Chapter nineteen: Loll in the fighting
The battle of Nago lasted three weeks, and was one of the bloodiest battles in the Okinawan campaign so far. Out of the 12,000 North Korean casualties, only 2,000 became prisoners. 4,000 Japanese troops were killed, with another 7,000 wounded. There were also massive civilian casualties: 20,000 killed in the battle or killed by the North Koreans. The ones that led the battle, namely the Kuromorimine, Blue Division and the Emperor's Regiment became instant celebrities in the mainland.
JSDF Strategic HQ, Ichigaya, Tokyo, Japan, June 25th
"And late yesterday the JSDF has scored a great victory in Okinawa. After several weeks we have…" The TV switched off as Shiho pressed the remote. She looked outside. There were celebrations out in the streets, with people waving flags around.
"Things have improved, huh," Sakurai entered the room, plopping down on a seat next to Shiho. "Your daughter's actually doing pretty good."
Shiho nodded. "Thank you," She said.
Sakurai looked at her. "Maho might even get a medal for her actions," He got out a cigarette. "Doesn't that make mommy proud?" He prodded her.
"It's only natural. The Nishizumi Style triumphs all," Shiho said irritably.
Sakurai scoffed. "But because now she's one of the few bloodied soldiers in the army, she'll probably be sent to other battlefronts as well,"
"I can't do anything about that…" Shiho grumbled. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Sakurai waved the person in.
A soldier saluted. "This is for Miss-Nishizumi-"
"Spit it out." Shiho ordered.
The soldier gulped. "Well, a new position was created in the government; the Ministry of Public Morale and Propaganda. The Minister is-" He gulped once again. "-Nishizumi Kijiro." He uttered.
Shiho's face turned pale. "He what?" She demanded.
The soldier fixed his collar. "He was given that position for his role in sending Kuromorimine to Okinawa," The soldier sputtered out. "He's made the enrollment of the All-Japanese Youths Association mandatory for children 8-16, and up to 18 voluntary with free college tuition. He also made the National Motor Corps, National Flying Corps and National Marine Corps as mandatory choices in school clubs and extracurricular activities."
"He is literally turning the youth into his private army!" Shiho slammed her fist against the table.
"Now now, calm down," Sakurai told her.
"No point getting angry over something that already happened," Shiho slumped down on the table. "I seriously need some rest." She muttered.
Nago, Okinawa, June 25th
The streets were swept clean of bodies and vehicles, while debris was being cleared off. Civilians were trickling back into their city, with most of the houses destroyed. Jets flew over the city, bombing the North Korean ships out at sea. Artillery belched shells across the island, with the explosions rising over the horizon.
Tanya and Kaito were loitering around the City Hall, the temporary military HQ.
"So what now?" Kaito asked.
Tanya shrugged. "We'll have some rest. We've fought for weeks, so now's the time to relax," She said.
Kaito groaned. "Come on. There's nothing to do," He complained.
Naoki stepped outside. "Your welcome to help the cleaning efforts, commander," He offered.
Kaito waved his hand. "No, too much work," He said.
Tanya rolled her eyes. "You've been fighting nonstop for weeks. And now you're complaining?" She glared at Kaito.
….
Nishi and Lasagna were sitting inside a restaurant, drinking and eating to their heart's content.
"These are the best recipes!" Lasagna explained.
Nishi looked at him, her mouth stuffed with food. "Hm-mm." She swallowed. "This fish is delicious!" She shouted.
The waiter looked at them. "I hope you two can pay for all of this," He said. They both looked at him.
"Are you serious?" Nishi shouted.
"This is not the thanks we deserve!" Lasagna demanded. The waiter, with a face filled with worry, slowly walked away.
….
Hiroi was smoking a cigarette, looking out into the sea. The smoke slowly rose up into the sky before disappearing. He threw the cigarette butt into the ocean.
"That's harming the environment," Hiroi turned around and saw Earl Grey walking up to him.
"I don't think it matters after we turned this entire city into a wasteland." Hiroi told her.
Earl Grey shook her head in disappointment. "Hiroi-san, we should always strive to make this Earth healthier," She pointed her finger at Hiroi.
He groaned. "Fine. Whatever you say," He muttered, "You have your tea, and I have my cigarettes." He said.
Earl Grey smiled. "Tea is healthy, smoking is not," She pointed out. Hiroi crossed his arms and looked back out at sea.
…...
Maho was sleeping in her Panzer, tired from the previous day's fighting. She was snoring loudly, which was echoing throughout the tank garage. She was having another strange dream.
She was staring at the huge array of tanks lined up in the field. The Soviet KV-2 and IS-4, The Japanese Type 4 Chi-To, Type 5 Chi-Ri, Type 5 Ho-Ri, The Italian P43 heavy tank, The American T30, T29, and the British Tortoise were just a small portion of the arsenal that sprawled out for miles.
"Look at all these tanks!" She shouted.
Shiho smiled. "Isn't it amazing? All these tanks are going to be part of the competition. Wouldn't you like to see them in action?" She looked down at Maho.
Maho grinned. "Yes!" She answered enthusiastically.
"How about you, Miho?" Shiho turned to her right.
Miho grabbed onto Shiho's hand. "It's...scary…" She whispered.
Shiho chuckled. "Don't worry, they won't hurt you," She said.
"Miss Nishizumi?" Shiho turned around. An old man, around thirty, stood tall. He wore a pair of glasses and had a light beard. "Good morning." He said in a deep Russian accent.
"Mr. Tolokoff. Nice to see you." Shiho said.
Tolokoff bowed. "It's been twenty years since you became friends with my wife," He smiled.
Shiho placed her hands on her hip. "How is she? Is she still smoking after I beat her in the International Senshadou tournament?" She smirked.
Tolokoff laughed. "Oh, she's over it now. She's now an instructor at Moscow University," He replied. He peered over her. "Are those your daughters? He asked.
Shiho nodded. "Yes, Maho and Miho," She introduced.
Tolokoff grinned. "Well, good thing," He turned his head, "Come out now." He said. A young, blonde girl looked out from behind his legs. "Here's my daughter, Klara. My wife is expecting another one back home," He introduced.
Klara's face showed a expression of horror when she looked up at Shiho's face, and hid behind Tolokoff's legs. He laughed. "Always scaring the young ones, huh. Is that why your husband's not here?" He joked.
Shiho smiled, but Maho could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Yes, you could say that," She replied.
A man ran up to Tolokoff and whispered something in Russian.
Tolokoff nodded. "I have to go now, some business to tend to. Anyways, good luck!" He turned around and followed the man away. Klara looked back at Maho, who smiled and waved. Klara smiled and waved back, before climbing onto Tolokoff's shoulders.
"Who was that?" Miho asked. "Was that a friend?"
Shiho nodded. "A very good one," She answered.
"Was he the man you were talking about before?" Maho tugged at Shiho's shirt.
Shiho shook her head. "No, that's another important friend," She peered over her shoulder. She smiled. "That's him," She said. M
aho and Miho turned around, and saw a tall man in a olive green uniform, with a small girl on his shoulders, black hair tied up in a pony tail. Shiho waved and began walking towards the man, with Maho and Miho at her heel.
"Commander Nishizumi." Maho's woke up to Erika shaking her awake.
"Erika! What are you doing here?" Maho demanded.
Erika grinned. "I'm completely fine! I miss my place in my Panzer!" She exclaimed.
Maho smiled. "That's a relief. It's good to have you back," She stood up and climbed out of her Panzer. "You missed a lot, Erika." She said.
"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you in the next few weeks," Erika replied.
…..
Rumi, Azumi and Megumi were lounging around their armored car.
"When do you think we're going home?" Megumi asked.
Rumi shrugged. "When we beat them," She answered.
Azumi looked at her. "And do you know when that's going to be?" She demanded.
Rumi shrugged again. "I dunno,"
"I just want to see Commander Alice's cute face again," Megumi said.
"I want to rub her cheeks together," Azumi dreamed.
"Do you remember what Commander Kaito told us?" Rumi said. The other two looked at her.
"About what?" Azumi asked.
"About how Commander Alice kissed him on the cheek," Rumi replied. The women squealed.
"We have to get them together." Azumi whispered.
"But how will we get Commander Kaito to like Alice-chan?" Megumi wondered.
"I heard from Tanya-san that Kaito might be a lolicon," Azumi hissed.
"What? That serious, uptight kid?" Megumi arched her eyebrows.
"Uptight? Serious? He's the most aloof person I've ever met," Rumi hit Megumi lightly in the shoulder.
"But if what Tanya-san said is true, then we might have a chance!" Azumi pumped her arms in the air.
"I don't think so," Rumi shook her head.
Megumi glared at her. "What do you mean?" She asked.
Rumi adjusted her glasses. "Well, his ringtone for his phone is Erika," She grinned.
Megumi's jaw almost dropped. "The Kuromorimine vice-commander's name's-"
Rumi shushed her. "And when Tanya told him she's coming back, he literally ran off to look for her," She explained.
Azumi frowned. "Her? She's always grouchy. I wonder why he's into her,"
Rumi sighed. "Who knows. Anyway, this is going to be a very hard battle for us,"
….
Arai was looking at a series of maps when an old man entered the meeting room. Arai sprang to attention and saluted.
"Good to see you, Arai-kun," The old man waved his hand. "I hope the situation is going in our favor." He said.
"Sir, the offensive to liberate Uruma will start in a few days. The enemy seems to have panicked after we liberated Nago, and have started skirmishes with us around Kin," Arai pointed to the middle of Okinawa. "We outnumber them roughly two-to-one, so in terms of men we could deploy a division, while the enemy would only be able to field around two regiments."
"Good, we'll break them at Nuruma," The old general said. "How is the Kuromorimine and the Emperor's Regiment doing?"
"They're fine, sir. They've taken light casualties, but they have been fighting for weeks on end. It's better to let them rest for a while, at least until Nuruma be freed," Arai suggested.
The old general waved his hat. "Then let them have rest! They're our new stars for the time being!" He said enthusiastically.
…..
Maho and Erika were standing outside, talking about what happened in the past weeks.
"So what have you been doing this entire time?" Maho asked Erika.
"Watching old boring shows on TV," Erika answered dully.
Maho chuckled. "Must have been a grand old time,"
"Commander, it was extremely boring,"
"Well, did you want to be in the battlefield?" Maho asked Erika in a serious tone.
Erika shook her head. "No, I just-"
"Erika!" Erika looked up and saw Kaito crash down to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Erika asked, running over to help him up.
"I'm fine. What about you?" Kaito said, getting up.
"I'm fine. Thanks for asking," Erika answered, smiling sweetly.
"Oh, that's good, I guess," Kaito said, blushing. "How was your vacation?"
"Vacation?" Erika asked with a confused expression.
"Well, we were working to death out here, while you were lounging around," He said jokingly.
"Jeez, what makes you think so?" Erika pouted, and Kaito flustered.
Maho was snickering in the background, while the Bermuda Trio were glaring from behind a building.
All-Japanese Youth Association Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan, 2:35 P.M.
"Where are we?" Alice demanded from Chiyo, who dragged her in the building.
"I'm sorry, but we have to do this. I was against this, but this might help you with your social skills," Chiyo said exasperatedly.
Alice moaned in frustration. "I don't want to,"
"Hello. How may I help you?" The receptionist asked in a monotone voice, no doubt repeating the phrase dozens of times today already.
"Hello. I'm here to enroll my daughter Alice for the AJYA," Chiyo told her.
The receptionist nodded and typed into her computer. "Alright, come over here," She told Alice, who followed her. "Stand here." She pointed to the wall, and Alice stood straight with a serious face. The receptionist took out a camera and flashed a picture. She walked back to the desk desk, and after a few minutes of typing printed out a small card. "Here you go." She gave it to Alice.
Alice glanced at it. It had her picture in the corner, next to her name. Underneath the picture was a number: #130551. Alice sighed and put it in her pocket.
"Meetings on Monday through Fridays, and other activities on Sunday," The receptionist droned on.
"Thank you," Chiyo bowed and the two left the building. "Here, let's go to the Boko shop, we can buy something." She said, and Alice's face lit up.
somewhere near Chatan, Okinawa
General Ryang muttered to himself while glaring at the maps sprawled across the table.
"What's the matter?" Mi-jing sauntered into the room.
Ryang glared at her. "You know what's the matter!" He roared. "We lost a whole division in Nago!" He slammed his fist against the table. "And I heard what happened. You were almost killed by that Nishizumi?" Mi-jing nodded. "How could you be so reckless? You're my ace, so I can't have you die here!" He spat out.
Mi-jing shrugged. "It was just beginner's luck," She explained.
"You should stop underestimating the enemy!" Ryang said exasperatedly, "That is exactly why we lost Nago to the enemy." He groaned in frustration. "Please do refrain from acting rashly." He went back to looking over maps, mumbling to himself. Mi-jing quietly walked out of the room.
She exited the building, which was in the middle of a residential neighborhood. She looked at her parked Pokpung IV, which was properly repaired. She walked down the street, covered by dozens of soldiers and vehicles. Civilians were holed up in their houses, too scared to go outside. If they even dared step outside, they could be beat, killed, and even raped by the occupying forces. Just the other day Five North Korean soldiers burst into a house and abducted a fifteen year old girl. They brutally raped and murdered her, before throwing her into a ditch.
Mi-jing looked at them with pity. She felt a bit bad for them, but of course would not do anything for them. They were the conquered, they should bear the consequences. They were enemies of the glorious leader, so they had to suffer. Too bad they still had to act like a normal society, going to work only to be abused by the North Koreans.
She stopped by a small cafe. She entered and a sat down at a table.
Immediately a waiter rushed to her side. "Welcome. Ho-how may I-I-I help you?" He stammered. He was a tall young man, with his short brown hair cropped to the side.
Mi-jing thought for a minute. "Get me a strawberry shortcake, chocolate pound cake and coffee," She answered in a bored tone, resting her head on her elbow.
The waiter bowed frantically. "Immediately!" He quickly turned around and scrambled to the back of the shop. Mi-jing turned her head towards the window. She yawned and her eyelids slowly lowered themselves.
"Commander!" Mi-jing shot up and turned forwards. It was her driver, Maeng. "So you like these kinds of shops?" She asked.
"Yeah, I guess. Sit down," Mi-jing waved her hand, and Maeng sat down. "You gonna eat anything? I got two cakes." She offered. Maeng shook her head.
"No, I'm just getting a coffee," Maeng answered, "This is my first time in such a cafe, so I'm sort of excited."
"These places don't exist back home, or are so expensive most can't eat there," Mi-jing agreed.
The waiter came back, holding the two cakes and the cup of coffee. He placed them down, and Maeng ordered her coffee. The waiter nodded and scurried behind the counter. Mi-jing began burying herself in the cakes. After taking several bites out of the pound cake, she looked up at Maeng, who was drooling. "Want some?" She suggested.
Maeng shook her head again, though she had the look of a starving wolf. "No thanks, commander. Please enjoy your meal," She said.
Mi-jing shrugged and went back into her cakes. She swallowed the coffee. Her face turned red and she gulped down a chunk of strawberry cake. "Whew! This is delicious!" She exclaimed.
Mi-jing patted her stomach with satisfaction, with the plates and cup devoid of any food or liquid. She exhaled deeply and stared at the ceiling. "That was good," She said.
The waiter inched up to the table. "Well, um, the cost…" He started, and Mi-jing glanced at her. He flinched. "That will be 10,000 Yen…" He mumbled. Mi-jing continued to glare at him. "Oh, that will be 82,000 Won!" He squealed.
Mi-jing's eyes widened. "82,000?" She demanded.
The waiter winced. "Oh, the discount price will bring it down to, um, 60 won!" His face went pale, "Please, I have a wife and child." He clasped his hands together.
Mi-jing groaned as she placed her hands in her pocket. As she rummaged through her pocket, watched by the petrified waiter managed to scrounge up the measly 16,000 Won she saved up. She grabbed the money and shoved it at the waiter's hands, who stumbled back.
"What?" A look of confusion was etched on his face as he looked down at the money, then up at her.
Mi-jing stood up. "Because it was good," She mumbled as she closed the door behind her.
Some terms:
"Ministry of Public Morale and Propaganda": An office that was created for the purpose of turning the public attitude to the ongoing war as favorable in 2024, after the victory of Nago. The position was given to Nishizumi Kijiro, a major proponent for the war.
"All-Japanese Youths Association"(AJYA): A youth organization that espouses patriotism and nationalism into the youth at a young age. Fitness and intellect are an essential part of the program, and members will do activities such as hiking or going to the shooting range. They will also be instilled with military discipline and virtues. They will learn all trades of society, but with a special emphasis on the Zen and Yamato spirit. Members will also learn camaraderie and will help the public with public services such as firefighting. It was created in early 2021 by Nishizumi Kijiro, but by 2023 only had around 64,000 members. However, after the AJYA was mandatory within a year membership skyrocketed to over two million members. A comparable organization would be the Boy Scouts or the Hitler Youth.
"National Motor Corps"(NMK): An organization that trains members on the basics of maintaining, driving, and using various cars, vehicles and tanks. For people that want to join the armored corps of the military. A branch of the AJYA. Comparable to the Nationalist Socialist Motor Corps.
"National Flying Corps"(NFK): This organization aims to help people who want a future in the Air Force. Members will learn the basic skills of flying and maintaining jets, helicopters and the like. Activities include skydiving and paragliding. Comparable to the Nationalist Socialist Flying Corps.
"National Marine Corps"(NMC): This organization is for people who want to join the Navy. Members will go out to sea on various surface vessels and submarines, and will learn how to fix, operate and utilize the weapons of these ships.