Ami & Kikuyo 2: A Worthwhile Lesson
"Unlike Maho-san, I was never explicitly told to come to Black Forest, but chose the school because it seemed most compatible with the instruction I had received," Ami said. "My parents may not have expected it, but they were impressed with my ambition and my ability to get onto the team."
Masae nodded. She had come to regret her decision to attend Black Forest for a while, before eventually beginning to see it as a step in her evolution as a tanker.
"Black Forest was highly competitive, as you noticed, Akado-san," Ami said. "And while an outsider would find it understandably intimidating, those who had studied in the Nishizumi school and liked their methods of teaching often feel prepared for it."
"I suppose that's the difference between us," Harue said, "as well as between our schoolmates and our students."
"But for the moment, let's turn back to my middle school days, at Bismarck Middle School," Ami said. "Some nickname it 'Black Forest Junior High School', and while it isn't exactly the same, it does have a great deal in common with Black Forest, having predominantly German tanks and being the school of choice for most Nishizumi school disciples. Of course, there were a fair number of novices there, but thanks to my training, I was not one of them."
15 years ago
In the Bismarck tankery hangar, Ami and the rest of the new arrivals to the tankery team stood in rows as their coach lectured them on the basics of their positions.
Ami listened attentively, even though she knew all of what they were talking about already. She saw it as good manners to give those trying to teach her something her undivided attention.
One of Ami's year-mates raised her hand and asked a basic question, much to the coach's annoyance. A part of Ami was glad that she was not inexperienced enough to display her ignorance in such a way, but another part realized that the girl who had spoken was essentially her before she had joined the Nishizumi School.
Before being dismissed, the students were separated into teams for the purposes of training. They were informed that the assignments would be subject to change based on their performance, with some of the more promising groups and individuals having places on the regular team.
As the crowd split up and formed their groups, Ami saw Kikuyo and Takako approach her, even though neither was on her team.
"It looks like we're in separate crews," Takako said.
"I've noticed," Kikuyo said. "I had thought you and Ami-san were in the same crew, but I believe I was mistaken."
"I was under a similar impression, too," Ami said. "But I believe the coach wanted to separate the more experienced members, for the sake of mentoring and guiding the less experienced newcomers."
"I understand that Bismarck's experienced tankers didn't always start out that way," Kikuyo said. "But can we really tutor our teammates?"
"That's what the coach expects of us, and what she sees as our way of doing our part," Takako said. "If we're going to make it in this team, we don't want to disappoint her. Now, if you'll excuse me, my team is waiting."
As Kikuyo followed suit with a bow and an, "Excuse me," Ami found herself agreeing with Takako's point. She was not an amateur any longer, but now had some knowledge of tankery from her time at the Nishizumi school. The time had come to put it to use.
The crews of trainees set out on a training exercise, and Ami was in command of her team of newcomers.
After introducing themselves, Ami climbed into the tank, and sat down in the commander's seat. For most of her classmates, it would be their first time in a tank, but Ami, thinking backwards, realized that she had last gotten into the tank while still at the Nishizumi school. It had been some time, but not long enough that her skills had started to atrophy.
Ami then directed each of the others to the seats based on their interest, and waited until it was time for her to start up her tank.
"How do I get the tank started?" the driver said.
"Here, let me walk you through it," Ami said, and proceeded to slowly explain how to move the tank. Following her lead, the tank started up, and roared to life.
"All right, I'm moving!" the driver said.
Briefly glancing around, Ami noticed that there was one other team, which she believed to be entirely composed of new tankers, that was still having trouble getting started. Her subordinates had some ways to go, but they were off to a good start.
"Excellent," Ami said. "Take us to the first waypoint. Everyone else, stand by and be on the lookout for your targets."
"Yes, ma'am!" the rest of the crew said in the same respectful tone they used on their team's commander, vice-captain and coach.
Ami realized that she was relatively inexperienced compared to the more senior members of the team, but felt prepared for her role at the moment. Her teammates trusted her, and she was starting to feel as though she had earned that trust.
Ami could not help but smile. Her training, which she had once viewed as odious and boring, was finally proving useful to herself and to others. She might be the proverbial one-eyed woman in the land of the blind, but people were looking to her for guidance, and she was able to provide it to them.
Present day
"That was the first time I truly understood why my parents had me enroll in the Nishizumi school and appreciated my time there," Ami said, "because it was the first time I had a use for what I was being taught."
Harue pondered what Ami had said, realizing that she and Ami had opposite approaches to tankery. Harue knew why she wanted to do tankery before she knew how to do it, and Ami knew how to do tankery before she knew why she wanted to do it.
"That's understandable," Harue said. "It's relatively difficult to get students to learn if they don't know why they should know what you're teaching."
"Now that I was doing tankery, it seemed more like a fun game, and less like something that was off in the distant future," Ami said. "The standards were high, but I felt as though I was good at tankery, which helped me enjoy it more. And when we won the tournament, that was quite satisfying as a payoff for our efforts."
Kikuyo nodded in agreement.
"I was glad to see that Ami-san was starting to find her own reason to do tankery, just as I had," Kikuyo said. "Once she started to enjoy tankery, she not only seemed happier, but also better at it."
"I must admit I'm surprised to hear this," Masae said.
"In my experience, the Nishizumi school is surprisingly tolerant of you enjoying your work as long as you get the job done, so to speak," Ami said. "It's understandable that most people would find the standards too high for them to perform without stress."
The other two nodded in agreement.
"The resilience to withstand the stress and the ability to meet high standards served us well at Black Forest," Ami said. "For some of us, the speech the commander gave to the recruits was a wake-up call, but for us, it was what we expected."
12 years ago
Ami, Takako, and Kikuyo had just finished listening to Mashiro, commander of the team, outline her expectations for her subordinates. They had not changed much since Shiho's time, and Black Forest expected nothing but the best students giving their best efforts.
Ami found that refreshing, in a sense, because it meant that the school was still the same one she knew. It was the high school that asked the most out of its tankers, but the one that led them to their greatest glories.
As the introductory speech ended, Ami turned to her friends and noticed that they seemed to share her sentients.
"The commander doesn't mince words," Takako said. "I like that, since it gives us an idea of what to expect."
"It's a bit stricter than middle school, but it's nothing we haven't handled before," Ami said. "We passed the Nishizumi school's training course with flying colors, and won the tournament all three years in middle school."
"And yet, not everyone we studied with could come here today with us," Takako said. Ami wondered if Takako was thinking about Kitamura, but realized that the statement could apply to any number of girls.
"There are those who would see constantly winning as too great of a burden to bear," Kikuyo said. "But there are others who, having trained for it, are prepared to go that far. And we have Instructor Nishizumi to thank for it"
Ami nodded in agreement. Time and maturity had resulted in her starting to think about her future, and to look ahead to the future. Her guidance counselor was pleased to hear that she had done tankery in the past, saying that it provided transferable skills to many jobs.
Present day
"The Nishizumi School, like other tankery schools, isn't just for tankery," Kikuyo said. "It also prepares its students for becoming military officers, civilian workers and homemakers. The only thing that's different is the approach and what it expects of its students. Certain things are expected of women in each role, and the school trains its students so that they can meet those expectations, whatever may be expected of them."
"I see what you mean, Kagurazaki-san," Masae said, and Harue nodded in agreement.
"But now that I think about it, Kagurazaki-san," Harue said. "You're the only one here who doesn't go by a title of any sort, unlike Instructor Chouno, Coach Kubo, Instructor Atago and Captain Kainou, nor do you have any sort of position of authority. This may sound blunt, but do you ever feel out of place among us?"
Kikuyo shook her head.
"My path may be different from yours and those of the others, Akado-sensei," Kikuyo said. "But I've always been one for doing the tasks that others would think beneath them. They may be menial and thankless, but they must be done. And personal responsibility is one of the foremost tenets of the Nishizumi School."
12 years ago
In the commander's office after practice, Kikuyo hunched over a filing cabinet, sorting some documents related to the tanks. She had been drafted for the task, as some first-years from the team often were.
As she worked, she heard footsteps from behind her. Before she turned around, she expected to see the commander there to check on her work.
But the footsteps turned out to be Ami's. Ami, having split up from Takako to look for Kikuyo, was surprised to find Kikuyo in the office. While Black Forest took its practice seriously, once it ended for the day, the students were to head home immediately, unless they had some special responsibilities.
"There you are, Kikuyo," Ami said. "Takako and I were about to head home, and we couldn't find you at our meeting spot."
"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, Ami-san," Kikuyo said, "but the commander decided the office needed to be sorted out, and enlisted my help in doing it."
"Just like that?" Ami said. "I get that you can't exactly say no to the commander, but why do you seem so happy about it?"
"I'm personally honored that she approached me directly," Kikuyo said, "if, as she implied, she did come to me first. She doesn't just entrust anyone with these tasks."
"I see," Ami said. "Incidentally, what is she doing now?"
"She's off working on some duties of her own, relating to the upcoming inspections of our tanks," Kikuyo said.
Ami nodded. Black Forest had a specialized tank maintenance crew, the leader of which reported to the team commander and coach, even if they never directly participated in tankery battles. Years later, when Ami became commander and found herself having many discussions with the head of the maintenance crew, she would truly understand how busy her predecessor as commander was. But she knew enough, even now, to concede Kikuyo's point.
"You and Takako-san should get going, Ami-san," Kikuyo said. "You have homework and other things to do yourself."
"I will," Ami said. "I'm going to talk to Takako, and let her know that I found you. And then, I'm coming back to give you a hand. Part of the reason is that, as you said, we have things to do at home. Another part is that I can't just leave a friend to toil alone."
Kikuyo smiled and nodded.
"Thank you very much, Ami-san," she said.
About a half hour later, the task was finished with Ami and Takako's help. Mashiro, having finished with her work, walked by to find Kikuyo.
"Are you finished with sorting the files, Kagurazaki?" Mashiro said.
"Yes, ma'am," Kikuyo said. "Ami-san and Takako-san helped a great dead."
"Good," Mashiro said. "Thank you for your help, Kagurazaki; you are dismissed."
Kikuyo knew that it was a lukewarm acknowledgment of her efforts, but appreciated it nonetheless. She had done what was asked of her, and even saying this much was a significant gesture for Mashiro.
"Thank you, ma'am," Kikuyo said, a standard gesture of gratitude to a superior, but no less heartfelt coming from Kikuyo.
Present day
"That's pretty much Kikuyo in a nutshell," Ami said. "Even as a member of a champion-level team, she never lost her humility or her gratitude for the small things."
"She does remind me a little of Nozomi in that sense, and I respect that," Harue said.
"Ah, yes, I remember you mentioning your friend, Atarashi-san," Ami said, "or does she have a title an being worthy of commendation, but we acknowledge that people like that are a large part of why we keep on winning."she would prefer to go by?"
Harue shook her head.
"Let me put it this way," Harue said. "She's not a teacher, nor is she one of the publicly known officials. To those who know her professionally, she's just 'Atarashi-san', not 'Atarashi-sensei.' But as a member of Saunders' support staff, she keeps the school going, and is able to take pride in doing her job."
"The efforts of Black Forest are supported by many people who do their part, without getting noticed or acknowledged, beyond a brief 'thank you', or reassurance that the job is being done to satisfaction," Ami said. "Devotion like Kikuyo's is seen as a baseline requirement rather than something worthy of commendation."
Harue pondered what Takako had said and, once again, couldn't help but feel out of her depth. Of the five women at her table, two were wearing the dress uniform of the JGSDF; a cursory glance allowed her to see the honors and ranks both had attained over their years of service. The other two were dressed slightly more formally than Harue was.
Even the modest, and demure woman who had chosen to become a servant for the Nishizumi family was skilled and determined enough to pass the Nishizumi school, and serve with Black Forest, something Harue was unable to manage at the time.
"Instructor Chouno and Kagurazaki-san's stories really prove your point, Coach Kubo," Harue said. "I really couldn't have made it at Black Forest, after all"
"Commander Yukimura believed that those who were not suited for doing tankery according to Black Forest's standards could simply do it at another school," Takako said. "I think she'd conclude that things largely worked out for the best as far as you were concerned."
"But in all fairness," Kikuyo said, "there were those who had the ability but were dissuaded from applying to Black Forest. A few of those individuals went on to lead their schools, and became some of our more challenging opponents."
Harue nodded, reminded of why she had gone down the path she had. Among the frustration and discouragement she had felt back then, was a desire to prove Mashiro and everyone else who looked down upon her wrong.
Now, the time had come to tell her story about her time at Saunders, and see how her resolve compared to that of the three Nishizumi disciples.
Author's Notes
Thank you for the votes in the poll thus far; I hope to see more.
Now that we've seen some of Ami and Kikuyo's character, here's the brief outlines of what defines them and why they are who they are in this story.
Character Analysis: Ami Chouno
Ami, when first introduced, hardly seems like the typical Nishizumi. She's laid-back, cheerful and enjoys fun matches like the one between Oarai and Saunders. One has to wonder how she felt about tankery at the beginning, and since she's only human, it can be assumed that she was not entirely enthusiastic at first. Over time, especially in high school, she undergoes experiences that causes her to become enthusiastic in tankery, and grateful to Shiho and Hotaru for all they taught her.
A variety of theories have been made for Ami's relatively minimal involvement with Oarai's training but one possibility is the fact that it's her position. She can be considered like a consultant hired out by the JGSDF to schools with new or poorly funded tankery teams, who don't have a permanent instructor yet, and she leaves once her contract expires.
As for Shiho, perhaps she would be tolerant of Ami's deviations from Nishizumi ideology, albeit grudgingly so. The first part of this relates to how Ami works for the JGDSF, not her. The second part, related to the first, is that perhaps having Ami do well by the JGSDF's standards, and have them proud to include an alumna of the Nishizumi school is more important than what she teaches to schools that will likely lose to Black Forest anyway.
In the end, Ami wears a fair number of hats and has had many formative experiences in addition to her time in the Nishizumi school, proof that Nishizumi students may see their alma mater as a great influence on them, but it's not necessarily their only one, leading to quite a bit of diversity among them.
Character Analysis: Kikuyo Kagurazaki
By nature, Kikuyo seems like hardly a stereotypical Nishizumi, being demure, polite and humble. But Kikuyo doesn't place much stock in the stereotypes, preferring a different interpretation of the Nishizumi school. She believes that the Nishizumi school's cause is led by the head of the school- currently Shiho, formerly Hotaru and her mother, and one day, Maho- and supported by the many students and other supporters. Kikuyo is content to be the "low man on the totem pole" (she knows the true meaning of the ranking behind totem poles, though, and finds this misuse of the term says something about those who use it), supporting the entire Nishizumi School without receiving much acknowledgment or thanks.
Of course, Kikuyo is not only loyal to Shiho, but also to her children, even if she doesn't know how to define her relationship to them. She feels personally connected to them, more than can be attributed to her position, but realizes that as long as she serves Shiho, she cannot call it friendship, nor can she always do what she hopes to do for them.
While Kikuyo is disturbed by the idea of Shiho disowning Miho, it is in large part based on the idea that it is a mistake for Shiho, one that will ultimately cause pain to Shiho, Kikuyo and Miho without advancing the Nishizumi school's cause. Kikuyo doesn't know what her mistress should do, much less what she herself can do, but believes the answer is one that the family will find together, and will be beneficial for all concerned.
Incidentally, Kikuyo's family name is made up, and she's named after Miyabi Kagurazaki of Ai Yori Aoshi. Essentially, Miyabi is the orphaned daughter of two of the Sakuraba family's employees, and was taken in by the family. In order to repay them, she serves them, and develops a somewhat sisterly bond with their daughter Aoi, who is a few younger than her. Things get complicated when Aoi insists on marrying Kaoru even after their arranged marriage fell through and her parents no longer want her to marry him, and this is exacerbated once Miyabi gets over her initial dislike of Kaoru (essentially summed up as "Aoi-sama devoted her life to someone like him?").