Chapter 45 – Operation Union Jacqueline
If somebody tells me that there's something better than waking up at the side of your cute girlfriend, and it wouldn't be "Twins", then I would laugh him out with all I have. Looking at Yoshika, I automatically assume that this day will be as good as possible.
"Good mooooooaaaarn… ning, Toshiro…" Yoshika yawned.
"And good morning to you, my little lily."
"Yuri?" Yoshika asked in Fusogo. "Toshiro, are you mad at me for what I did with Mami yesterday?"
"Not exactly mad but… You were with more people than I was… I'm jealous…"
"Daww… That's where it pains you? Male ego?"
"Yeah… And after today, the gap will be even bigger."
"Even bigger? Ah… Yes… Now it's 3:2 and I'm leading, right?"
"Yes. After today, it will be 5:3."
"Oh my poor Toshiro…" Yoshika mocked him. "Your girlfriend has a better trophy count than you, heehee…"
"But now I have an open slot, right? At least I will close in a bit." Toshiro said with a cheeky smile.
"I suppose you have… Say, who do you have in mind right now? Of course not Erica, Sanya, Eila, Lynne, Perrine and Francesca, right?"
"Yeaaah, not them… I'll have a go at Minna today, right?"
"An orgy is an orgy, no doubt about that."
"Then that leaves Trude, Mio and… a black horse so to speak…"
"Oh? Who's that?"
"Adolfine…" Toshiro said a bit embarrassed.
"Aaaah… Yes… I don't blame you… But why Trude or Miss Sakamoto?"
"Ah well… It's for the good of mankind so to speak."
"Huh?"
"They should open up a bit in terms of sexual activity, that's all I mean. Maybe if I give them a… good sample so to speak, maybe they'll be more open towards other men in that manner…"
"Heehee… But let me ask you this – you're not actively thinking about doing them, are you? You're just listing POSSIBILITIES?"
"Of course, Yoshika! I'm not someone who goes for a massage and ends up with being fingerbanged. Oh wait, that's you."
Yoshika slapped him on the butt and yelled, "Heeeeey! I thought you were over that already!"
"Ouch, Yoshika! You want to turn me on or what?"
"Maybe…"
"Then why beat around the bush!" Toshiro shouted and pinned down Yoshika to the bed.
"My, my… Toshiro… Aren't you a bit forceful?"
"I'm only as forceful as you allow me."
"Come on, let's do it."
After indulging themselves in their carnal desires, Yoshika asked what's in the crate. Toshiro unpacked it and showed her the gun.
"Wooooaaah… Is this for Lynne?"
"Yes. I ordered it through Adolfine."
"May I try it for size?"
"Sure… But you know, Lynne has bigger… recoil buffers…"
"Don't blame me for my ancestors…" Yoshika pouted. "Gimme."
Toshiro passed on the rifle to Yoshika, and she huffed a bit when the weight dropped into her hands.
"My, it's a bit heavier than Lynne's…"
Toshiro popped out a mag from the crate and pushed it in the mag well of the rifle.
"Now, this is the complete weight."
"Heavy… But with the Striker it should be considerably lighter."
"Yeah."
Unexpectedly, Yoshika released the magazine by herself and caught it with a swift hand movement.
"Now, now… It seems your sword training is bearing fruit."
"Heehee… Don't think that I'm a gun illiterate!"
"You are proficient with your MG, I can't say anything else. Okay, gun in the crate, mag too… We have a busy day today…"
"You have a plan how to organize everything already?"
"Yes. I'll tell everyone there's a rat infestation in the common room. Of course everyone beside Lynne will be in the dark. Then I plan to go to town, while a select team will start decorating. And… Ah, I have to hide the vodka in the wine cellar."
"Vodka?"
Toshiro revealed the load of bottles in the crate.
"Toshiro, isn't that a bit overkill?" Yoshika looked at him with her right eyebrow raised.
"Naaaaaah… I'll get two for the party. And maybe four wine bottles. The rest will be locked away to the cellar. Hmmm…"
Toshiro spread the burlap from the crate over the floor and started placing the bottles on it.
"What are you doing, Toshiro?"
"I want to move all the bottles at once."
"Then why not cut off the part with the bottles with Aganaimaru?"
"Duuuuuh… Riiiight…" Toshiro slapped his face and put the bottles back in the crate.
He summoned his sword, and gently pressed on the center of the partition. A new smaller crate was thus formed.
"What would you do without me…" Yoshika sighed.
"I'm tempted to answer, but I want to live another day."
"Humpf… You forgot about something…"
"And what would it be?"
"You have to distract Lynne somehow. I may be useful."
"Of course my little rug rat. I haven't forgotten about you, I just didn't mention you until you're time would come."
Yoshika looked at him as though she wasn't entirely won over by Toshiro's statement.
"Okay, I forgot about you… But you remember how I made the previous birthday parties, right? One was for you and Sanya so you couldn't participate. The one for Erica on the other hand was a totally random frenzy, so…"
"But I prepared your birthday party, right?" Yoshika asked with a cutesy smile blooming on her face.
"Oh of course you did, how could I forget… Get in touch with Mio on that matter, I can predict what the distraction will be already…"
"Aaaaaaawww… Now that you say it… But Lynne is worth it! I'm going to find Miss Sakamoto!"
"Go, Yoshika, I have faith in you!"
Yoshika ran out of the room, and Toshiro went on his errand. He hid the crate of vodka in the cool wine cellar.
Toshiro decided to go onwards to the dorm, but a strange occurrence happened just as he was about to enter.
"Psssssst!"
Huh?
"The corner!" Someone half-whispered.
Toshiro peeked behind the corner, and he saw Tina waving him over to the other corner of the building. He followed her, and just as he reached his destination, he saw everyone standing there, more or less awake, with the exception of Lynne.
"Da fuck?" Toshiro wondered.
"This is the briefing for the Operation Union Jacqueline, Toshiro." Minna explained.
"But why are Tina and Mami here? They're bound to leave at ten anyway…"
"But we might as well help while we're here, dumbo." Tina said.
"Miyafuji told me everything, Toshiro. We've decided to put your plan in motion with full force." Mio said.
"But that was just a mental draft…"
"Looks solid enough to me…" Trude said.
"So far we've decided that Perrine will be both playing out the hoax that the common room is rat infested and she'll be distracting Lynne with Yoshika during both training and her chores." Minna explained with a calm voice. "She has an experience with being scared by rodents, doesn't she?" Minna's face changed to a smirk.
"It's not like I'm terribly afraid of rodents…" Perrine pouted. "But my acting skill are très bien!"
"Yeah right…" Toshiro muttered. "Then I'll probably have to get the cake from town, right?"
"You're the perfect man for the job. Your familiars and your heightened senses, combined with time manipulating and invisibility would enable you to sneak in a stationary eighty-eight behind the backs of an Independence Day parade in New York, heheh…" Shirley chuckled.
"Well okay… But I want to greet off my dear friends from the 31st, so we'll have to make it so I'll return before ten."
"You'll have plenty of time, bro…" Erica said and yawned.
"You seem a bit sleepy, sis…"
"Tina was so fucking excited about the fact she can sleep in a bed beside me again that she couldn't sleep for half the night…"
"But Trude looks like she's fresh as a spring daisy." Toshiro threw a remark.
"Oh that concrete head could probably sleep through the End of Days…" Tina snickered.
"Hey, hey!" Trude protested. "A True Soldier of Karlsland trains hard and sleeps even harder!"
Toshiro crouched beside Mami, who was conveniently by his side and whispered, "And how did you sleep, cousin?"
Mami immediately turned redder than a Coke label.
"I… slept… like… a… log…" Mami barely got out of herself.
Toshiro patted her on the head and stood up.
"Okay, what about decorating the common room then?"
"Everything during the training period." Minna said. "It will be extra-long…"
"Okay then… So, when will the 'operation' conclude?"
"We plan on it to be about 1600. Not too early, since we can't disrupt our daily routines too much, and not to late so we can have a little party going on." Minna explained.
"Cool… Let's have a breakfast then."
"Not so fast, Toshiro. If Lynne would see us all in kitchen at this hour, even she would suspect something's going on." Mio said. "Let's disperse and appear just like usual."
"Sometimes I have a feeling that my brain has its wiring wrong… I'll go do some jogging then. See you later, comrades in conspiracy, haha!"
"I'll go with you!" Mami shouted.
"Come on, the more the merrier."
The two ran off to the west.
"So, what is it, Mami?" Toshiro asked after an extended period of silence from the usually talkative Fusojin.
"I want to thank you…"
"Thank me? For what?"
"For letting Yoshika… You know…"
"Ah, that… I heard you were… pleased…" Toshiro said a bit awkwardly.
"Uh… I can't say that I wasn't… And technically I'm still a virgin, heheh…"
"How considerate of Yoshika… I was almost sure she'd be using Eila-grade techniques on you…"
"You mean the Suomi witch? What about her?"
"I already told you she's alternative in Africa, right?"
"Ah, yes… But, I don't get the whole picture…"
"Eila snatched Yoshika under the cover of giving her a massage and… well… to quote her "She gave her something only another woman can give"…"
"I see… But how do you know about it?"
"I followed them. Earlier Eila told me she was so damn horny, but Sanya didn't give her any relief. Sanya also got to know, but she already got over it."
"Sanya being that Orussian girl I filled in for that night?"
"Yup. She's Eila's lover."
"Now I see…"
"Still want to jog?"
"Yeah, why not… Can't I simply run around with my dearest of cousins?"
"Yes you can, Mami…" Toshiro said softly and they continued.
After the two finished and arrived in the dining room, everyone was present. They all shot him affirmative looks while Lynne was busy in the kitchen. Lynne herself looked as if she didn't even knew it's her birthday today. Everything went smooth, and then Perrine's turn came. She casually went out of the dining room, and Toshiro started a conversation, "Say, girls, I've seen a rat around here recently…"
Yoshika covered her mouth and said, "It can't be!"
"But it's true! It was as big as a cat and had this long tail!"
Everyone was discretely observing Lynne's reactions. Mentioning the rat itself didn't move her, but when Toshiro described it, she started shivering.
"What's wrong, Lynne?" Minna asked.
"I hate rats…" Lynne said silently.
Suddenly, Perrine's scream could be heard in the corridor and she ran into the room.
"RAAAATS! RATS EVERYWHERE!"
"Where?!" Trude stood up.
"In the common room! I wanted to check something inside, but I saw a whole load of rats there!"
"Did you lock the room?" Toshiro asked.
"Yes!"
"Good. Nobody enter the room. I'll phone Vincenzo, he's probably into this kind of thing too. I repeat – the room is off limits until further notice."
"Roger." Everyone said, with the exception of Lynne who was now shaking like a willow in a hurricane.
Yoshika hugged her and said, "Come on, Lynne, let's go to your room."
"O-okay…"
After the two left the room, everyone bent over the table slightly.
"The plan needs to be modified." Minna said.
"Let Lynne rest for a few minutes. Then I'll go to her, and tell I'll 'go' to Vincenzo personally. By the time I return, Yoshika should convince Lynne to go training."
"This should work." Mio said.
"Just don't push her, she really looks terrified."
"Don't worry, cousin!" Mami cheered.
"Okay, everyone dismissed." Minna said. "Marseille, since you're so fond of running, could you be our messenger today until you fly off?"
"I see no obstacles, Oberstleutnant."
"Good. Standby in Erica's and Trude's room for now. Toshiro, when you'll be setting off, drop a word to Marseille so she can start gathering us. Using the PA system would be too obvious."
"Sure thing."
Everyone dispersed, and Toshiro slowly went to Lynne's and Yoshika's room. He knocked on the door, and heard Yoshika greeting him in.
They were both sitting on the bottom bunk, Yoshika embracing the slightly bent forward Lynne.
"Is everything okay?" Toshiro asked.
"Lynne is simply dead afraid of rats." Yoshika said.
"Don't worry, Lynne. I will personally drive to the city and find someone who will get rid the rats, okay?"
"Sure…" Lynne muttered.
"Then I'm off. Stay strong, you two!"
Toshiro went out of the room, and saw Tina looking at him anxiously.
"What, you can't wait a damn minute till I walk to you?"
"I don't want to sit in the same room with Frau Panzerfaust."
"Ah, okay… Nothing changed between you two, huh?"
"Not a thing. Although she's maybe a tad less grumpy… So, you're going?"
"Yeah. I'll be sure to return before you two set off."
"I hope, hah!"
He went off to the hangar. After checking the fuel tank, which occurred to be half full, he started the motorcycle's engine and drove off to Pescara.
The task before him was simple – drop off to the bakery, pick up the cake, pay the rest of money for it, take it back and smuggle it back into the wine cellar, since it was chilly enough to double as a pantry.
The first part proved to be a trifle. He parked Shirley's motorcycle just before the bakery and went inside.
"Ah, Colonnello!" The matron running the bakery cheered from behind the counter. "Today is the day, si?"
"Yes. Is the cake ready?"
"Si, si! Everything as agreed, top notch qualita! Scuzi, I have to fetch it from the back."
The lady went into the back, and returned with a typical paper box used by bakeries to store cakes in.
"Would you like to take a look, Colonnello?"
"I'm not used to buying a cat in the bag, with all due respect."
"A wise man controls, a fool trusts."
"Exactly."
The matron slightly opened the box. Toshiro peered inside, nodded in respect and said, "Yup, up to spec."
He pulled out the sum that was agreed and put it on the counter.
"Doing business with such a handsome man I pleasure."
"Likewise, signora."
"Ah pshaw…" She waved her hand and blushed slightly. "I'm a married woman, Colonnello…"
"Then I'm vacating the premise, or the signore might kick my ass, haha!"
Toshiro went out of the store, placed the cake box in the sidecar and started driving the motorcycle back to the base. Just outside of Pescara, he stopped on the roadside and leaned back.
"I'll just watch the sky or something for ten minutes… It's not super-hot, so the cake will manage…"
"Nice weather we have today… I wish I had a physical body…"
"But you can feel through me, right?"
"Yes, I can… But I have to totally take control to do so."
"Be my guest…"
"Really? I haven't done this in… damn…"
"Go, before I'll stop being a good master."
"Kay, kay, here goes!"
Toshiro felt as if he were sucked through a straw and for a few seconds he didn't see anything. Then, he started seeing and feeling again, but everything was so slow and muffled.
"Yuki… Is this how you feel always?"
"No, no… I felt like this only for the first few days I was in your body. If I left you in this state, you'd get accustomed."
"Ah, okay… Feels weird anyway…"
"Hmmmmmmmmaaaaaaah… This body of yours is… nice…"
"Ain't it? Honed it for at least five years plus the time in Amaterasu's realm."
"I have the urge to play a prank using this body but… I can't strain your trust, right?"
"Don't try anything funny. I just gave it to you so you could experience how it is to have a lump of flesh surrounding your spirit after these centuries."
"Okay, okay…"
The Yuki led Toshiro stepped off the bike. She swayed a bit, but she stood proud.
"I have to get accustomed to the concept of bipedal movement…"
"You were in my body for… realistically almost TWO years, and you don't know how to walk me? Just tap into my muscle memory or something."
"Ah, right!"
Toshiro's body jumped up a few times.
"Yup, got it under full control!"
"How nice…"
Toshiro's body inhaled the air and closed its eyes.
"All these sensations… I want a body…"
"You're asking for too much, Yuki…"
"Yeah… I know… A body for me would cause a catastrophe somewhere… Okay, I'm giving you your body back… Was nice, I hope for more!"
Toshiro felt as if he was shout out of a cannon, and he felt his body back. He swayed a bit, but he manage to stand up. He placed his posterior on the motorcycle, and drove back to the base.
Upon arrival, he saw Tina waiting for him.
"So, did you get it?" She asked.
"Yup. Wanna see?"
"Does the bear shit in the woods?"
"Heh… Here…" Toshiro opened up the box slightly.
"Ooooooh! Jealous!" Tina exclaimed upon seeing the content.
Toshiro closed the box and stepped off the motorcycle.
"Coast clear?" He asked.
"Yeah. The girls are running on the far end of the runway. I doubt they would see you to be honest."
Toshiro looked at the outside, but he only saw a wall of light separating him from the runway.
"Oh physics, I love you…" He murmured. "Then I can go."
"Say, Toshiro…"
"What?"
"Could you give me one bottle of vodka?"
"And why should I?"
"Keiko wanted some booze, and I totally fucking forgot…"
"Okay."
"So fast?!"
"I trust that you won't guzzle it down yourself, or sell it off for some tobacco."
"How could I…"
"Kidding, Tina. Come on, I'm going to the wine cellar anyway."
They went down the stairs, through the supply room and inside of the wine cellar. After turning on the dim lighting, Toshiro placed the cake box in a corner, and surrounded it with a few wine bottles.
"Toshiro, is this it?"
Toshiro looked around, and saw that Tina already pounced to the vodka crate.
"You sure are impatient… Yes, that's it."
"Ummmmmm… Maybe also a wine bottle?"
"But I gave you a wine bottle…"
"But this one will also be for Keiko…"
"You really overuse my generosity and good heart…" Toshiro swiped a random bottle, looked at the label and threw it to Tina.
She caught it without flinching and said, "Danke!"
"Bitte sehr…" Toshiro grumbled. "Out."
Tina obediently went out of the room, Toshiro after her.
"We should go help the girls decorate or something… Did they take the stuff from my room?"
"I believe not."
"I'll go for it, you stash away that booze. Imagine how would it look like it someone took a photo of you now…"
"Ah, talking about photos… Journalists called me, and I'll have a photo-shoot on the way home, heheh…"
"You lucky girl..."
Toshiro took off in the direction of his room. After picking up all the items from the room, of course except the rather big and unwieldy rifle, he went to the dorm. Tasking Yuki with detecting Lynne, he just waltzed on straight to the dorm, and into the common room.
"Ah, you're here, finally!" Erica shouted.
"Why so mad?"
"We waited half an hour because we forgot to ask you whether we can go to your room…"
"Ah, well… Sorry… I forgot I stashed the decorations there… And the sweets…"
"Sweets?" Erica's eyes sparkled.
"No sweets for you, Hartmann." Trude said with an adamant voice and pulled out the bags with candy out from Toshiro's hands. "I'll personally watch over this until the party starts."
"Waaaah, Truuudy! You're mean!"
"You have your own sweets you little glutton. Shoo, off to work!"
"Meeeeeh… But we don't have a ladder…" Erica moaned but looked at Toshiro. "Unless…"
"Why are you looking at me as if I was a ladder?"
"Well, you're tall, muscular…"
"Okay, okay… Hop on my shoulders…"
"Hah, yay!"
Sometime later, the decorations were half-finished.
"My legs are killing me…" Erica muttered as she fell down on the couch.
"My shoulders would like a talk with you, sis…" Toshiro murmured. "But I have to go greet off Tina and Mami. Anyone going with me?"
"I can go." Shirley said.
"Me too!" Francesca cheered.
"Erica?" Toshiro asked.
"Uuuuugh, why not…"
"Hey, don't leave me alone with Eila!" Trude shouted.
"Are you implying something?" Eila asked while fluttering her eyelashes.
"Yuh! Stay away you polar dyke!"
"Heeeeey! Don't call me like that!"
"Yeah, Trude, don't use such expressions." Toshiro doubled her.
"The truth is the truth…" Trude pouted.
"Ah, fuck it… Come on, I'm going…" Toshiro said and left the room with a small entourage.
Tina and Mami were waiting for them outside of the hangar with their luggage. Immediately after spotting him, Mami started waving her small arm at him.
As he came closer, she calmed down a little.
"I knew you would come!"
"And who told you that it would be else?"
"Tina…" Mami said while looking angrily at the mentioned Karlslander.
"Humpf… I thought that you'd immerse yourself in work so much you wouldn't have time for us…" Tina puffed her slightly rosy cheeks.
"This is Droschke-1, 501st come in." Toshiro heard in his transponder.
"Droschke-1, this is the 501st."
"We have orders to pick up two people from you, Herr Oberst, but we see some movement on the runway."
"You're clear for landing, I'll move the girls away."
"Thank you, Herr Obert. Droschke-1 over and out."
Toshiro looked at the sky in the east and saw a glint. He whistled loudly at the girls at the end of the runway. Mio heard him, because she tilted her head. He pointed out the sky behind her. She turned around, looked for a few seconds, and then turned back and gave a 'thumb up' to Toshiro. She then started waving her hands and the three girls along with her moved to the side of the runway.
"Ah, it seems you two will be going?" Minna asked. "What a shame…"
"Did you get used to me, Oberstleutnant?" Tina asked with a wry face.
"No, I prefer Mami." Minna answered with the same expression. "Of course I got used to you… Tina… A shame we were in different units in the early days…"
"Heh… Well, but I got to meet Erica. Now it feels as if we're one big family."
"We are a family, Tina. We're all Karlslanders – outcasts with only a placeholder country… I hope we can cooperate on more occasions in the future."
"The day will come….Minna?"
"Yes, you can call me Minna…"
"The day will come… When all Karlslander witches will unite in one final assault, and that we will fly triumphantly over the Brandenburger Tor… I firmly believe it. And I hope you will help me realize that dream, Minna."
"You're stating the obvious." Minna said with a smile. "Ah, Mio, come on, give a farewell to our guests."
"Goodbye, Marseille."
"Bye, Sakamoto."
"Goodbye, Inagaki."
"Bye!
"That was fast…" Toshiro mumbled as the plane started landing.
"Coooooouuuuusiiiin!" Mami suddenly shouted and lunged at Toshiro. "I'll miss you! And you too, Lynne!"
"Heheh… It's been… pleasant…" Lynne answered red as a paprika.
Toshiro ruffled up Mami's hair and said, "You can always call, you dumdum."
"But it's not the same…" Mami pouted.
"Hey, Tina." Erica said.
"What is it, Erica?"
"First one to pass three hundred can spank the other on the butt."
"Deal!"
They both shook hands, smiling like kids.
"Bye, Tina, Mami."
"Bye, Shirley. The next time we'll get somebody else to decide whose boobs are better!"
"Hahaha! Dream on!"
The plane taxied on the runway and turned around. It was the same plane as Toshiro and company used for trips to HQ. The plane door opened, the stairs fell down.
"Welp, it's time for us." Tina said. "So long, and remember to drink your milk!"
"Bye!" Mami cheered.
Toshiro and the girls waved to them as the two entered the plane and finally flew off.
"Oh well, back to work…" Toshiro sighed.
"Okay, girls, back to training!"
"But we're tired…" Yoshika moaned. "And my legs sting…"
"That's weakness leaving your body! Come on, go go go!"
"Yeeeees…" Yoshika moaned and the three ran sloppily before Mio.
"So, how goes it?" Minna asked.
"We're progressing." Toshiro said. "Want to help?"
"I prefer my paperwork, heehee."
"As you wish. Okay, party brigade, forward march."
They returned to the common room, without Shirley and Francesca. Eila was dwindling her thumbs on the couch, Trude was lying on the other one.
"What took you so long…" Eila moaned.
"That was long for you? Give me a break…" Trude said. "You obviously never had night watch duty."
"I had night patrols, dumbass."
"That's fiddlesticks compared to watch duty. You sit in a small booth, the size of a damn outhouse and stare into the darkness. You're nerves are tense as guitar strings, because you never know when someone might appear, either an enemy, a superior to check on you or someone to pull off a prank. And night patrol? Pfffffffff… You basically fly around looking around. You can fly. But on watch duty, you can't even leave the booth to take a dump. For eight hours."
"Boy do the Karlslanders treat everything serious…" Eila sighed. "Okay, let's continue with the decorating, or we'll grow beards…"
They finished around noon. The decorations were hung, but now a new problem arose.
"Table? Plates? Cuttlery?" Eila asked.
"Ah crap… Buuuut… Heh, we can always ask Mio to do another training exercise around 1500. Give me a second, I'll crystalize the plan…" Toshiro said and leaned against the wall.
He pondered on for a while, earning the anxious gazes of the rest.
"I think I have it…" Toshiro said and told them the plan he came up with.
"It has arms and legs, might work." Trude said. "But basically until 1500 we are all dormant?"
"Correct."
"I'll do my best, bro." Erica said.
"I hope. I'm kind of scared to let Yoshika go alone."
"Me too, heheh…"
"I'll go help Minna with paperwork, you all can do whatever you want."
"Ah, Toshiro. Did you come to aid me in the arduous task of keeping the papers in order?" Minna asked with a sly face.
"Well duh!"
"What's the progress by the way?"
Toshiro related everything to Minna in detail.
"I see... But sending Erica with them? I don't know..."
"Erica is smaller than Trude..."
"Ah, I see now... Okay, I'll note that the three will be one leave since 1500. Or do you want to do it yourself?"
"If I can learn something new, why not!"
"Toooooooshiroo..." Yoshika moaned through the PA system.
He approached the panel and said, "What is it, Yoshika?"
"We're so beat we can't make dinner..."
"Snap... Okay, I'm arranging replacements. Get some rest."
"Okay..."
Toshiro switched the channel and said, "Shirley, Francesca - you're on emergency kitchen duty."
He turned around to Minna and said, "I'll go too."
"My, my. Such a team doing dinner. This really is a special day, heehee... I'm looking forward to dinner."
"I'll try not to disappoint you."
Upon arriving in the kitchen, Toshiro saw the two emergency cooks looking at him with a surprised look.
"What's up, Toshiro? Why drag us here now?"
"Yoshika and Lynne are supposedly dead tired."
"Ah, okay, say no more. Come on, Lucchini, time for some work."
"Nu-uh..."
"Why, Lucchini?"
"Because you're calling me Lucchini..."
"Why are you pouting now? I always called you Lucchini!"
"But Toshiro and Yoshika call me Francesca..." She pouted. "I just processed it..."
"Took you some time... Well okay... I guess we know each other so long that it actually looks awkward calling you by your family name... Well then, let's go, Francesca."
"Yay! Let's go! Toshiro, you too?"
"Bah! Of course!"
"Weee!"
After some time, a weird amalgamate of Fuso, Liberian and Romagnan cuisine was ready to be served. The rest was waiting for dinner like a pack of rabid wolves, and even Mio looked like she wants to eat NOW.
Dinner was served, and the food disappeared as soon as it appeared on the table.
"Hey, Yoshika." Toshiro whispered. "I have a distraction set in mind with you as the main star..."
"But I hope it's not running..."
"No... It's driving."
"I'm all ears."
"At 1500, you'll take Lynne and Erica for a drive. The direction is irrelevant, just away from the base. You have to come back at 1550. Then you'll guide Lynne to the common room. If she'll be reluctant, tell her that Vincenzo told me that the rat killing should be finished, and that he wanted to show the result to Lynne personally. Don't, under no circumstances, let her into the dining room."
"But why Erica? I can drive by myself perfectly..."
"Erica thinks otherwise..."
"Heh... Okay, I can do it."
"I'm counting on you. By the way, where's your gift?"
"I hid it in your chest, heehee..."
"Ah, perfect. I'll fetch it for you."
"Okay, I won't disappoint you."
"What are you two whispering about?" Lynne asked while tilting her head.
"We're discussing new sex positions." Toshiro answered with a straight face.
Lynne blushed immediately and returned to her katsudon with haste. Yoshika giggled and winked to him.
Oh i'm in for something this night...
Minna and Shirley also winked to him mysteriously.
Oh shiiiiiiiiiiit...
"Psssst, hey, Toshiro..."
"Hmm, what's up, Trudy?"
"What's up with the winks?"
"You reaaaaaaaally want to know?"
"Judging by the way you said it - no way..."
"Good."
Dinner was eaten, and the girls started going their way. Toshiro went to the hangar, and he started doing 'maintenance' on the Strikers. After some time, he saw the three bound for the trip coming.
"Hey, bro, we're leaving!" Erica shouted.
"Have a nice trip!"
Toshiro waited for them to drive out of the hangar, and he immediately jumped to the PA panel. After switching to the dorm, he said, "The eagle's out of the nest. Proceed with operation."
Toshiro walked down to the wine cellar and took two bottles and the cake box. Afterwards he went to his room, and opened his chest. The giftwrapped necklace was lying on the top of everything. After taking it out, he place the gift, the glasses which were lying on the desk and the vodka in the rifle's crate. He also stuffed Tina's autograph and the letter to its inside, he put the cake on top of the lid and he took the crate with him to the dorm.
He came in to see the girls moving stuff from the dining room to the common room.
"Toshiro, be a man and help us!" Trude said.
"I'm busy myself."
"What's in the crate?"
"Stuff for Lynne. I'll show you later."
"Ja, ja... And that's the cake I suppose?"
"Yup."
Toshiro put the vodka bottles and glasses inside of the pantry, because he knew that warm vodka is worse than the plague. The cake also needed cooling, since it was a bit warm today. Then he simply brought the crate inside of the common room and placed it in the corner of the room.
"The elephant in the room tactic?" Minna asked.
"Yup. Lynne won't possibly guess that this is a present for her."
"Oh, whatcha buy for her?" Shirley asked.
"Well, come and look, everyone."
Toshiro pulled out the rifle out of the crate and rested the stock on his hip like a hunter on a safari.
"Hoooohoooooo! Ain't that a boomstick! Where did you acquire that?!"
"Adolfine..."
"Figures... She would probably get you a unicorn if you asked for it..." Shirley mumbled.
"There are also some smaller trinkets I have for Lynne, but for now, let's not talk about them." Toshiro said and stowed the rifle back into the crate.
"Hey, now that you're not busy, go get the plates." Trude said.
"Yeah, yeah... My superiors would scratch their heads seeing that my underling is commanding me..."
"Oh don't pull that one on me again..."
"Nah, I won't."
But maybe I should add Trude to our little... soiree? Nah, a foursome is already 300% of what I'm used to...
Toshiro went on to the kitchen and stopped while looking at the plates.
"Toshiro, what's the problem?" Sanya asked from behind him.
"Oh, hi Sanya. I'm pondering which plates I should take."
"Take a dozen of the small ones and a dozen of the big ones." Sanya explained with a smile on her cute face. "Maybe we'll do a barbeque, you know?"
"So Orussians know how to do barbeques? Impressive..."
"Shirley made one when you weren't in our unit. It was fun."
"But I believe we don't have one... Although..."
"Yuki, time?"
"30 minutes till the girls return."
"Thanks!"
"You just gave me a brilliant idea, Sanya."
"Oh? Cool, heehee..."
Toshiro quickly took two stacks of plates and ran with them to the common room. Miraculously avoiding a collision with Perrine, he put the plates on the table and said, "Be right back!"
He ran back to the hangar using the Sacred Flame as a boost. He found and empty oil drum, who fortunately was used to store water. He sliced it in half along the height. Afterwards, he did some magic with some metal rods, both thin and thick. After welding on some hinges, he looked at his creation.
And Toshiro knew it was good.
Toshiro took his construction on his shoulder and went to the common room.
"Toshiro, why did you make a vaulting horse?" Trude asked.
"Tis not a vaulting horse!" He roared and opened it up.
Shirley's eyes almost left their sockets, and the rest was somehow impressed.
"A barbeque!" Shirley shouted. "Toshiro, when, where, how?!"
"Sanya gave me the idea, and I just made it. I think having a barbeque today will be appropriate."
"As hell!" The Liberian cheered. "I will show you all what a true steak looks like!"
"Hide it, Toshiro." Minna said while poking her wristwatch.
"Ah, right. Battle stations everyone! Nobody leave until Lynne enters through that door."
Toshiro quickly ran to the pantry and hid the makeshift barbeque inside. He took the cake, and went to the common room. He placed it on the table and opened the box. The girls didn't hide their surprise.
"Even better than mine..." Sanya gasped.
"How could you, Toshiro..." Eila grumbled.
"This is not a contest." Trude said
A minute before 1600, his ear pressed against the door fished out the girls chattering down the corridor.
"Light the candles, they're coming!" Toshiro whispered.
Shirley flicked her Zippo lighter open and lit the sixteen candles.
"How is it that you always have a lighter handy when I need it?" Toshiro asked.
"You never know…" Shirley winked.
"Uh… Mister Vincenzo? Is it true there are no rats here?" Lynne suddenly asked from behind the door.
Toshiro cleared his throat, and with a slightly changed voice and gesticulating wildly he said, "There ara no ratsa in here'a! Enter, ragazza!"
"Horrible…" Francesca mumbled discontented.
Everyone braced themselves as the door opened. And then, in came the totally unsuspecting and somewhat wary Lynne.
"Surpriiiiiise!" Everyone shouted.
Lynne's eyes widened as they welled up in tears, and she covered her mouth out of surprise.
"You think we would forget about you?" Yoshika said after grabbing her shoulders from behind.
"I… I… I knew that there was something brewing… I just…"
Toshiro approached her and said, "Happy birthday, Lynne."
"Thank you, Toshiro… This… This means a lot to me…"
"Want your present now?"
"You have a present for me? Really?" Lynne asked with her eyes sparkling
"Yeah. Go for that crate in the corner. Though I have to warn you – it's awfully practical."
"It's the intention that counts, heehee…" Lynne giggled and went for the crate.
Toshiro slipped the gift from Yoshika into the hands of the latter.
"Thanks." She whispered.
Lynne opened the crate, looked at the content and turned her head around. She was totally stumped.
"Is this… for me?"
"Yes, Lynne. You think why I didn't repair the mag catch on your rifle? I could do it with a screwdriver…"
Lynne picked up the rifle from the crate. She moved her legs apart and aimed at the wall, looking through the scope.
"Is this that rifle you told me about one day?" Lynne asked.
"Yes. This is the PTRS-41, but it's a special, heavy-modded M1 revision. But the core capabilities are probably the same, being almost two times the penetration of your old Boys. Yoshika, could you wait with your gift, I'll give her something else, okay?"
"Okay."
Toshiro pulled out the photo and letter from his pocket. First, he gave her the photo.
"A bit egocentric but whatever. This is obviously from Marseille." Toshiro said.
Lynne put down her new toy and looked at the photo. The front had Marseille's autograph, but Lynne read out aloud what was on the back.
"Happy Birthday, Lynne. Get laid soon…"
Lynne was now red like a stop sign, but she said, "Thanks…"
"And this is from… well, I don't know who, but it looks important."
He gave her the officially looking envelope. She carefully ripped it apart, but after a few second she said, "Toshiroooo… It's all Cyryllic…"
"Awwww crap…"
"I can be of help." Sanya stepped forward.
"Please!" Lynne cheered.
Sanya took the letter and started simultaneously reading and translating.
"Dear Master Sergeant Lynnette Bishop,
On the day of your birthday, I wish you everything best. May all your wishes become true, and may your aim be always true in service of humanity alongside my compatriot, Aleksandra Vladimirovna Litvyak. May the Mother of God and Her Son keep you in their care as you realize your dreams, and persevere through life.
Sincerely,
Alexei Nikolayevich Romanov, Tsar of Orussia"
"Gospodin…" Sanya murmured and she crossed herself thrice inversely like a proper Orthodox.
"Well, shit… I know that Adolfine has some nice strings to pull, but this fucking tops everything…" Toshiro said after taking a deep breath. "Go, Yoshika, your turn."
"Sure, sure!" Yoshika approached the stunned Lynne and said, "I know that after a letter from the Tsar of Orussia this will be nothing, but here, Happy Birthday Lynne."
Lynne silently took the gift and unwrapped it. A small flat wooden box was unveiled. Lynne lifted its upper half and gasped. With a trembling hand, she pulled out the amethyst necklace out of the box. A murmur circulated the room. Lynne's eyes flooded with tears, and clenching to the necklace, Lynne rushed at Yoshika, hugging her with all her might.
"Thaaaaaaaaaank yooouuuu! Yoshika! Thank you!" Lynne shouted between sobs. "It's so beautiful…"
Yoshika just patted her back as everyone sang Happy Birthday.
"Cake time!" Erica cheered.
"Indeed." Minna said. "Come on, Lynne."
"Okay…"
As Lynne approached, Trude moved aside, revealing the cake to Lynne. Yet another time she almost cried, but Yoshika pinched her in the cheek and said, "Come on, Lynne. Even if you're happy, don't cry so much. The salty tears will spoil the cake, heehee."
"Heehee… Okay, Yoshika."
Lynne bent over the cake, which was decorated in an emblem of the 501st, with a Union Jack superimposed on it, and "Happy Birthday Lynne!" written with white icing over it. She took a deep breath and with a fortunate blow, she blew out all the candles at once.
Everyone cheered and the cake was sliced. After eating her slice, Shirley immediately ran out and fired up the barbeque outside, just beside the common room. The triangular window panes were easily removable and rather tall, so everyone could easily enter and exit.
The time finally came for the toast. Toshiro brought the glasses and two vodka bottles. He poured a glass for everyone.
"Toshiro, is it okay for me to drink?" Francesca asked.
"One shot won't kill you, Franny. Everyone, to Lynne, Happy Birthday!"
"Cheers!" Everyone shouted and quickly emptied their glasses in one go.
Toshiro observed Francesca as her cheeks reddened and her head fell back.
"Hey, Francesca…" Shirley poked her. "What's up? One shot is too much for you?"
Suddenly, Francesca woke up and grabbed Shirley's breasts.
"Woah, what the hell!? Not so forcefully!"
"Old McDonald had a farm…"
"What?"
"E-I-E-I-O… And on this farm he had some boobs…" Francesca sang a nursery rhyme in a grotesque manner while squeezing Shirley's boobs.
She quickly jumped of Shirley, and started approaching Trude with her hands extended.
"E-I-E-I-O… With a tit-tit here…"
"I command you, stop!" Trude shouted, but it was too late.
Like lightning, Francesca struck and grabbed Trude's breasts.
"…and a tit-tit there…"
"Waaaah!" Trude shouted. "Get her off!"
Mio already approached the little boob devil, but she detached herself, and instead groped Mio silly.
"Here a tit, there a tit…"
"I will not… give… in… hnnnnn…" Mio tried to contain herself with all her will power.
Francesca's eyes shined as her empty gaze wandered to Lynne. Lynne got petrified as if a Gorgon looked at her. Francesca immediately rushed at her target, but Yoshika got in her way.
"No, Francesca, this is bad!"
But she dodged Yoshika, and immediately grabbed Lynne's plump bosom.
"Kiiiiyaaaaaaaah!" Lynne screamed.
"Everywhere a tit-tit…"
Minna, though calm on her face, she was like a volcano as she moved, grabbed Francesca by the collar, lifted her up and asked, "Ensign Lucchini, what is the meaning of this?"
"Old MacDonald had a faaarm…"
Francesca suddenly clung onto Minna, making the latter stiff as a pole.
"E-I-E-I…zzzzzzz…" A snoring sound came from Francesca.
"Huh?" Minna exclaimed surprised.
"She fell asleep…" Toshiro said. "Thank the gods…"
"It was getting late anyway…" Minna said and hugged Francesca. "It's surprisingly pleasant to hug Lucchini when she's dormant… Shirley, take her to bed and take a bath afterwards. I'll be joining you soon."
Minna gave a nudge with her head towards Yoshika, and the latter nodded back.
"Let's start cleaning up, everyone." Toshiro said. "Party's over, I hope you had a nice one, despite the little… incident."
"You take a bath too…" Minna suddenly whispered into his ear with such a sensual voice that it made him shiver.
After all the cleaning up, Toshiro took a bath in his room. Squeaky clean and in new underpants, he sat on the edge of the bed and waited in the dark. And hour into the wait, the door opened. Three figures wandered into the room. The lights came on.
The figures were no other than Minna, Shirley and Yoshika, all in bathrobes. As if on command, they all dropped their bathrobes on the ground, revealing their naked bodies.
"It seems that… our first orgy in our lifetime… will begin…" Minna said. "I just have one wish…"
"What is it?" Toshiro asked.
"Please, don't go too rough on me…"
"I'll try, heheh…"
The three lumped onto him at once, clinging tight to him.
"Let's begin." Minna said.
Father in heaven, if this is not something to be proud of, then I don't know what I should do… Itadakimasu!
(apparently the following pages were taken out of the manuscript by an unknown force)
You know the drill regarding cut content ;)
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