Intermission 2: For Continued Success
Miho sat at Oarai's table with Nodoka, her friend and new vice-captain. She wore a somewhat frilly pink dress, earning her a little friendly ribbing from some of her old friends when they briefly stopped by the table.
The two manned a table for Oarai Academy, handing out information on the tank team to those interested in it. They managed to get the word out about the team, but found that finding tanks their school could easily afford, or sponsors willing to provide them with tanks, was another matter entirely.
But as difficult as that issue was, Miho's mind was not entirely on it.
"Miho-senpai?" Nodoka said, noticing Miho staring off into space during a lull. "You seem to be thinking about something."
"It's about what Hisa-senpai discussed with me over lunch," Miho said. "I'm wondering how we will keep Oarai's tankery program going in the future."
Nodoka shrugged.
"I'd say that's something that will continue long after you graduate next year, and I graduate the year after that," Nodoka said.
"It's such a long time..." Miho said thoughtfully. "The Atago school has been going for 14 years. The Nishizumi school has been going for generations. As much as I disagree with some of my family's decisions with regards to tankery, I can't deny how long they have been going, or how successful they have been."
"To be honest, I do understand you feel," Nodoka said. "I consider myself a talented and competitive individual, but I can't help but feel as though many of the Nishizumi School's students would laugh at me as inadequate, much like Itsumi-san, one of their students, did. My parents are fairly strict, even after coming to accept tankery, but I have to wonder how they would compare to Instructor Nishizumi if they had chosen to raise me with the goal of making me into a good tanker, or whether I would have enjoyed it."
Miho paused to consider what Nodoka had said.
"I can't say much about your father, since all I know him is what I heard about him from you," Miho said. "But it was pleasing to hear about your meeting Takakamo-san, Atarashi-san, Matsumi-san and the others, since they reminded me of my old friends. I had many influences on me as far as tankery went, and was able to develop my own way."
"That's true," Nodoka said. "I can only hope that such individuals will come along and keep Oarai's tankery team, as well as the school itself, going."
Miho continued to think about this as she manned the table with Nodoka. Yukari stopped by to briefly say hello to the two, but left before long, as she saw a woman approach with her middle school-age daughter, who would be coming to Oarai the year after Miho's graduation.
Miho knew that there would be many difficult challenges for her in the next year, but she had all the reason she needed to face them. Out of respect for the efforts of everyone who had been in the tankery team since its revival, and for the sake of those who would come in the future, Miho sought to prove that the team was successful, of value to Oarai and a good one to be part of.
Masae sat at the Atago School's table in the afternoon session of the convention, in which various tankery schools and teams recruited people.
One woman walked up to Masae, her young daughter in tow. From the child's disinterested expression, and the fact that the woman was obviously leading her by the hand, Masae could tell that she did not want to be here.
"Hello, Instructor Atago," the woman said. "I have a young daughter here and, for her sake, I would like to ask you more about the Atago School of Tankery."
"I appreciate your interest," Masae said. "What, may I ask, is your daughter hoping that she will get out of tankery?"
"I beg your pardon?" the woman said. Masae looked slightly disappointed, both because she had hoped the daughter would be the one to answer, and because the woman's reaction seemed to demonstrate her ignorance. But Masae saw the fact that she asked for clarification an opportunity to educate her.
"Tankery is, as you may or may not know, a path to making good women out of girls," Masae said. "Many of my school's alumni have gone on to various occupations- not just professional tankers or the JGSDF, but also ones you might not expect, such as homemakers, teachers, maids and other professions. Rather than being an end in and of itself, becoming a good tanker is a means of achieving those goals."
The woman rolled her eyes.
"Thank you for the information," she said half-heartedly. "Let's go," she said to her daughter.
The daughter walked with her mother, her face showing a look of unmitigated boredom.
Masae sighed. It was clear that the woman was thrusting her dreams on her daughter, who had no desire to do tankery. Masae considered trying to more overtly dissuade her, but instead chose to see if she could embrace the more philosophical side of tankery. Clearly, she had failed, and the woman would go on to find another school that would take her daughter, and give her instruction according to the woman's standards.
Masae had no desire to force her ideals onto others, but believed that some people were going down the wrong path, one that they and those they took along with them would come to regret. But Masae realized that it was impossible to get through to all of her students, so she could not convince all of those who disagreed with her that they were making a mistake.
Soon afterward, three girls approached Masae- her old student Sera, and her two friends- Toki and Ryuuka- both of whom Masae had met in the past. Sera was dressed in a dress shirt and khaki pants. Ryuuka wore a light blue dress with a white blouse. Toki wore a white blouse, a pink cardigan, and a dark skirt that went down past her knees. The three friends had come out of their shared interest in tankery, which had brought them together in middle school, and hoped to see Sera's teacher at least once.
"Hello, Instructor Atago," Sera said. "We thought we'd drop by and meet up with you."
"I'm glad you came, Sera," Masae said. "And I'm glad to see you brought Toki and Ryuuka as well. I'm glad to see you two again since your honorary induction."
"Yes, thank you," Toki said, and Ryuuka nodded in agreement before her expression turned more concerned.
"Is something wrong, Instructor Atago?" Ryuuka said. "You seemed upset as we approached."
"I met yet another parent who pushed her dreams on her daughter," Masae said. "I can only imagine what the daughter would rather be doing, or how her mother will react years from now when her daughter doesn't live up to her expectations."
Sera nodded. She had known Hiroe since Hiroe's early days as Masae's assistant instructor, and knew that Hiroe was involved purely by her choice.
"For a long time, I had the opposite problem," Toki said. "I felt as though I wasn't needed, that my efforts would never amount to anything, and if I just disappeared, the team would not notice- the latter especially weighed heavily on my mind during my hospitalization. But I was wrong."
"Indeed," Masae said. "Your efforts were not in vain, Toki; even when Hiroe could not offer you a spot on the team, she was impressed with your drive to improve yourself, as was I. You remind me of a few others who never stopped trying to improve themselves, even when things seem hopeless."
Toki had been presented with an honorary diploma from the Atago School for her efforts.
"Yes," Toki said. "It took me a long time to realize this, but the process of improving myself was quite fulfilling. That woman you mentioned may not be able to understand this, but it's all the more of a shame that her child may not learn that lesson."
Masae nodded, pleased to hear that there were those who learned the lessons she taught, even if they never studied at her school.
"You asked a fair amount of my class, Instructor Atago," Sera said. "But you always believed in us, and wanted us to push ourselves farther. So, it's natural that those who understood what you were trying to do would go the distance, and live up to the expectations you had for all of us."
"That's good to hear," Masae said. "And I hope you keep on doing so in the future."
As Sera and her friends said their goodbyes, Masae pondered Shiho. Masae still found it difficult to imagine what reason Shiho would have for her style of parenting, or for teaching a style that was so exclusive. To her, teaching was about sharing knowledge that was important to others, not about rewarding the worthy, which was why Masae thought more of who she helped than how prestigious her school became.
Elsewhere, Shiho was listening to a parent giving a lengthy complaint about her daughter. The woman's daughter had never been awarded a spot on the regular team in all three of her years at Black Forest despite, according to the woman, possessing an exemplary record.
Shiho stood impassive, letting the woman know in no uncertain terms that regardless of what the woman seemed to expect- an apology, for Shiho to rectify the situation, for Shiho to resign, or any other form of appeasement- she would not get it.
Shiho thought back to how Masae had asked her about the reasons behind demoting her sister to the bench. Back then, Masae had only asked for answers from Shiho- to understand why her little sister was deemed unworthy of the main team in spite of her efforts, and whether anything mattered to Shiho more than winning.
As the discussion with the woman broke down, Shiho reflexively found herself giving a very similar answer to the one she had given Masae.
"At Black Forest, we are dedicated to victory," Shiho said. "Those who are not willing to do everything they can to achieve it have no place on the team. I see no need to discuss this further."
As the woman walked off, clearly disappointed, Shiho thought about Masae. It was clear that while Shiho had reached a new low in Masae's eyes, Masae still wanted to understand and learn more about Shiho.
Masae had realized long ago that Shiho could not be swayed, and the years had only served to further solidify her convictions, at least until recently.
Takako approached Shiho's table, hoping to update her old teacher the fallout over Black Forest's deafat..
"Coach Kubo," Shiho said. "How have matters related to Black Forest been going?"
"As well as I could expect, Instructor Nishizumi," Takako said. "The people who have been watching us realize that there wasn't just one cause of our defeat in the finals. It's still not a good situation, no matter how you put it, but Maho and I still got off relatively well."
"I see," Shiho said. "Do consider, though, that you will likely have to take responsibility for this if we should fail again next year."
"Yes, ma'am," Takako said. "I have already sacrificed a great deal for my principles, and am prepared to pay the price for my failures."
"That's good to hear," Shiho said with an approving nod. "I will let you get back to your business."
With a bow, Takako said goodbye to Shiho.
As Takako walked away, she could not help but feel conflicted. Over lunch, she had heard the story of one of her past rivals, and had remembered that Harue, a relative neophyte at tankery, had proved a significant threat to Black Forest. She had also heard a bit of Masae's ideology, and realized that she was serious without being obsessed. And Ami had won with a less ruthless drive for success than she would have had.
Takako had also been reminded of the time she had spent with Ami, and the strong bond they had over the years before an argument over tankery placed them at odds with each other. She realized that she missed talking to Ami, and there were perhaps things more important than tankery, including their friendship. Takako had to wonder- how much had her teaching style cost her, and how much had it truly earned her?
Of course, Shiho was tolerant of people going against the letter of the Nishizumi School's ideology, as long as they fulfilled the spirit- victory being placed before everything else, and being achieved at any cost. With that in mind, Takako's goals were very clear- she would not fail her alma mater and employer, or fall short of her mentor's expectations.
In the evening, shortly before dinner, Masae called her husband and told him about her day.
"So, Masae, I take it you will meet with Nishizumi Shiho again this evening?" Masaru said.
"Yes, dear," Masae said. "And I believe that we'll reach... the subject of your family."
"I thought so," Masaru said. "Feel free to tell my story; I would do it if I had the ability to stand being in that woman's presence long enough."
"I know," Masae said.
"She reminds me too much of my parents," Masaru said. "Although she tends to anger me more, because, well, she's not my parents. It may seem irrational or hypocritical, but because we're not related, I refuse to cut her any slack."
"I don't think that attitude is either, dear," Masae said. "In fact, both Miho and Maho seem to feel that way about their mother, and would perhaps be better off if their mother was that 'irrational or hypocritical' when it came to them."
"True," Masaru said. "In any case, dear, I'm somewhat amazed that you're willing to tolerate Nishizumi Shiho and the rest of her students long enough to find answers, even if you're unlikely to find anything more likable about her."
"Maybe not, but it does help me understand why she's made her choices," Masae said. "And in the process, I've learned more about my own. If nothing else, it's a good study in the excuses people can make for inexcusable behavior, and helps me identify and avoid falling into such traps of thinking. Perhaps Instructor Nishizumi will also learn something."
Masaru subtly nodded. He had little faith in Shiho's ability to change but he trusted his wife.
"I see," Masaru said. "Do your best, dear. I'll be having dinner with your sister and her husband tonight."
"Tell them I said hello," Masae said.
"I will," Masaru said. "I'll talk to you later."
"Goodbye, dear," Masae said, hanging up and getting ready for dinner.
The Nishizumi and Atago families joined each other once again for dinner at the same restaurant. As Shiho and Masae sat down together, along with their daughters and Masae's niece, some of the tension had dissipated, with the teenage members of the group briefly exchanging greetings with each other before they sat down.
"So, Instructor Atago, I heard that you spoke with some of my students over lunch," Shiho said to start the conversation.
"That is correct, Instructor Nishizumi," Masae said. "Instructor Chouno and Coach Kubo have their own approaches to the Nishizumi style, which differs from yours in many ways. I'm starting to get some idea of the kinds of people who join the Nishizumi school."
"That's good," Shiho said. "For the sake of those people, my family seeks to carry on the traditions, to continue on the ideology that they respect."
"I suppose I can understand that much," Masae said, "just as I can understand the desire to keep winning at any cost. But I have one more question- how did you establish a family on those lines? How could you maintain it based on a ruthless mutual drive for success?"
Shiho paused.
"I will answer that question in due time, Instructor Atago, but first, I have a question for you," Shiho said. "I assume that you established your school after you married your husband, and after your daughters were born?"
"Yes, I did," Masae said. "It was 14 years ago, while Hiroe is 18 and Kinue is 17."
"So, unless I am not mistaken, you did not establish your family with the express goal of having them inherit your school?" Shiho said.
"Again, you are correct, Instructor Nishizumi," Masae said. "I was laying the groundwork for my school, but at that point, had no plans for my daughters to inherit it. I did not even know I would have daughters rather than sons, any more than you did, and simply wanted to have children while I still could."
Shiho nodded, immediately understanding what Masae was getting at.
"So it seems you understand the implications of what I'm trying to say," Masae said. "The idea of one's children being seen as mere means to an end is a disturbing thought, but one of the few parenting ideas worse than that is thinking of one's children as being useless to one's family's plans- whether they fell from grace in ways like Miho did, or whether they were useless to begin with, as they would be if you had any sons."
"And yet, we never had to find out how to bequeath our school if we only had male offspring," Shiho said.
"Maybe not," Masae said. "Rather than speculate what might have happened, I'd like to describe what did happen- namely, that there were many people, events and circumstances that influenced me. I told you about many of them yesterday, but I'd like to tell you about one of the most important ones- my husband."
Shiho nodded, realizing that Masae was reaching one of the most important parts of her story, the one in which she realized how unacceptable Shiho's methods of parenting were, and was inspired to go down a different path. Masae wondered if Shiho would consider to justify her methods of parenting once she had told the story of her husband, the expectations he had faced, the decision he had made, and what it had cost him.
Author's Notes
The third and final act will now begin, once again focusing on Masae and Shiho, specifically their falling in love, raising families and teaching their own styles of tankery. There will be significantly less focus on tankery in this part of the story.
Incidentally, it has now been just over a year since I first published Necessary to Win (February 21, 2014). This has been a long process, as the largest and most ambitious writing project I have done to this day, and it is far from over. I would like to take the opportunity that there will be one final installment in the series- a sequel known as Necessary to Keep Winning, chronicling Miho's final year of high school, and her efforts to ensure that Oarai's tankery team remains strong in the future, and can overcome the challenges that it will face in the years to come. These issues are hinted at in Miho and Nodoka's scene, and will be explored more in the fic.
I'd also like to take the moment to thank everyone who has read this fic, reviewed it, favorited it, offered feedback on it, voted in polls, provided suggestions for team buildups and other such things, and otherwise helped contribute to helping make this fic to what it is today. I appreciate your support, and hope you will continue to read and support this fic.
There's now a new poll, as to which one of the six POV characters from Paths Toward Victory is your favorite. It's been posted slightly early, and will b until some time after Paths Toward Victory ends.
Updated to fix a few errors.