Shiho 9: Commitments and Deviations
After the waiter collected the plates that the appetizers were served on, the conversation resumed.
"I do have a question, Instructor Nishizumi, albeit one that may sound irrelevant," Masae said. "Is your husband still working?"
"He is," Shiho said, "as head of a parts dealership for tanks. It's a vital service for tankery, and his own way of furthering our family's mission."
Masae nodded.
"There are those who'd call this a less than traditional way of raising a family," Masae said. "While I don't think less of my sister's decision to become a homemaker, I had no desire to do the same, and I'm glad that is no longer the only acceptable path for women."
"The people who believe that clearly have no knowledge of how tankery families operate, Instructor Atago," Shiho said. "With you heading the school, your husband working outside the home, and your eldest daughter set to inherit the school, your family, at least in your and your children's generations, is adhering to the norm."
Masae simply nodded.
"Perhaps we are, but I believe that there are always those who can't necessarily conform to the 'norms' of wherever they live," Masae said. "As such, I like the concept of the themed school ships, to help children get a taste of other cultures and realize that the values that were instilled in them during their childhoods are not universal, and that if they feel out of place in their own culture, they may be more in line with another."
"I think I understand what you're saying, Instructor Atago," Miho said, "even if Oarai is just a standard Japanese high school with no theme, not even a Japanese one. My teammates came from different backgrounds, with different skillsets, interests and hobbies."
"That' sounds good," Masae said. "You may know this from your year there, but Black Forest has relatively little influence from the country on which it is based compared to others. In that sense, the Nishizumi School draws little from outside influence and changes little, which I believe leads to it being relatively stagnant and reactionary."
Maho solemnly nodded. Perhaps it was her obligation to think of some rebuttal to Masae's description of her family's school, but she was unable to do so.
"Whatever you conclusions may be, Instructor Atago, I suspect you have some idea of how my family worked," Shiho said. "I knew that while running my school in the present was important, so was preparing for the future, and finding someone who would carry on my work. No sooner were my husband and I married than we set about the task of having an heiress, and it was not long before we succeeded."
19 years ago
A pregnant Shiho returned home, pleased with the results of her doctor's appointment. She wore one of her dark suits, her pregnancy not having progressed far enough that she needed maternity clothing.
Sakuyo, a relatively young maid for the Nishizumi family who was only a year older than Shiho, bowed in greeting as Shiho walked in the door. Shiho was not yet head of the school, but she still commanded the respect of the Nishizumi family's servants, and the employees and students of the family school. If Hotaru was the Nishizumi school's queen, Shiho was the crown princess, and both were royalty who inspired the respect of those who served them.
"Welcome home, Shiho-sama," Sakuyo said. "How did the doctor's appointment go?"
"Very well, thank you," Shiho said. "I have learned that I am pregnant with a girl, and I'm planning on naming her Maho."
Although Shiho never admitted it out loud, there was no deeper reason behind it than she liked the sound of the name. Shiho had once heard an acquaintance of hers say thta
"That's wonderful news, mistress," Sakuyo said. "I hope the best for you and little Maho."
"-sama," Shiho said firmly; she did not often have to correct her subordinates as far as etiquette went, but was determined not to have to correct any given individual about any given mistake more than once. "My daughter will one day grow up to inherit my school, and I believe you understand what that means."
"Yes, Shiho-sama," Sakuyo said. "I will show Maho-sama the same respect and obedience that I show you."
"Good," Shiho said. "I will go to meet with Mother about this. You can get back to work."
"As you wish, Shiho-sama," Sakuyo said. "The mistress is in her office."
Shiho nodded, and Sakuyo saw her off with a bow, before continuing her chores.
In spite of being pleased with having a girl who would become her heiress, Shiho knew that there was much to be done. She would have to carry Maho to term, then raise her into becoming a proper heiress. Maho would have to accept what was both her birthright and he duty, gain an education, learn all of Shiho's skills, gain practical experience in tankery and become an administrator and a teacher. The task was immense, and too great for Shiho to take on by herself.
But Shiho was not alone in this endeavor. Her husband would be supporting her. Her maids were expected to serve her daughter, much like the ones from her childhood had served her. Many people would be required to help raise her daughter into an heiress, and Maho's efforts would be important for many more.
Present day
"There are those who believe Nishizumi style practitioners ask a great deal out of their followers with little in return," Shiho said. "But if we do, it is because the leader's responsibilities are weighty, and for the sake of the group as a whole. As such, the leaders need the support of their subordinates, and their subordinates will utlimately benefit should the group succeed in its mission."
"That may be so, Mother," Miho said, "but I don't think that it necessarily requires the subordinates to sacrifice all of their personal goals and desires for the leader's sake, or even that of the collective good."
Miho's thoughts went back to some of her teammates and their separate goals. Among her team, she had started to enjoy doing tankery again, Hana felt the same way about flower arranging, Mako had the tardiness passes she needed to go up a year, and Yukari had made friends through tankery. Saki was starting to reconcile with her sister, Nodoka was able to stay at her school, and the student council was able to leave Oarai Academy without it being shut down. Others had yet to achieve their goals, as Saori still had no boyfriend, the mahjong and tankery clubs were still defunct, and the disciplinary committee's quest to keep everyone in line was never-ending, but Miho saw those desires as fueling their passion for tankery, rather than selfish ulterior motives. As such, she hoped her teammates would be able to accomplish their goals by winning, and that she would be able to lead them to victory.
"Perhaps not, Miho," Shiho said. "But at the same time, subordinates should be prepared to give everything to the pursuit of victory, lest they find themselves falling short of what they must do to win."
Miho remained silent, having made her point and seeing that the Atagos seemed to be on her side. Perhaps her mother believed that her convictions had not been sufficiently tested, but she resolved to show how far they could take her in the future.
Masae broke the silence with a question.
"I am curious about one thing, Instructor Nishizumi," Masae said. "Your mother only had one daughter, and focused her efforts on making you her heiress. You had two. Is that not a way in which you deviated from her example?"
Shiho shook her head.
"That's not entirely true, Instructor Atago," Shiho said. "Mother's choice was, in part, forced on her by her circumstances, and she did not disapprove of my choice. And, after all, we had the same goal in the end. Only the Nishizumi School's means for the goal have changed over time."
"So... what happens if someone like you has a son, Instructor Nishizumi?" Hiroe said.
"In most cases, he would be passed over for succession, like your paternal aunt was," Shiho said. "And if Maho had an older brother, his children would not be considered for succession of the school unless neither Maho nor Miho had any daughters. The order of succession would be first Maho's daughters, from eldest to youngest, then Miho's daughters in the same order, then my sons' daughters."
"So... is getting passed over like that a good thing or bad thing?" Hiroe said, glancing at Miho and Maho. "I'm personally glad I don't have to fight with Kinue or Hiroko over succession, but I don't like to think of any family members as being 'useless' or 'spare parts.' That's why I feel bad for Aunt Ayane on some level, even if she was a jerk to Dad."
"Perhaps 'useless' is the wrong term, Assistant Instructor Atago," Shiho said. "Just as not everyone can command in a tankery team, but they have their own responsibilities, the others are supposed to do their part. Miho's part was to do her job well, and not dishonor our family's name. I did what I could to raise her to do so, but was disheartened when my lessons seemed to fall on deaf ears."
10 years ago
Hotaru met with Shiho over lunch while Miho and Maho were at school, and Homura was at work. The conversation, which was about tankery, hardly sounded like a standard conversation a woman might have with her daughter, but it was as relaxed as Hotaru was willing to get.
Eventually, the conversation shifted to Hotaru's grandchildren, starting with Maho's lessons.
"Maho's progress is quite promising for now," Hotaru said tentatively. "So how has Miho been doing?"
Shiho let off a sigh. She was hesitant to report failure to her mother, as while she was past the age at which her mother felt the need to discipline her, she had responsibilities of her own now, and believed any failure in them reflected badly on both her and her school.
"Unfortunately, Mother, she is reluctant to do tankery our way," Shiho said. "She seems sad about the fact that she has few friends her age. She's reluctant to say it outright, but it is clear that she is not as passionate about tankery as her sister. Just as Maho's progress seems indicative of a promising future, Miho's reluctance seems to presage future trouble, if not outright rebellion."
Hotaru nodded and remained silent for a moment. Her expression was stern, as it often was, but Shiho recognized it as one Hotaru used when she did not fully agree with her daughter's points.
"It is troubling that Miho appears focused on the opinions of others," Hotaru said. "That said, Shiho, I will remind you that you seemed less than fully willing to devote yourself to tankery when you were her age."
Shiho could not help but nod. She was always unwilling to argue with her mother, especially when she stated a basic fact.
"That is true, Mother," Shiho said. "But in spite of what my feelings were back then, I did what was asked of me and became the woman I am today. As things stand now, I wonder if Miho will ever learn the lessons she must."
"She never will unless you teach her," Hotaru said. "Your succeeding me was no accident, but the result of my and many others' efforts at raising you toward that end over the years. Now, it is up to you to do the same for both your daughters, and see to it that Miho does learn."
"Yes, Mother," Shiho said, the phrase being as common a response to her mother as an adult as when she was a child.
"Of course, in the end, it is Miho's decision," Hotaru said. "As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but cannot make her drink. If she does tankery our way, that is for the best. If not, we are thankful that her sister will do so instead."
Shiho nodded, and her mind went back to one of her mother's lessons that had most resonated with her at a young age, that her actions had consequences for people besides herself. She believed it was important for Miho to learn this, for the sake of the many people with whom she would associate in the future, if not he family's school.
But she found truth in her mother's last statement. While it was up to Shiho to teach this lesson, it was also up to Miho to learn it. Fortunately, even if the worst came to pass, Shiho had one daughter who could be trusted to carry on the family name.
Present day
"Essentially, my mother described parenting in a nutshell," Shiho said. "There are things that the parents can do that have good or bad effects, but in the end, the children are the ones who make the decisions and who live with the consequences, even if the children inheriting and safeguarding their family's legacy presents another dimension to that."
Masae paused. She, her daughters and her niece knew where they thought Shiho's actions belonged.
"And yet, Instructor Nishizumi, you're taking a fairly firm hand for someone with that kind of attitude," Hiroe said. "For someone who says the children ultimately are most affected by the consequences of their decisions, you're hell-bent on Maho and Miho making the choices you want them to."
"It's a matter of encouragement," Shiho said "If you are particularly set on persuading your children to take a certain course of action or dissuading them from it, you make it clear to them. If a decision has negative consequences that children don't understand, make it punishable by something that they will understand."
"But when you bring up being disowned as a threat, that's a horse of a different color," Hiroe said. "I know you look up to your mother, but can you really say you did things her way? I recall that your mother was hands-off by comparison."
"Indeed, Assistant Instructor Atago," Shiho said, "but that's because my mother never had any difficulties of the sort I did with Miho."
"Kids don't always take after their parents, Instructor Nishizumi," Hiroko said, "and that's not necessarily a bad thing. For example, Hiroe is only putting up with you for the sake of her mom's edification. But on the other hand, Hiroe has an easier time casually interacting with her subordinates, service employees and others who would be 'below' her. On the other hand, Aunt Masae is a kind and fair employer, but keeps a certain professional distance from subordinates; she would expect me, her niece, to treat her with the same respect as everyone else. And, of course, I've started realizing just how different Maho is from you."
"Perhaps, but whatever Maho's motivations may be, she fulfills my expectations, which is what matters most" Shiho said. "And when I saw her compete in the finals for the first time, I knew that she was growing into my responsibilities, and one day would be able to replace me."
5 years ago
Shiho sat in the stands of the tankery arena, watching as the Bismarck tankery column advanced on the remaining Queen Victoria forces in the urban battlefield.
The force moved as a single unit, which Shiho saw as the product of Maho's training the crew over the past few months, and leading them in the battle. Their opponents were scattered, though; clearly they had some experience, but had never faced an opponent quite like Bismarck under Maho's command. Their commander had been taken out, and their vice-captain, inexperienced in commanding and even less experienced in having it thrust upon her in the middle of a match, was unable to lead effectively.
The Queen Victoria flag tank, a Matilda, rushed the Bismarck forces from the side, hoping for a strike on their flag tank, approaching from a side alley that was difficult for the enemy to see. It was a desperate gambit with next to no chance of succeeding, but it seemed the only hope they had of securing a win at this point.
The Bismarck tanks, however, calmly reacted to the sudden development, rotating their turrets to aim at the incoming tank, having anticipated this threat.
The German-made tanks fired a volley of shells, most of which found their mark on the tank. After a series of blasts, a large cloud of smoke arose, along with the tank's white flag.
The column came to a full stop as the game ended, the few remaining Queen Victoria tanks looking on in apparent shock and dismay.
"Bismarck wins the tournament!" the announcer said.
Shiho could not help but smile. Maho had fulfilled her expectations, and defeated the enemy the Nishizumi way. Her school's methods were vindicated once again, as were the methods her mother had used in raising her, and she had used on her daughter.
Present day
"Maho's victory fulfilled my expectations of her, and showed she had great promise for the future," Shiho said. "She had improved greatly as a tanker, and had come to realize that her success was our success. A great deal of work still remains, even years later, but this was a promising sign."
"So what does that make Miho?" Hiroe said. "Yet another product of your parenting? Or did she turn out the way she did despite, rather than because of your efforts?"
"I think of it as a mixture of both, Hiroe-san," Miho said. "It's true that Mother hoped I would turn out to be a Nishizumi-style tanker, and also true that I did not. However, by seeing the Nishizumi style in action, and hearing what I was expected to do to follow it, I realized that it was not something I could do, and chose my own way."
"Of course, throughout middle school, Miho did tankery alongside Maho, and by winning, fulfilled my expectations," Shiho said. "But then, in the finals of her first year of high school, the incident that would change her life and view of tankery forever happened."
Last year
Shiho sat, along with her husband, in the stands, watching the finals.
Shiho glanced at the display and saw that that while a bold attack on Black Forest had forced the flag tank to retreat to safety Black Forest forces had seized an opening that had come up, and were advancing on Pravda. Pravda was in a fighting retreat and was holding off their opponents well, but a single mistake could cost them the match.
Of course, as Shiho saw it, with Black Forest's tight discipline, they were less likely to make the critical mistake first. At best, the
"This is a more difficult match than most, but victory is well in hand," Shiho thought.
Shiho watched the flag tank advance on the path, toward a pair of Pravda tanks, and thought about Miho. Miho was less famous than Maho, but had a somewhat strong reputation as a tanker, having won in all three years of middle school, even once her sister had graduated. In spite of that, Black Forest's standards remained high, but Miho's success thus far had gradually won over many of her critics. Even Itsumi Erika, one of Shiho's former students, as well as Miho's year-mate and rival for the position of vice-captain, had gradually developed a grudging respect for her.
Shiho saw the tank in front of Miho's begin sliding off the path, and into the water. Before long, the rescue crews would head out to rescue the girls. The tank would be taken out of the match- both for the sake of fairness and to ensure the safety of the participants- but it was hardly a fatal setback for the Black Forest team. Survival would require some quick thinking on Miho's part, but Shiho believed she was capable of that. Regardless of whether Miho was happy with tankery, she had skill in it, which was the primary reason Shiho had for continuing to hope that she would accept the Nishizumi style.
But Miho then climbed out of the tank an leaped out, tumbling down the slope and jumping into the water. What happened next was unclear to Shiho from her vantage point, but it was obvious that Miho no longer saw winning the battle as an important priority, much less something that came before everything else and was to be won at any cost, like the Nishizumis did.
Shiho's composure faded for an instant, and her husband's jaw dropped open in shock.
"What are you doing, Miho?!" Shiho said out loud. "Saving the crew is the responsibility of the rescue teams, and protecting the flag tank is yours!"
Miho's tank came to a halt. Black Forest's crews, like in Shiho's times, did not act without orders from their commander, who, in turn, acted according to the team's overall strategy. Perhaps they were to blame for staying still in a situation like this, but Shiho realized who the catalyst was.
But while things had suddenly gone wrong for Black Forest, Pravda's objective remained the same, and one of the tanks on the path fired on Miho's tank.
Time seemed to slow down as the white flag popped up on the tank.
"Pravda wins the tournament!" the announcer said.
Shiho bit her lip, unwilling to believe what had just happened.
"Unbelievable..." she said. "It seems Miho never truly understood what was expected of her."
"You honestly could not have foreseen this, dear," Homura said. "My sister never encountered anything like this, and neither did you."
"Perhaps not," Shiho said. "But if Miho truly understood and believed in the Nishizumi Style, she would have known what to do. I had been counting on her obedience, but it seems that was too much to hope for. It's time I took a more active role."
For a moment, Shiho wondered what her mother would have done in this situation, but realized that her mother was no longer alive. The responsibility of heading the Nishizumi school and family now fell on her shoulders, and she would do whatever was in her power to ensure that the family's reputation would never be marred in such a way again.
Present day
"I then called Miho in to explain her actions," Shiho said. "My hope was that she would rededicate herself to doing tankery our way, but she instead chose to remove herself from the situation entirely, and go to Oarai. After that... you know what happened."
The Atagos nodded. Shiho's story had reached the present day, but they still had unanswered questions. Even considering Shiho's track record in the past, did she really think winning was this important? And why could she say the things she did without any regrets?
"So let me get this straight," Hiroe said. "Miho, on national television, saves several teenage girls from drowning, with everyone knowing who she is, and you consider it a bad decision?"
"I saw this issue as matter of commitment to our ideals," Shiho said. "Each decision is also proof of what you value, and in this case, she made a unilateral choice that sacrificed our chances of victory, undermining our reputation as being committed to victory above all else, more than anyone else."
"I'll thank you to not assume that winning is that unimportant for most people, Instructor Nishizumi," Hiroko said, her tone gradually turning icy. "We're dedicated to it, but not obsessed with it."
Hiroko let off a deep breath to compose herself. While generally more polite than the elder of her two first cousins, Hiroko's patience with Shiho was wearing thin, and she was a somewhat blunt individual for the most part. She thus tried to compose herself before she said anything she would regret.
"I see," Shiho said. "Then I suppose this means that you don't mind not winning tournaments for your school."
"No, ma'am," Kinue said politely, hoping to diffuse the gradually increasing tension. "Winning is a good prize, but if it involves paying prices we do not wish to pay then it isn't worth it."
"I see," Shiho said. "But all decisions involve sacrifice of one sort or another; time, money, effort, all number of other things, and even the choices you could not make in the end. Perhaps your family may one day pay the price for your lack of resolve, even if you don't realize it."
Masae sighed, pondering Shiho's remarks. They reminded her of one lesson Toshi had taught her when giving a short lesson about tactics to new commanders, even if Toshi was not very much like Shiho in terms of personality, and would be a different kind of parent if she had children.
Masae realized that most of Shiho's remarks were conventional wisdom taken to unreasonable extremes. Dedication became obsession, initiative for self improvement became perfectionism and a willingness to make sacrifices became callous ruthlessness. Perhaps she had been right and the Nishizumi style had lost sight of its original goals, but she did not know for certain. In spite of that, she was aware of and certain of one unpleasant truth.
"So it's as I thought," Masae said. "All along, you thought of your children as means of continuing on the school, and raised them with that as your primary goal." Masae glanced at Miho and Maho, and noticed that neither was surprised or taken aback by what she had said about their mother.
"Unfortunately, Instructor Atago, you are correct," Maho thought. "But at the same time, it's relatively simple to stay in Mother's good graces and achieve the best possible result. I can't change the family I have, but I can strive to allow my sister to live her own way."
"I cannot deny it," Shiho said. "It is true that I chose that purpose for them all along. But all parents deliberately influence their children, and have some desire as to what kind of people they ultimately become, which impacts their development."
"That may be true," Masae said. "But there's a happy medium between being apathetic to your children's development and shaping them according to your will without regard for their well-being or desires. Like my mother before me, I chose to allow my children to choose their own paths, and raise them so that they would choose good ones."
Author's Notes
This section goes into Shiho as a parent. She believes that her school comes before her family, but also has some degree of confidence in Miho's skills, and the belief that Miho will be better off learning the Nishizumi way.
It also establishes that Shiho isn't a carbon copy of her mother, facing entirely different circumstances when it comes to her children, and choosing to be more hands-on than Hotaru as a result.
Next up is Masae's turn to talk about her parenting.