Azumanga und Panzer
Chapter 7
by Technomad
After the match with Anzio, it was several weeks before the next scheduled intermural Tankery match. While the girls kept up their practice sessions, they also concentrated on their schoolwork. Captain Chono was as strict a disciplinarian on that point as she was about Tankery, making it clear that her girls would get exemplary grades.
"Every girl on the Oorai Tankery team will pass all her classes with high marks, or I will know why not!" she said, her voice stern. "If you are experiencing difficulty with any subject, I expect you to let me know, and I will assist you myself or arrange for you to receive tutoring and coaching."
The members of Cat Team followed Captain Chono's orders religiously. Sakaki and Chiyo-chan, being at the top of the school for good grades, found themselves drafted to help their schoolmates who were struggling with various subjects.
Osaka, in particular, had a rough time. She still had trouble staying awake in school, and finally Captain Chono arranged for the school nurse to set her up with an appointment with a doctor. When she got to the clinic, her eyes opened even wider than usual. "Reizei-san! What are you doing here?"
Mako Reizei gave her a long, considering look. "Probably the same reason you're here, Kasuga-san," she murmured. "I have a lot of trouble staying awake. I've thought it was low blood pressure, but Captain Chono had a long talk with my grandmother, and I'm here for a thorough checkup. They're going to check me for hypotension, hypoglycemia, narcolepsy, other brain dysfunctions, and I don't know what-all else. They also think I might just be depressive, and they're going to look for that."
"Oh." Companionably, Osaka sat down by Mako. "Ah just cain't seem to stay awake in class, mahself," she confided. "Ah ain't sure at-all just why, so ah'm here to find out an' maybe we-uns can get me somethin' that'll fix me right up."
Mako gave Osaka a shrewd look. "I can tell you're running low on energy, Osaka," she commented. "Your accent is getting thicker, if anything." She smiled a sleepy smile. "I sometimes wonder if you have language tapes you practice with."
Osaka giggled. "Naw! Ah just talks like my folks do! You're forgettin', Ah has parents that came from that part of Japan! If anything, Ah sounds less like an Osakan these days than mah mother does!"
Just then, the nurse came in. "Miss Reizei? The doctor will see you now." With Mako gone to se the doctor, Osaka sighed and picked up a women's magazine she'd already read, hoping to find something to beguile the time with.
When Osaka left the clinic, she found Mako waiting for her. "How about we go get a treat? I'm treating this time," Mako said. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving, and the Tankery snack shop's just down the road here." Osaka perked right up at the mention of food, and soon they were at the snack shop the Tankery crowd favored, tucking into tank-themed sundaes. Osaka had dithered between "The T-34-it'll conquer your taste buds!" and "The Sherman Surprise-none can compare!" until Mako had gently taken command and ordered a T-34 for both of them. "We can try the others later. Too many of these, and Captain Chono'll have us exercising to keep slender enough to fit through those hatches!" Osaka blushed and applied herself to her sundae.
Mako looked out through the big plate-glass window. "Hey, Osaka…isn't that one of your team?" Osaka looked out, her eyes going wider than usual.
"That's Sakaki! Ah wonder what she's doin'? Should Ah invite her to join us?"
"I don't know if she would. She doesn't seem to be very friendly."
"Ah thinks she's just shy, an' thinkin' deep thoughts. In any case, we's just about done here. Let's go see what she's up to!" Once their "T-34" sundaes were a pleasant memory, the girls left the café, and soon spotted where their teammate had gone.
Sakaki was standing, transfixed, in front of a pet store window. Inside the window, a litter of incredibly cute kittens were on display, crawling over themselves and mewing; some of them saw Sakaki standing outside and plastered themselves up against the window, trying to get to her.
"What in the world is she doing?" asked Mako.
"Beats me," Osaka replied. "She always was deep, an' she ain't much about talkin' about what's goin' on in that head of hers." They watched, unwilling to intrude on what was clearly a private moment, until Sakaki tore herself away from the window. Sakaki went over to a nearby park, sat down on a bench, and started to weep heartbrokenly.
"Oh, Merciful Buddha!" In a second, Osaka was by her friend's side, with Mako right behind her. "What's the matter, Sakaki, honeybunch? What's wrong?"
"Did you get bad news? Is someone treating you wrong?" Mako was more to the point. "If someone's treating you badly, remember, you've got us behind you!" She suddenly grinned rather nastily. "For some strange reason, bad people tend not to mess with girls who play with tanks. I can't imagine just why."
"If someone's mistreating you, come with us and we'll tell Captain Chono," Osaka proposed. "You know Captain Chono. She ain't goin' to stand for anyone at all not doin' right by her girls!"
The gentle sympathy and unconditional support got to Sakaki, and she cried even harder for a few minutes, latching onto Osaka like a limpet and soaking her shoulder with tears. Osaka just held Sakaki, her eyes wide with amazement. "There, there, sweetiebunch, we're here. You can tell us what's wrong. Did some guy do wrong by you?"
"No…that's not it," Sakaki finally managed to get out. "Nobody's treating me badly."
"Then…did someone die?" Mako asked, and Osaka went pale at the thought. "Or is there bad news from Azu?"
"No…everything's fine on that front, as far as I know," Sakaki mumbled. She visibly struggled with her usual reserve, and finally blurted it out: "I want a cat! I love cats and can't have one! Cats hate me!" With that, she started crying again.
That startled Osaka and Mako both. "What ever do you mean by that, sweetie?" asked Osaka, holding Sakaki gently.
"Back at Azu, there was this cat on the way to school…every time I saw him, I would try to pet him…and every time I tried, he'd bite me!" sniffled Sakaki.
Mako raised an eyebrow. "This was someone's pet? Or a stray cat?"
Sakaki shook her head. "I'm not sure, but I think he was a stray. At least I never saw him going into anybody's house."
Mako rolled her eyes to heaven, as if to ask the Lord Buddha and merciful Lady Kannon to witness the patience she had to deploy sometimes. "Sakaki, for someone as smart as I know you are, you can sometimes be a bit dense. Stray cats are wild. They're wary of people, often for very good reasons. And all cats are individuals. Just like people are." Straightening up, she came to a decision. "Come along, you two. We're going to my house. There's someone there who I want to meet you."
When Sakaki and Osaka got to the Reizei house, they were introduced to Mako's rather formidable grandmother. Grandmother Reizei wasn't quite sure what to make of her granddaughter's Tankery team mates, but she was quickly won over by Sakaki's old-fashioned good manners and Osaka's open friendliness.
"What sweet girls you are! I'm glad to see my Mako's making friends who look out for her. When I was sick last year, her Tankery friends saw to it that she got to the hospital, even though the school ship was well out to sea at the time!" Grandmother Reizei winked confidingly; Mako was out visiting the loo, leaving Sakaki and Osaka with her grandmother. "I think Tankery's been good for her. She's very smart, you know, but she never seemed to have friends while she was growing up."
"She's a real asset to our team, ma'am," said Osaka. "She's probably our best driver of all. Not that our driver on Kitty Cat, Yomi's any slouch…but Ah think that if'n it was down to the two of 'em, Mako's just that little bit better. She has had more practice, ma'am."
Grandmother Reizei beamed proudly, pleased to hear her granddaughter praised. "That's good to hear! And, sweetheart, I have to say that your accent's just the cutest thing I've ever heard!" She patted Osaka's cheek. "When I was young, I had a boyfriend from Osaka. If things had been different…but they weren't. And I'm content with where I ended up."
Right then, Mako came back, with a purring, furry armload. "Osaka, Sakaki, I want you to meet the third member of this household," she said. "Meet Quilt." Quilt was a huge calico cat, who was sprawled bonelessly in Mako's arms, purring loudly. At the sight of strange people, Quilt stirred, leaping down from Mako's grasp and stalking over, yellow eyes wide with curiosity and eagerness to investigate these strange people. "Quilt's a real affection sponge, and I want to see how he reacts to you, Sakaki."
Sakaki sat there, her eyes wide with wonder, as Quilt came closer and closer. "That's it, Sakaki," said Mako. "Don't make any sudden moves; you might scare her. Let her figure you out."
Sakaki obeyed, sitting very still, watching every move the cat made. Quilt came up, sniffing Sakaki, before butting Sakaki with her head and climbing up onto her lap. "Okay, she's decided you're all right. You can pet her now." Very slowly, as though she was still expecting rejection, Sakaki's hand came up, stroking the fur on the top of Quilt's head, and then gently scratching the cat behind her ears.
Quilt was clearly pleased with the attention she was getting; her eyes squeezed shut and she began to purr loudly, sounding as though she had her motor running. Sakaki bowed her head over Quilt, crying silently, tears running down her cheeks and dripping onto the cat's fur as Quilt cuddled closer.
Grandmother Reizei watched, puzzled. "What's all this in aid of?" she asked quietly.
"Oh! Sakaki loves cats, but didn't think they liked her. She can't have a cat of her own, and she thought all cats hated her, which hurt her a lot. I decided to see how Quilt would take to her. Quilt loves just about anybody, and if she met her, Sakaki might figure out that the problem wasn't with her so much as her approach to things."
"So you went to all this trouble for a girl you only met this year?" Grandmother Reizei's eyes went wide, and she gathered her granddaughter in for a hug. "There've been times I wanted to strangle you, particularly when I was so worried you'd get left behind a year at school…and then there are times when I couldn't be more proud of you!" Osaka watched, her wide black eyes suspiciously bright.
By the time they left, Sakaki and the Reizeis were very good friends, and Sakaki promised to stop by when she needed her "cat fix," as she put it. She had explained that her mother was badly allergic to cats, which was why she couldn't have one.
"Any time you want, come back and see me! I do like seeing young people; it makes me feel young myself." Grandmother Reizei leaned forward confidingly. "And I hope that little Mako picks up on some of your lovely, old-fashioned manners, dear! I bet your mother's very proud of you! I hope I can make her acquaintance soon!" She patted Osaka on the shoulder affectionately. "And you're a sweetheart in your own right, dear. Don't ever lose that lovely accent. You wouldn't be the same without it."
A few days later, Mako and Osaka found themselves summoned to see Captain Chono. Wondering what their coach wanted, they made their way to the captain's office, to find themselves facing not just the captain, but their team captain. "Mako Reizei and Ayumu Kasuga, reporting as ordered, ma'am!"
Miho looked at them sternly. "We heard about what you did. Do you have anything you want to say?"
"No, ma'am!"
"No, ma'am!"
Miho suddenly smiled. "Good. I wouldn't have heard about it myself, but for hearing Sakaki talking about it to Yomi in the ladies' room a day or so ago. You two saw a teammate in distress, and acted to relieve her distress, very effectively, from what I hear. And you didn't even think anything of it. You are credits to the Nishizumi Style of Tankery."
"Uh….ma'am?" Mako, at least, was surprised; Osaka accepted this as she did all things surrounding her. "I thought the Nishizumi School was all about 'win at all costs?'"
Miho shook her head. "Who was it who lent their helicopter so you could get to your grandmother quickly?" Mako blushed with shame; she had forgotten that incident. "My mother and sister and I have philosophical differences, but looking out for your comrades is part of Tankery, just as much as winning is. We just put different emphasis on it."
(Author's note: Sakaki's one of my favorite Azumanga Daioh characters, and I always felt bad for her vis-à-vis cats. I wanted to write a story where she got to make friends with one. I also thought that she and Mako Reizei might make good friends.)