The Legends Still Live On
Bogen Neunzehn-komma-ein: Extras Fünf und Sechs
Kapitel Achtzehn: Klientel
XXXXXXXXXX
A swarm of Anzio's students running as a large group was the predominant sight within the square aboard the Aquila. Always full of energy, the Italian students, many of them had filled up the square to the point where one unfamiliar with them would question if there was something big about to happen. Though they often did gather into large groups, today was for a different reason than most days.
"Hey, look at what I got in the mail!" one of the boys excitedly revealed to fellow classmates. He spread out a banner that featured the unique Balkenkreuz distinct as Ooarai's.
"Wow, that's awesome!" a girl within the small gaggle reacted with the same high energy. Said student then whipped out a knife, clearly celebratory judging by its impeccable finish, with Ooarai's unique emblem emblazoned on the hilt. The blade itself featured an uncharacteristically elegant signature from Erich-Dietrich Hartmann. "Speaking of which, here's what I got from Ooarai!"
"Oh, no way!" another girl gasped in excitement as her head quickly leaned in close to take a look at the custom knife. "You got the signature edition Messer?! I heard they had only made a hundred of those!"
Up on the steps as the center of attention was a group of six individuals with plenty of experience as members of a student council, Ooarai's to be specific. With the six student council members also were many cardboard boxes, all with the Ooarai insignia on them. Some were opened while others were closed and stacked atop each other. The boxes that were opened had other forms of merchandise within them, all related to Ooarai's Arts of Warfare programs.
"So, are you ladies and gentlemen just so coincidentally fans of Ooarai High School?!" Aprikose Novat spoke up with a loud voice and with a gloriously proud smirk, as if he reveled in the large amount of attention he had garnered just by being himself. He was dressed in a black suit with a white undershirt and a tie featuring alternating white and blue rhombuses, closely resembling the flag of his home state within Germany: Bavaria.
Of course, he wasn't the only of the student council members dressed up. Everyone else besides Anzu was wearing all-black outfits with black-framed sunglasses, altogether looking like a small contingent of security guards.
"If so, then you're in luck!" the diminutive twin-tailed burgundy-haired girl spoke up, also with a very cocky smirk. Anzu had quite the habit of delving into manipulation, hence her satisfaction with being able to beckon control over a large crowd like the Anzio students. She then waved her hand in an inviting gesture. "Come on! There's plenty for everyone!"
The little burgundy-haired ball of mischief was wearing an outfit that, by all counts of logic, should undermine her abilities of manipulation, yet oddly it didn't. If anything, she was even more deceiving because of it. She chose to wear her unique burgundy dirndl specially tailored to her small frame. She was already proving herself an ace in the art of seduction as a good number of the Italian boys of Anzio simply gawked at her.
"Urrà!" was the common cry among the hyped-up Italians as they rushed forth and practically threw their Euros into the hands of Ooarai's student council, all the while clamoring for whatever piece of merchandise they could get.
"This looks nice!" one girl commented as they pointed at a small sculpture of an anglerfish with a shiny finish, like a well-done piece of clay pottery. On the side was a signature signed by very precise and gentle hands judging by its extreme elegance and softness. The signature itself was that of one Miho Nishizumi. "I'll take it!"
"No problem," Zitrus Nardo replied as he finalized the sale. "One signature edition pottery Anglerfisch. You're lucky, because that was the last of those we had."
"Ooh, I want this!" another boy of Anzio proclaimed when he caught sight of a hoodie with the Ooarai insignia and colors, which were white and blue.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Yuzu Koyama politely replied as she finalized that sale. "One Ooarai hoodie."
"Hey, we've still got plenty of new stuff left for you all!" Aprikose spoke up as he held up another merchandise item. This one was a plushy model of the shrike that served as the personal emblem for the Bavarian on his Focke-Wulf Fw 190. "Würgerplüschtiere, anyone?"
"I'll take an entire box-full!" a relatively eager Italian girl rushed forth with Euros in hand, though she was far from the only one to take up Aprikose's offer. Many other Anzio students also rushed to try and get one of the shrike plushies for themselves.
XXXXXXXXXX
Later on an unspecified night at the end of that month, Anchovy was sitting hunched over her desk with a calculator and lots of papers, all finance-related. A single lamp was lit up on the desk to help the twin-tailed Italian girl see better.
"Gesù Cristo, the budget is really tight this month, again…" she muttered while engrossed with making calculations. "Why does it always feel like the money goes away before I even hear about it?"
She was stirred from her work by the sound of something striking a wall and remaining embedded in it.
Never one to not help out, Franco was also in Anchovy's little office beside her desk helping look over the finances for that month. The office was little for the same reason Anzio's problems were always caused by: a lack of funds. Il comandante was quite disappointed and even annoyed at the behavior of the Anzio students. He would never place the blame on them though because of sentimentality. Unlike Anchovy, he was actually aware of the mass purchase of Ooarai merchandise.
That beside the point, his annoyance and frustration resulted in him throwing a knife at the wall from his spot beside Anchovy's desk. The knife was not just any old knife, though, even if it seemed otherwise. While not very special in appearance, the single distinguishing factor that identified it was the emblazing of Ooarai's insignia on the hilt. Despite his annoyance with Anzio's student body, it seemed even he caved into peer pressure and got something from Ooarai.
XXXXXXXXXX
Part of Projekt Jägermeistern.
XXXXXXXXXX
The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer" or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to Actas. Any references made belong to their respective owners.
Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability.