Intermission 1: Rising Above Failure

The following morning, the convention entered its second day

In the Nishizumi family's hotel room, Kikuyo spoke with Shiho, who was sitting and drinking a cup of black coffee. While Kikuyo had accompanied the Nishizumis to the event, she largely remained inconspicuous, helping Shiho out with certain matters around the hotel. She found it acceptable; she had not gotten into tankery to become famous, nor had she become Shiho's maid to prove anything to the world.

"Mistress, some of my friends would like to meet me for lunch today," Kikuyo said. "Ami-sa- Chouno-sama and Kubo-sama will be there, as well as Akado Harue-sama, Atago Masae-sama and Kainou Yoshiko-sama."

"Go ahead and do so," Shiho said. "I have a meeting of my own at lunch, and do not require any services from you until this evening."

"Thank you, mistress," Kikuyo said.

"But before you go, keep in mind that you do not have to be so formal when talking about them with me," Shiho said. "I expect you to treat my guests with the same respect as any member of my family, but in this case, you're talking about your friends."

"Yes, mistress," Kikuyo said, "although Akado-sama...-san, Instructor Atago, and Captain Kainou are acquaintances to me."

"I see," Shiho said. "It might be a good idea to meet them, although you are to keep in mind that you are representing the school and act accordingly."

Kikuyo knew what it meant. She would have to be careful what she said about her school and her employers, as well as how she said it. Obedience came naturally to her, but she had certain opinions that she knew would not be appropriate to openly disclose. This was not a new concept to her. She had learned as a child that there were some things that were best said with care, and some things that should not be said at all.

"Yes, mistress," Kikuyo said.

"Good," Shiho said. "That aside, you're free until this evening. You may go."

Kikuyo stood and bowed before leaving. She was used to being summoned at a moment's notice, and leaving only with her mistress' permission.

And yet, while Kikuyo's actions were dictated by her position beneath Shiho, she had chosen to serve under her. Shiho demanded respect, but Kikuyo's respect was genuine. Kikuyo was a servant, not a slave, and everything she had done since entering the Nishizumi school had been her choice.

Meanwhile, in another shared hotel room, Ami and Yoshiko changed into their dress uniforms, representing the JGSDF at the convention. While Yoshiko was less than enthusiastic about attending a tankery convention, she had been ordered to accompany Ami to it.

"It looks like our schedule is clear for lunch today," Ami said. "That'll be a breath of fresh air; I really would like to have a meal with some friends."

"So do I," Yoshiko said in English, a quirk she lapsed into whenever she was off-duty. "It's not often that we get a chance to meet each other's civilian friends."

Yoshiko did, however, sense a note of unease in her friend's voice, which she knew was uncharacteristic of her, and which Ami had not exhibited when meeting some of Yoshiko's friends.

"You don't seem entirely happy about this, though," Yoshiko said. "I must say that it's odd; you weren't at all nervous when you met my parents, who don't like tankery, or my niece Haru's relative Jindai Komaki, who's treated almost like royalty among her extended family."

Ami softly sighed. She was relatively good at getting along with people who held very different beliefs from her, which was a large part of the reason why she and Yoshiko had become friends. But it was in many ways easier to meet with a stranger than it was to meet with a former friend, and she was now faced with the latter.

"Well, Kikuyo politely insisted on inviting Takako to lunch," Ami said. "On the one hand, Kikuyo doesn't get to see Takako often, but on the other, I sense that the meeting might be awkward, given how things were the last time we talked with each other."

Yoshiko remembered Ami telling her about Takako, as well as the falling out that they had. Yoshiko was inclined to favor Ami's side of the argument for several reasons. Ami was her friend, she had only heard Ami's side of the story, and she viewed Takako with the same disdain as coaches she considered "faux-drill sergeants." But this time, Ami seemed to be looking for advice on how to navigate a possibly thorny situation, so Yoshiko did her best to answer it.

"In that case, just put your best foot forward," Yoshiko said. "Coach Kubo must be thinking the same thing, as she has a friend in common with you. I suspect she reached the same conclusion, and she'll be at least somewhat receptive to you."

"That sounds like a good idea, Yoshiko," Ami said. "I'm also going to meet Instructor Atago, whom I believe was Instructor Takahashi's teacher."

"Interesting," Yoshiko said in English. "So it seems that for every reason you might be hesitant, I can think of a few that you should go."

Ami nodded.

"I'm not about to pass up lunch with Kikuyo, or the chance to meet and talk with the others," Ami said. "I'm just hoping everything goes well."

Takako woke up, and started getting dressed, dreading what would come. In the past two years, her school had lost twice, and she began to wonder what implications it would have for her career. When Black Forest had lost 11 years ago, that defeat had resulted in her predecessor's predecessor being sacked.

Takako told herself that the coach in question had various controversies swirling around her, but, of course, so did she. Takako had to defend her actions every time she went before the press, and she had to do so on the first day of the convention.

Some people questioned a few of the appointments she had approved for command positions, as well as her training methods. Others, albeit those who didn't complain about the defeats, complained about her use of corporeal punishment on the students. Takako constantly felt as though she was in a tank that was under fire from others. Unfortunately, her natural response was to return fire, so to speak.

So far, while Takako had been able to retain her position, her methods had personal ramifications, as an argument over them had cost her Ami's friendship. And now, as a result of their mutual friend Kikuyo's invitation, Ami and Takako would be eating lunch together again for the first time in three years.

Takako sighed and steeled herself as she checked herself over in the mirror. She had already had to answer many difficult questions over the previous 24 hours, so perhaps she could stand dealing with one more difficult subject.

In another hotel room, Akado Harue, coach of Saunders, reviewed her notes for the day, still having trouble getting used to her new job title. She had been to the convention each time since high school- her defeat to Black Forest had shattered her resolve, not her love of tankery, even if she had grappled with the question of why she had been doing tankery- but it was as a tankery enthusiast or a professional tanker, not as a coach.

Obviously, there were some changes that she had to make. She had to dress more professionally. Her schedule was more restricted; on her copy of the event schedule, the a list of events had several entries, even ones she found interesting, crossed off because of scheduling conflicts, and a few of her obligations were circled and starred. And now, she was representing the school, and had to put her best foot forward.

But this was not a new thing for Harue. She, like many other Saunders tankers, was easygoing, but could be significantly more formal and serious when the situation called for it. She was less than particular about what students called her, as long as they did what they were told, and respected that she was their teacher. She could still remember the time when she was just another newcomer, and saw teaching as helping other students to get closer to her level.

A great deal had changed in the past few years. She and Nozomi now worked at their alma mater. The little girl who had cheered her on was now a teenager- Sagimori Arata- who now led Saunders. She wore a dark suit, with Harue's necktie around the collar of her dress shirt. Despite only having recently started in tankery, Arata was steadfast, reliable and had a knack for leadership.

So where did Harue's former rivals from Black Forest now stand? Harue recalled meeting Ami on surprisingly amicable terms after Saunders' defeat against Oarai. While familiar with Ami's duties as a JGSDF instructor, she was somewhat surprised to find a Nishizumi disciple teaching at a school that was even more loosely organized than Saunders, and more of an underdog than Saunders had ever been. When Ami had asked her to lunch, hoping to meet with her and talk with her about the years since she had come, Harue eagerly accepted, hoping to learn more about the people she had thought to be so far superior to her.

In their hotel room, the Atagos made their final preparations for the second day of the convention.

Masae spoke on the cell phone with Ami, finalizing her arrangements. Kikuyo had spoken to Ami on her behalf, and Ami had contacted her to let her know that she ould meet with them.

"...Thank you, Instructor Chouno, I'll see you at lunch," Masae said. She was glad that her request had been approved, and that Harue was coming as well. Saunders was one of Masae's favorite schools, apart from her own alma mater.

Masae turned to her daughters and niece, who had finished getting dressed.

"Girls, I have a meeting with some Nishizumi School students and one of their old opponents over lunch," Masae said. "I trust you can eat on your own, like you did yesterday?"

"We can," Kinue said. "I called Miho-chan, but she's meeting with some of her friends from her school."

"I heard that Sera, Ryuuka and Toki are at the convention," Hiroe said. "I'd like to have lunch with them, if possible."

Their plans made, the Atagos went off to their scheduled morning sessions, including running tables and attending lectures.

As Masae finished a lecture on the values of good sportsmanship in tankery, Toshi approached her.

"That was a good talk, Instructor Atago," Toshi said. Having come to recognize Masae as a fellow professional, Toshi tended to use her title when meeting with her in public. Masae was quite pleased when she first heard Toshi acknowledge her in such a way, and Toshi said back then that it was even more pleasing for the teacher.

But Masae still respected Toshi as her teacher. She addressed her as "Sensei," "Kumakura-sensei" or "ma'am." She tended to dress up for her, and when she brought her to meet her children for the first time, she urged her daughters to be on their best behavior.

"Thank you, Kumakura-sensei," Masae said, bowing in gratitude.

"I see you've been fairly busy in this convention," Toshi said. "Kinue and I have been working to represent Pravda. You've probably heard about it from her, but what about you?"

"Mostly the events on the schedule, Kumakura-sensei," Masae said.

"Mostly?" Toshi said.

"I also met with Instructor Nishizumi last night," Masae said. "It's somewhat humbling to reflect on my more modest beginnings, and somewhat surprising to hear her talk about hers."

"How so?" Toshi said.

"For one, she did not cite any particular mentors or inspirations apart from her mother, who was her predecessor as head of the Nishizumi school," Masae said. "You aside, there were many people, events and experiences that shaped me into the person I am today. I have to wonder- how could the Nishizumi school grow without outside influences? It does seem somewhat reminiscent of inbreeding."

Toshi nodded.

"Well, I suppose that's to be expected when the school is put on a pedestal as much as the Nishizumi school is, Instructor," Toshi said."They would naturally become somewhat arrogant and close-minded over time as far as their school is concerned. And as a school based on perfectionist ideals, its students are naturally unwilling to admit that they made mistakes."

"Not all of them, ma'am," Masae said. "I may yet have found some who will talk about their training. And as for the kind of students it brings, I've wondered if the Nishizumi School is meant for the relentlessly driven perfectionists. Perhaps understanding the kind of people who study at it will help me understand why Instructor Nishizumi became the kind of teacher she did."

At lunch that day, Miho and Maho sat and ate with Nodoka, Hisa and Mihoko.

The conversation eventually turned to Oarai, mainly the challenges associated with keeping the team going in the coming years. When it did, Miho was reminded of what she had heard from her mother and Masae the previous night, particularly how little they had known about what happened to Oarai after the match.

"That reminds me, Hisa-senpai," Miho said, "I have a question. Do you know anything specific about the collapse of Oarai's tankery program 23 years ago?"

Hisa sighed and shook her head.

"Unfortunately, no, Miho," Hisa said. "Keep in mind that I'm only a year older than you, and about your sister's age. The demise of Oarai's tankery team was before my time, and even before I was born. All I know about it is from an old set of Student Council meeting minutes, which only says that they decided to cut it."

Hisa, being harder-working than Momo or Anzu, had helped Yuzu with writing up the Student Council minutes in the past, albeit with the ulterior motive of learning more about them, and finding out about what happened to the tankery club. In the process, she learned that there had been relatively little debate when deciding to cut the tankery club; the president at the time had dispassionately said that it had declined in popularity and no longer justified the expenses needed to keep it running. The minutes only covered the decisions, and the club had been cut without much discussion, before the student council moved on to the next item on the agenda.

"I see," Miho said, disappointed. "I was wondering if I could find out more about the decline and fall of our previous tankery team, so I could prevent a similar process from happening in the future."

"Well, that's not an easy task, Miho," Hisa said. "It's about keeping the organization running, and having good leaders and good tankers year after year. My class is leaving, so the task will be passed on to you and the second-years, Nodoka and the other first-years, those who will come to the school next year, and many others we'll likely never meet."

Miho pondered what Hisa was discussing. It was greater than anything she had ever tried in the past, but it was not necessarily her task alone. The fact that Oarai would remain open forced her to face this, but she was grateful that she could think about the future.

Maho remained silent and pondered Miho's task. She had less to work with at Oarai than she did at Black Forest, but she also had fewer expectations placed on her. Over the course of the next year, it would be up to her to continue to build up her team, but Maho was confident that Miho and her successors would be able to do so.

"In the end, Oarai is, like the Nishizumi school, trying to find worthy successors and preserve itself for the future," Maho thought. "I wonder if Mother will come to understand this."

Shortly before lunch, the Atago sisters and their cousin Hiroko encountered Toshi, and spoke with her about how the convention had been going for Pravda.

"It sounds like you've been doing well so far, girls," Toshi said. "These are interesting times, and I'm glad that I'll still be coaching you for a few more years."

"As are we, Sensei," Hiroe said, taking a more formal tone than usual in the presence of her mentor. "And I was hoping to tell you how grateful the three of us are that you were around to teach us, as well as our mothers."

"You're welcome, Hiroe," Toshi said. "But what, if I may ask, inspired you to say this?"

Hiroe wondered how she could best say it tactfully.

"Let's just say..." Hiroe began, "that I've recently learned how much difference a good tankery-related influence can make. As such, I'm glad that you were the first person to teach Mom and Aunt Masaki about tankery."

"People don't turn out the way they do because of just one influence," Toshi said. "Your mother and aunt had many teachers, as well as various events in their lives that influenced them. I did as well, and I believe that the same will apply to you girls. Of course, as teachers and role models, you should always be cognizant of what influence you have on your students, and strive to be a good influence in the time you have."

"Yes, ma'am," Hiroe said. "But people do often take different lessons away from certain events, to say nothing of their paths in life."

"That's natural," Toshi said. "It's part of the reason why your mother chose the path that she did. And because she is aware of this, she's hoping to hear the stories of some Nishizumi school students."

Masae entered the dining area and she looked around. Her eyes fell upon a rectangular table in the corner with six seats, and recognized the individuals from the descriptions she had been given.

Harue wore a light gray skirt suit that she had worn to her job interview at Saunders. Kikuyo wore her standard kimono. Yoshiko wore the same dress uniform that Ami did. Takako wore a brown suit that was her standard attire.

"Hello, ladies," Masae said.

"I'm glad you could make it, Instructor Atago," Ami said, taking the initiative to make introductions as the only one who knew everyone else. "Allow me to introduce the others who came here. From the JGSDF, this is Captain Kainou Yoshiko, a friend and colleague of mine. This is my classmate at Black Forest, and now the school's coach, Coach Kubo Takako. Here's a former tankery opponent of mine, and coach of Saunders, Coach Akado Harue. And here's Kagurazaki Kikuyo, one of the Nishizumi family maids, as well as a long-time Nishizumi school classmate and friend of mine. Everyone, this is Instructor Atago Masae, head of the Atago School of Tankery."

"It's nice to meet you," Masae said, as she sat down, between Kikuyo and Takako, and across from Ami, Yoshiko and Harue.

"Likewise," the others said in turn.

"Just to let everyone here know, you don't need to call me 'Coach,'" Harue said. "Among my students, those who don't know me typically call me 'Akado-san' or 'Akado-sensei' if they're more formal. I'm also open to more familiar address, as long as you have my permission."

"Very well, Akado-sensei," Masae said. "It seems most appropriate to address you as a fellow teacher. I can't speak for the others, but I would prefer to go by my title- Instructor Atago."

Ami, Takako and Yoshiko nodded in agreement.

"What about you, Kagurazaki-san?" Harue said.

"I do not, Akado-sensei," Kikuyo said. "Unlike the rest of you, I am not a leader or a teacher, merely a humble maid."

As the six women exchanged small talk to break the ice, Masae noticed something was off. Ami and Takako, since coming together, had been glancing uneasily at each other, sizing the other up and wondering how things would play out.

"Is… something wrong here?" Masae said, unsure of how to broach the subject.

"It's Ami-san and Takako-san, Instructor Atago," Kikuyo whispered into Masae's ear. "They were friends until…well…"

"You don't need to whisper about that, Kikuyo," Takako said, knowing what Kikuyo was talking about. "Instructor Atago will likely figure it out in spite of our efforts to dance around it."

"I see," Kikuyo said, with a sigh. She recalled how she had once given Miho advice on how to help her old friend, Nakasuga Emi, come to understand Maho, whom she hated despite never having met. But the problem this time was different; Ami and Takako knew each other well, but were unable to work out their differences, not having spoken much in the last three years.

"But the three of you do have some history together, do you not?" Masae said.

"Yes," Ami said. "We were students together at the Nishizumi School of Tankery, since about 20 years ago. Our time there taught us a great deal about how to do tankery, but also why to do it."

As Kikuyo had hoped, the subject changed. Kikuyo remembered that for all their differences, Ami and Takako had once met at the same school, learning the same lessons. Perhaps remembering that commonality, and the fact that they had become friends, would help them come to an understanding.

For Masae, this was a chance to see how a few students of the Nishizumi School developed their different perspectives on tankery, and how one other person found her way. Perhaps the former could help her understand what sort of lessons her students could take away from their lessons. Perhaps the latter could help her understand how those lessons seemed to an outsider.

Author's Notes

The Intermission chapters serve to link the acts together, as well as provide some hints at upcoming developments.

One thing I find interesting is that Shiho does not cite any major influences on her save for her own family's school. This seems to be further proof that Shiho is not receptive to considering outside influences, meaning that the Nishizumi school is somewhat stagnant and reactionary.

Act II begins here.