'd advise you to stay away from my daughters, boy," Shiho warned.
Ross glared harder at the matriarch of the Nishizumi Family. "So you're the infamous Shiho Nishizumi… you know, you have a lot of nerve coming here after what you did to Miho!" he exclaimed angrily.
"You could never understand the situation, nor understand our reasons," Shiho replied, "what I do is for the best of the family and Sensha-do."
"You're right I can't understand! Because any reasonable parent wouldn't!" Ross shouted, "abandoning your own child, decrying her heroic actions, and forcing her away is inexcusable! Do you have any idea how much it hurts to be denied by the very person who's supposed to provide for you?!"
"And you would understand because?" Shiho asked, narrowing her eyes.
Ross's eyes lit up with a furious flame. "Because my own damn father did the same! All because I hurt his image as a 'good Christian man.' Because I had the gall to make a mistake and take responsibility! You are just like him! A coward and a failure of a parent!" he accused.
Shiho's eyes glazed over and she failed to come up with a response. Everyone stood in stunned silence before she turned around and walked past Maho and Erika. "We're leaving," she stated emotionlessly. The two girls from Kuromormine nodded awkwardly and began following her.
Ross sneered at them as they left. "First they hurt Miho, then they feed off our old tanks, and now they try to claim they're on the right side 'for the family,'" he spat. A tear of frustration started running down his cheek. "I just don't understand them at all…"
A little hand reached up clumsily to wipe at his tear, surprising Ross. Natalie clumsily shook her head back and forth. "No… no Dada," she babbled.
Ross's heart tightened and he almost actually started crying. "Okay sweetie, Dada will be strong," he whispered.
Natalie smiled and hugged his neck. "Uv you…" she mumbled. It took all of his will to not burst into tears as Ross returned the hug.
Despite the loss, Anchovy was in pretty high spirits as she approached the gathered members of Oarai's Sensha-do team who had run over to the field between the two teams to celebrate together. Anchovy stepped toward Miho with a bright smile. "Well, well, well, and here I thought this was finally our year," she said as she extended a hand to Miho, "thanks for the great match Captain Nishizumi."
"You fought well, we just got lucky that our armor was thick enough for your cannon. If it weren't for that, we probably wouldn't have won," Miho replied, shaking Anchovy's hand.
Anchovy smiled. "I'm not so sure about that. I have to ask, where are your other tanks? I expected that we'd face a larger, slower force and planned appropriately, but it seems that you got the best of us," she asked.
"Well actually, we had a break-in at our garage and stayed up all night fixing our tanks. These are the ones we managed to get ready in time," Miho replied.
"A break-in?! That's horrible!" Anchovy exclaimed, "that explains why you all look so worn out. I have to say I'm surprised you're even still able to stand after that assault!"
Miho giggled. "Well, once the adrenaline runs out I bet we'll all crash soon enough," she replied before stumbling over a little before correcting herself.
"Well, hopefully, you can stay awake a little longer because before you may rest, we must celebrate properly!" Anchovy exclaimed.
"Celebrate?" Miho asked with a confused head tilt.
Anchovy smirked as Italian trucks started pulling up, crewed by Anzio students. "Of course! I'm sure you know that Sensha-do is more than just the battle! At Anzio, we like to show our appreciation to the competitors and the officials who all make this possible. What better way to show our appreciation than with Anzio's best trait, cooking!" she declared as Anzio students rushed to set up tables, open giant pots of boiling pasta, set up temporary kitchens, and set out all sorts of cuisines.
Miho watched in awe at all the activity. "Wow, you guys take your food very seriously," she commented.
"Of course! Our cooking is the pride of our school! If only our Sensha-do could be next to it… oh well, I guess we'll have to worry about that later!" Anchovy declared, "as much as I hate cutting our conversation short for now, I must go help my girls prepare. I'm sure you understand"
Miho nodded with a smile. "Of course, of course," she replied. Anchovy nodded back and shook her hand one last time before rushing off to do her Duce duties. Miho gave her a small wave before another person caught her attention.
Koume slowly approached Miho after Anchovy ran off. "Hey Miho," she greeted.
"Koume! It's been so long, how are you doing?" Miho asked.
"I'm fine… listen, I don't think I ever got the chance to properly say thank you after the incident last year," Koume said nervously.
Miho's eyes softened. "Koume… don't worry about it. I knew you'd do the same if the positions were swapped," she reassured.
"Still, I know how hard it was on you, with your family and everyone else at Kuromorimine."
"It was, but we took it together. I know some of them were upset at you as well," Miho said.
Koume smiled. "Well, that's in the past now. I bet you were surprised to see me at Anzio," she said.
"I was! Why are you here anyway? I thought you said that you wanted to stay at Kuromorimine?" Miho asked.
Koume frowned a little. "Sending aid to Anzio was Erika's idea. She saw that you and Anzio would face each other. She didn't put any faith in Count after Anzio beat Maginot and certainly none in Chi-ha-tan after you beat Saunders. But for some reason, she had faith that Anzio would be able to beat you. She's afraid of Oarai, despite how she carries herself. The thought of boys winning alongside you was enough to push Maho into approving the idea of using the temporary transfer system to send an 'attache' of sorts," Koume explained.
"So why'd you agree to leave?" Miho asked.
"I was burned out by Kuromormine and felt crowded out by their stiff atmosphere. Anzio was an opportunity for something different and they were certainly welcoming. It's not necessarily a vacation, but a change of pace was just what I needed. I will go back to Kuromormine eventually, but it can't hurt to get away for a little bit," Koume explained.
"I can understand why you'd take the opportunity to leave for a little bit," Miho replied.
Koume nodded. "You know… I was wondering, which tank are you going to take back?" she asked.
"Well… I haven't thought about it too much. After Saunders and Chi-Ha-Tan, some members wanted to join us instead of us just picking a tank and its crew," Miho answered.
"I see. Well, before you decide that, there is someone who asked me to introduce you to her." Koume scanned the crowd of students, but to her ire, she couldn't find her. She stood up on her toes and finally caught a glimpse of blonde hair near one of the cooking tents. "There she is! Come on, I'll introduce you!" Koume said.
Miho and Koume squeezed their way through the crowd of students and rounded the corner of a cooking tent. As they rounded the corner they froze and their faces started turning red. Carpaccio and Caesar embraced each other. "It's been so long since I've seen you, Taka!" Carpaccio exclaimed.
"I've missed you too Hina! Chat rooms just aren't the…" Caesar paused as she caught Miho and Koume out of the corner of her eyes. "Same as meeting up…" she finished.
"Is uh, this a bad time?" Koume asked nervously.
The two girls separated and looked away with fiery blushes. "It's not what it looks like!" Carpaccio squeaked.
"We're just friends!" Caesar exclaimed.
"Sorry! Sorry! We weren't meaning to insulate anything!" Miho exclaimed, waving her hands in the air in front of her with embarrassment.
Everyone took a deep breath and calmed down. "Taka and I are childhood friends, but we ended up at different schools and haven't met up very much," Carpaccio explained, "is there something you need Koume?"
"Yeah, you mentioned before that you wanted to speak with Oarai's captain, so I brought her over," Koume answered.
Miho bowed. "I'm Captain Miho Nishizumi, but please just call me Miho," she introduced.
Carpaccio smiled and bowed as well. "I typically go by Carpaccio, but my real name is Hina," she followed.
"So, what do you need from me?" Miho asked.
"I'd like to join your team!" Carpaccio revealed, "it's been too long since I've spent any real time with Taka!"
Caesar blushed again. "You know I go by Caesar nowadays!" she protested.
Carpaccio jokingly stuck her tongue out as Caesar. Koume, however, frowned. "I actually wanted to join Oarai too… I haven't hung out with Miho in forever."
"Perché non entrambi?" Caesar suggested. Koume and Miho raised an eyebrow at her.
"What?" Miho asked.
"Wait, you don't understand Italian?" Caesar asked.
"Doesn't everyone know Italian and Latin?" Carpaccio followed.
"Um, no, what did you say?" Miho asked.
"Oh, why not both?" Caesar answered.
Koume and Carpaccio's eyes widened. "You can do that?" they asked.
"Oh yeah! Our temporary crew from Saunders did that! Both were commanders, but their crew split up to join us!" Miho answered excitedly, "would you two like to do the same?"
"Of course!" Koume and Carpaccio answered.
"Which tank will you bring?" Caesar asked.
Carpaccio and Koume turned to each other. "I'm not very familiar with your Semovente," Koume said.
"And I don't know a thing about Panzer IVs," Carpaccio followed.
"I can help you adjust to the Semovente Koume," Caesar proposed, "I know a lot about Italian tanks and the Semovente isn't much different from the StuG III."
Koume contemplated it for a moment. "Alright, I think I can handle it!" she answered with confidence.
Ross sat on the hillside that led up to the village with Natalie in his lap while watching the activity below him. He looked up to the clouds in the bright blue sky above him in deep thought. I mean, everyone else is pretty confident that she likes me… but how do you start a new relationship when you've got a child of your own from another? That's a hell of an asterisk to add on… he thought idly. He jumped between looking at his daughter pick at the grass between her legs and the sky above him before suddenly his vision went dark.
"Guess who?" Jody asked with her hands over Ross' eyes.
Ross groaned and pulled Jody's hands off his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked.
"Naw, is someone irritated because he hasn't had his nap yet?" Jody teased, sitting down next to him.
"Dealing with you is exhausting," Ross complained.
Jody stuck out her tongue. "So what's up?" she asked.
"Just thinking," he replied.
Jody smirked. "About your wife-to-be?" she asked teasingly.
Ross punched her arm hard. "Shut up," he demanded.
"You need someone to babysit while you propose? I can look after Natalie!" she offered.
Natalie looked up and climbed onto Ross's left leg. Jody smiled and picked her up. "Yeah that's right, you wanna hang out with Aunt Jody," she cooed while Natalie leaned into her arms.
"Just thinking of being related to you is sickening," Ross jabbed.
Jody frowned with fake pouty eyes. "Aww, but then how can I be Natalie's cool aunt?" she asked.
"You're not," Ross simply answered.
"Nah, I totally am, right Natalie? I'm gonna be the cool aunt who takes you out to shop and spoil you rotten," Jody replied.
"Nobody's going to be spoiling her," Ross stated.
"Well… I'm sure if I don't, then Miho definitely will," she teased.
Ross fell backward onto the grass with a groan. "We're not even together and there's no guarantee that she wants anything," he said.
"Well, let's find out then," Jody said, standing up. She adjusted Natalie so that she was holding her with one hand and grabbed the edge of Ross's helmet so she could pull him along. With a tug, she started pulling him along with her down to the hill.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Ross protested as he slid down the grass.
"Taking the initiative you don't have!" she answered, stifling her laughter. "C'mon lover boy now's your time!" I would think that someone like him would have no problem trying to get together with another girl. I guess parenthood really does change some people, Jody thought as Ross struggled to free himself from her grasp.
The rest of Leopard Team looked on with confusion at the sight of their commander being pulled down the hill by his helmet. "Well… that's something you don't see every day," Tandy stated.
"Leave up to Jody…" Chloe followed. Alex just nodded.
"Feast your eyes at Anzio's finest extra-long pasta!" Anchovy declared while pulling the lid of an extra-large boiling box. A blast of steam rose into the air and inside the pot, long noodles were boiling.
"Wow, it's so long!" Miho exclaimed. The noodles had to be at least a full meter long as they sat in the boiling water. "Why are they so long?" she asked.
"It's Anzio's tradition! Longer spaghetti means more to eat!" Anchovy answered. "It's also tradition for the captain of the opposing team to have the first taste straight from the pot!" she exclaimed while offering Miho a longer than usual fork.
"Oh, well if you insist…" Miho said, taking the long fork. She was about to try the spaghetti when everyone became distracted and stepped away from her. "Huh?"
Jody marched right up to Miho with Ross still being dragged along with her by his helmet. She dropped him onto the ground next to her. "Special delivery!" she exclaimed.
Everyone stared in confusion while Ross scrambled to his feet. "Jody you little rat!" he hissed. Jody just rolled her eyes and stomped on his foot before he got up.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of this!" she exclaimed before running off with Natalie. By the time Ross had recovered and got up, she was gone.
Ross took several deep breaths to recover from struggling against her. "I am going to kill her…" he seethed.
"So… what's up, Ross?" Miho asked awkwardly.
Ross turned and froze for a moment. "U-uh well, you know… Jody being Jody," he answered awkwardly.
Miho giggled a little. "She really likes messing around with you huh?" she said before taking another long fork. "Here, I was just about to try Anzio's special extra-long pasta. Why don't you have some too?" she offered.
Ross nervously took the fork. "Yeah, sure, spaghetti's never hurt anyone," he said.
Miho giggled again. "Except that one time you scalded yourself," she pointed out.
"That was a one-time thing!" Ross protested.
Everyone had a good laugh at his expense. "Well you two, try it!" Anchovy prodded. Ross and Miho nodded and spun some spaghetti around their forks; however, it was too long for it all to spool around the fork completely so plenty was still hanging into the boiling water. They ate the noodles on their fork and savored the delicious pasta. It was so good that they closed their eyes and became oblivious to the world around them as they slurped the rest of the noodles into their mouths, completely missing the one strand of pasta on both of their forks pulling them closer together, slowly closing the distance until…
Ross felt something warm and soft on his lips. He slowly opened his eyes. Miho did the same and the two tank commanders froze.
000
It's been some time since I uploaded, sorry! Writing over the summer wasn't really working out, but things are changing and I'm hoping to write more and start putting out new chapters, especially since I left this chapter on a cliffhanger.
Thank you all for your patience and for reviewing! I may not respond to every single one but I do read them and consider them when I plan and write.
Up next on Girls und Panzer: Tank Aces!
Chapter 31: Together and Facing the Future!