Chapter 13: Contingency Plans
The day before the match with Koala Forest, Miho's morning went like any other since she started attending school at Oarai Academy. More than a year had passed since Miho had arrived at her new school, and less than a year remained until she would have to leave. The fact that less time remained until her graduation than had passed since her arrival was a sobering thought, but Miho tried to enjoy and make the most of her remaining time at Oarai, even as she prepared for what would come after it.
Waking up, Miho climbed out of bed and turned off her alarm clock. Having long since gotten used to Oarai, she made her bed, walked into the kitchen and prepared herself a piece of toast for breakfast, having set aside enough time to eat breakfast before school. Her mornings had been significantly more rushed at Black Forest, so she appreciated being able to take her time in the morning.
She then walked toward her closet and put on her school uniform. Whether she was wearing the white sailor fuku of Oarai, the gray and black German-style uniform of Black Forest, or the gray blazer-style uniform of Bismarck, putting the uniform on was second nature to her, and she wondered how she would adjust once she got to college.
Miho walked to school, coming in with the largest group of students, who were punctual but did not arrive especially early to school. After Saro and the other disciplinary committee members marked her as present and on time, Miho proceeded to the main school building, ascended to the third floor, and said hello to her friends from Anglerfish Team before they went to their separate classes. When lunch came, she met the four of them for lunch in the school cafeteria, hoping to eat together when they could, before they graduated and their lives took them separate directions.
Miho had just parted ways with her friends from Anglerfish Team and was heading to her afternoon classes when her cell phone began to vibrate. She picked it up and checking the caller ID, saw it was from her home phone.
"Who could it possibly be?" Miho thought. "And what could they want from me now?"
Checking her watch, Miho saw that she had a few minutes to spare, long enough to find out what the caller wanted. If it took longer than that, but was not vitally important, she could ask them to call back later, although she knew that her family did not frivolously call her.
"Hello, this is Miho," Miho said, expecting that the caller was someone close to her.
"Hello, Miho-sama," Kikuyo, a maid for the Nishizumi family, said. "Are you in the middle of something?"
"Not at the moment, Kikuyo-san," Miho said. "Lunch just ended, but I can talk for a moment."
Miho was already dreading what Kikuyo would tell her. The two kept in correspondence by mail, eagerly awaiting the other's letters but in no great hurry to hear a response. Kikuyo, who wore a kimono while on the job most of the time, but wore more modern clothing, such as suits, when the situation required it, said that while there were times when modern communication was necessary, she enjoyed being able to send and receive letters the old-fashioned way. As such, if Kikuyo had chosen to call by phone, the news was likely to be very important and unlikely to be very good.
"The master was hit by a car today," Kikuyo said. "It was a hit and run while he was crossing the street at work."
Miho listened to the rest of Kikuyo said, but found most of the details besides where her father was and whether he was still alive irrelevant.
"Is Father..." Miho began. "What's Father's condition?"
"He's unconscious at the moment," Kikuyo said. "He survived being taken to the hospital, but he's in intensive care. From what the mistress said, his condition will likely be in doubt for quite some time. I am sorry I cannot give you better news or more certain predictions than this."
"No, please don't be..." was all Miho could say. Kikuyo had to choose her words carefully, and often could only speak on Shiho's behalf. As such, Miho did not "shoot the messenger," so to speak, when Kikuyo delivered her particularly troubling news, like the time Kikuyo informed Miho that her mother was considering disowning her.
"In any case, Miho-sama," Kikuyo said. "I heard your match with Koala Forest is tomorrow."
"That's true," Miho said. "I know that Father always said that we should not let personal feelings get in the way of our duties, but he said that while I was still at Black Forest. Would he feel the same way about Oarai, a school that doesn't fight in the Nishizumi school's name?"
Kikuyo paused for a moment. At the moment, the only person who could answer that question for certain was fighting for his life.
"I cannot say what the master would want you to do in this situation, Miho-sama," Kikuyo said, "but he and the mistress are highly principled. I suppose he would be upset if your teammates performance suffered because you left your command on his account."
Miho remained silent, pondering how to respond. What Kikuyo said was true, but Miho could not help but feel as though it was beside the point.
"This isn't solely about Father, Kikuyo-san," Miho said. "Would my teammates want me to lead knowing about my present circumstances? Can I even do that for them as I am now?"
"I honestly do not know, Miho-sama," Kikuyo said.
Miho sighed. Kikuyo always did her best to answer Miho's questions, but could not always do so, whether because of her position, or because they were ones that Miho would have to answer herself. The latter was clearly the case, but Miho realized that no easy answers were coming to her. People were starting to file into the classrooms, and she realized that afternoon class was about to begin.
"I have to get to class, Kikuyo-san," Miho said. "Please let me know if you hear anything else."
"I will, Miho-sama," Kikuyo said. The two said their goodbyes, and Miho hung up.
Miho hung up, and hurried to her seat, just barely getting there before the teacher began class. Saro, making her final rounds through the halls before her class began, looked back at her, suspiciously, but chose to say nothing.
After hanging up, Kikuyo placed a call to Maho, who had already heard the news and was in the process of heading over to see her father.
"Hello, Kikuyo-san?" Maho said, immediately recognizing the caller ID.
"Maho-sama?" Kikuyo said. "I informed Miho-sama."
"How did she take it?" Maho said.
"She seemed conflicted," Kikuyo said. "She wants to help her friends, but she also wants to see her father."
Maho let off a sigh. As the Nishizumi heiress, she was all too familiar with having to choose her duty over her desires. She was able to take a brief leave of absence to see her father, but that was because she had no vitally important commitments.
"I'm not sure what to say here," Maho said. "Most of my difficult decisions have been between what I have to do and what I want to do, but in this case, Miho must choose between two things she wants. She wants to help her team, and she wants to be there for Father, but she can't choose both. In fact, it might be possible for her to make a choice that does neither."
Kikuyo solemnly nodded. She had many obligations for the Nishizumi family, but they were those she had chosen to take upon herself, and she could walk away if she so wished. As she sometimes reminded people she knew from outside the Nishizumi school, she was a servant, not a slave.
"I think I understand what you are saying, Maho-sama," Kikuyo said. "In life, as in tankery, one may find oneself faced with conflicting priorities and objectives. The only solution is to set priorities, and keep one's mission in mind."
Maho nodded, slightly relieved. Kikuyo had a habit of framing problems in tankery-related terms, knowing that tankery enhanced one's problem solving abilities.
"So Miho must understand what she wants to accomplish," Maho said. "I believe she is able to do that- and is the only one able to make that decision."
Before tankery practice began, Miho had a meeting with the Student Council and explained her situation. Her teachers had noticed that she was having trouble paying attention in her afternoon classes, and while a part of Miho wanted to soldier on, she realized that if she was having this much trouble in class, leading tankery practice, much less an actual match, would be beyond her.
"I'm sorry to hear this, Miho," Natsumi said.
"As am I," Shizuru said. "But I can tell that you're not here merely for sympathy, Nishizumi-san."
"I appreciate all of your condolences, but at this point, I also need your advice, and possibly, your permission," Miho said. "I'm weighing whether to see to my family, or stay behind and lead as I can, given it is unlikely that the problem with my father will improve in time for the match. The most I could hope for is that... the worst... does not come to pass."
The student council members looked at each other, and sighed.
"Ordinarily, the obvious answer would be to advise you to go to your family, Nishizumi-san, and leave the rest to us," Ayano said. "But I cannot, in good conscience, encourage you to do that without saying that there will be consequences for the team. Your leadership is a significant asset for our team, enabling us to overcome the odds. If we go into the match without it, the chances of us defeating Koala Forest will significantly worsen."
"I get that you want Miho to know what's at stake here, Treasurer," Shiina said, "and I know you don't think much of sentimental arguments. But how about this? Is Miho any good to us if she's preoccupied with whether her dad will make it? We don't just ask people to show up; we ask them to do their best, and perform as well as they can."
"Fair enough, Vice President," Ayano said. "Kuzuki-sensei privately approached me after the last class, saying she was concerned about Nishizumi-san, and from what I saw of her, I had to admit I shared that concern. But I still believe that Nishizumi-san's absence from the match with Koala Forest will be a blow to morale, with the sudden departure of a tank commander."
"Perhaps, but isn't that what our vice-captain's for?" Shiina said. "Part of my duties are to fill in for the president when she's unable to do her job, and doesn't Nodoka do the same for Miho?"
Ayano shrugged before turning to Nodoka.
"I do," Nodoka said. "I am prepared to fill in for Miho-senpai should the need arise."
"You know, Treasurer, this situation once happened to your predecessor at her old school," Miho said. "Hisa-senpai... had some family issues, too, and she had to leave the final match to her team from her old school."
"How'd it go?" Shiina said, her eyes shining with hope. Miho and Nodoka shook their heads.
"Unfortunately, her team lost... to my and my sister's team," Miho said.
Shiina let out a sigh, disappointed. She turned to Ayano, but saw that her colleague, in spite of her disagreements with her, took no pleasure in hearing that Hisa's departure had not gone well for her team.
"But by all accounts, Miho-senpai's school's team was significantly stronger than hers, so it would have been a difficult fight even if they had their usual commander," Nodoka said, remembering how back then, her school had been eliminated before long in the tournament. Hisa's school had seemed so impressive compared to hers, and it was defeated by Black Forest.
"You have a point, Haramura-san," Shizuru said, "and I believe that our odds are not quite as grim this time as Takei-senpai's were four years ago. Koala Forest has gotten stronger since last year, but by all accounts, it's still an enemy we can defeat."
"Exactly," Shiina said. "And it's thus possible that Nodoka can lead us to victory over them just as Miho can."
Ayano nodded pleasantly, eagerly welcoming the possibility that the situation was not as bleak as she feared. She prided herself on valuing logic, but valued results above all else, and also was open to new ideas, so Shiina being right was a pleasant thought for her.
"That's possible," Ayano said. "So, Haramura-san, do you believe you are capable of this?"
Nodoka nodded.
"I'm prepared to lead in the coming battle," Nodoka said. "I will do everything in my power to see to it that we win."
"That's good to hear, Haramura-san," Shizuru said. "But in the end, this is not your decision or the student council's decision; it's Nishizumi-san's decision."
"You're not going to tell me what you think I should do, President?" Miho said.
"I do not believe it is my place to do so, Nishizumi-san," Shizuru said, "since the decision is largely based on what you know and what values you have. Your family are strangers to me, and I am not the commander. Since I don't have the familial bonds with those people or sense of responsibility for the team's success that do, it's difficult to understand your predicament or your values. But I will tell you that whatever you do, you should commit yourself to doing it and not look back. If you lead us tomorrow, lead us to victory. If you see to your family, stay as long as you need to and come back when you are ready. The others have effectively outlined what the problems are and what is at stake, so it is up to you to decide what you value most. You know what your choices are, so now it is up to you to choose."
Miho nodded, considering what Shizuru, Shiina and Ayano had said thus far.
"And what about you, Natsumi-san? What do you think?" Miho said, turning to the one person who had not weighed in thus far. A part of her felt as though she was asking too much, but another wondered what she could possibly contribute to the team as she was.
Natsumi shook her head.
"I primarily act as a representative of the Student Council, speaking in favor of whatever decision we have come up with collectively," Natsumi said, taking on the serious tone that she did not use when trying to persuade people. "It's not our place to decide this time."
Miho nodded, having reached her decision. A part of her felt as though she was asking too much of the team, but what could she contribute, as she was? If she was culpable for the loss if they were defeated in her absence, would she not also be culpable if she failed to lead them to victory?
But she quickly put those thoughts out of her head, because this was not a question about responsibility or blame, but about competing desires to help the people closest to her. Two choices stood before her, mutually exclusive and seemingly opposites, but Miho believed that there was a way to achieve the best possible result for all concerned, and made that choice.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Miho said. "I must take a leave of absence and see to my family. Right now, I feel as though I can barely focus, and I do not believe I can give you the efforts you deserve, the efforts necessary for us to win."
"I see," Ayano said calmly. "Then I, along with the rest of us, will do what I can to overcome these odds without you. You aren't the only one with a weight on your shoulders, Nishizumi-san, and the rest of us have to do our parts."
"Please don't apologize, Miho," Natsumi said reassuringly.
"Yeah," Shiina said. "You've clearly thought this through, taking our interests and the feelings of your family into account."
"I do have one more piece of advice to impart to you, Nishizumi-san," Shizuru said, "one that I have learned over the course of this year."
"What is it, President?" Miho said.
"The unfortunate truth is that there are times when you make what you know to be the right decision, or the best possible decision, but don't feel as though it is a good choice, especially when you're a leader," Shizuru said. "You should not presume to be infallible, but you should not let your doubts prevent you from doing what you believe is the best choice."
"I won't," Miho said. "I thank you all for understanding, and wish you good luck, Nodoka-san."
"One more thing, Miho-senpai," Nodoka said, before Miho left. "I can lead the team as a whole, but what about your crew? Who will lead Anglerfish Team?"
"Yukari-san will lead," Miho said. "And I hope to talk to her before I leave."
Before leaving, Miho had a brief meeting with her crew, discussing the revised positions. Essentially, the only thing that had changed was that Yukari was both the loader and the commander.
The arrangement was less than ideal, given Yukari's job of loading the shells, but the circumstances left little other choice. Mako and Hana were preoccupied with their other roles, and they were among the best at drivers and gunners, respectively, among Oarai's team. Saori had once led during the practice match, but only as a result of a random drawing, and she quickly realized how out of he depth she was. Only Yukari had any experience commanding, during the battle with St. Gloriana, and she chose to take on the role, knowing she had large shoes to fill.
"Do all of you understand what you need to do?" Miho said, after briefly explaining the revised roles.
"Well, only Yukari's job has changed," Mako said, and Saori and Hana nodded.
"Yes, Nishizumi-dono," Yukari said. "Although I must say it is a difficult task to fill your shoes."
"You won't be filling my shoes as team commander, Yukari-san," Miho said. "Nodoka-san will be leading everyone else, so your task is to lead Saori-san, Mako-san and Hana-san while following Nodoka-san's orders."
"I know," Yukari said. "I trust Haramura-dono, the person you chose as your second-in-command, to lead us well."
"So do I," Miho said, "but even if you're not our commander or second-n command I'm sorry to thrust this responsibility on you so suddenly."
"Don't be," Yukari said. "Things like this often happen."
"I know how important this is to you," Mako said, "and I'd support this even if I got leadership of the team thrust onto me. I know all too well what it means to regret a decision, and how you feel when one of your loved ones is sick or hurt. So, if you've gotten everything in order, get going and leave the rest to us; you don't have a second to waste."
"I see what you mean," Miho said, "which is why I must be going. Thank you, everyone, and good luck."
Miho bowed in gratitude before taking her leave.
As Miho quickly walked away, and was soon out of earshot, Saori turned back to the others.
"Miporin didn't say it, but she's clearly still conflicted about this," Saori said. "It's her family, but she still feels responsible for us, and she's not happy about how things stand at the point, even considering the nature of the situation as a family emergency for her."
"That's very much like her," Yukari said. "Nishizumi-dono cares for all of us, but she's only human, and she has doubts of her own. It thus makes sense that she'd struggle with a difficult decision like this, and feel less than certain about her choice."
"Then the solution is simple," Hana said. "We must manage in our absence so that Miho-san does not believe she is leaving a hole in the team. We must do our best so that Miho-san knows the team is in good hands. We must win so that Miho-san does not regret her decision."
"Yeah," Mako said. "A goal like that is one that even someone like me tries hard for."
After making a brief announcement to the team about her becoming commander, which was met with polite acceptance, Nodoka called Erwin aside for a private meeting in the office.
"You wanted to see me, Vice-captain?" Erwin said.
"I'm not all that much of a stickler for etiquette, Erwin-senpai," Nodoka said, "but if you'd like to call me by my title, I'm 'Acting Commander' right now.'"
Erwin nodded. Nodoka had agreed to call her by her "soul name" during one of their practice sessions together, so the least she could do is accede to this request.
"So what did you want to talk about, Acting Commander?" Erwin said.
"To put it simply, Miho-senpai needed me to temporarily fill in for her, so I now need someone to fill in for me," Nodoka said. "I'd like you to be the acting vice-captain for this match. We're thinking about getting Azusa from Rabbit Team ready, but she still has some ways to go, and of everyone on the team, you seem to be best for the short-term, even if you're graduating at the end of the year."
For Nodoka, the choice for a deputy vice-captain came down to Erwin and Azusa. While Azusa was considered as a possible candidate for a vice-captain once Miho graduated and Nodoka filled her place, both Miho and Nodoka had agreed that Azusa was not yet ready. Erwin was possibly the optimal choice, given that she had a wealth of knowledge about armored warfare, but her not having actually commanded anyone besides the three other history enthusiasts in the StuG meant that she might not be a good choice.
"I'm all for that, but what does that entail?" Erwin said. Her tone was mildly enthusiastic, but subdued by the gravity of the responsibility she was about to assume. Nodoka had not vocalized her inner thoughts, but those ideas were not lost on Erwin.
"Essentially, you will help me form the strategy for the match, but you're doing that already," Nodoka said. "Apart from that, should my tank get taken out, you will have to command the remaining Oarai forces."
"And what if my tank gets taken out, too?" Erwin said. "The comm... Anglefish Team managed to survive most of their battles, so transferring authority never came up before."
Erwin had barely caught herself in time, but both of them knew that not having Miho around would be a difficult burden to overcome.
"In that case, I suppose Akiyama-senpai or Azusa could take over," Nodoka said, almost offhandedly. "But in that case, we've already lost two of our better tanks, and in a practical analysis of the situation, we've likely lost some others, as well. Essentially, this is one of the worst possible scenarios under an already less than optimal set of circumstances, and it would be almost impossible to win."
"Just like Stalingrad," Erwin said.
"Of course, regardless of circumstances, there won't be any allowances made for us or second chances," Nodoka said. "We have to show up to the match on the appointed day with everyone we have available, or we will be disqualified. And if that happens or we lose, then we will go no farther in the tournament."
"I know," Erwin said. "History often records valiant efforts by the losers of various conflicts, but as the saying goes, it's most often written by the winners."
"That may be so, but in the end, we can only do what we can," Nodoka said. "Just like what Miho-senpai and Hisa-senpai have been doing until now. Most of us are holdovers from the team that won the championship, and those that weren't are getting up to the others' level. Let's prove that Oarai's strength doesn't just come from its commander."
Meanwhile, Miho made her way back to Kumamoto, a trip she had taken many times in the past, but never on short notice. She had packed a few essentials and booked passage there, but realized that the trip would take her all night, and a great deal would change by then.
She glanced over the railing of the boat that carried her away from the Oarai academy ship, a small ship that carried some supplies and a few passengers. While students were meant to spend most of their time on the ships, transportation to and from the ships was relatively easy to obtain. Yukari, while infiltrating Anzio, could have chosen a more traditional route of ingress, if her purposes had not required her to remain undetected.
Of course, while Miho was able to secure the means to reach her father's hospital in Kumamoto, and with Oarai Academy's ship off the west coast of Kyushu, she was in an optimal position to do so, the trip would not necessarily be easy or short. It would take her nearly an entire day of travel to reach her father, but what would she find when she reached him? Was the decision even the right one?
Miho's thoughts drifted back to the other option, the one she had not taken. She felt as though she was abandoning her team, and wondered if she, even at reduced capacity, could at least give her all, just like everyone else was. Of course, in her old school, it had taken more than enthusiasm and hard work to become part of the main team, and Maho had to tell many members of the team that their performance was not up to the level that Black Forest expected of them, even if they were trying their hardest and were an optimal frame of mind.
She recognized the emotion as the one Shizuru had told her about, and realized that such doubts were common when one made leadership decisions. Shizuru was starting to realize that not all of her decisions would be easy, and was wondering whether she could so easily criticize Anzu for doing what she did. Perhaps Shizuru would have sympathy for Miho if people took issue with what she had chosen.
In the end, Miho's decision had been made, and the team's success lay in the hands of Nodoka and her other subordinates. She still had to wonder whether her decision was the right one, but she felt confident that the girls who had helped her team win so many times in the past when fighting under her would be able to do so again without her.
Author's Notes
The Koala Forest arc will test Oarai's ability to do tankery battle without Miho. In the future, Oarai will have to succeed without many of the members whose skills led them to victory in the past, and no battle will test them more in this regard than one in which they must fight without their leader and most valuable member.
In particular, Miho's decision is by no means easy or clear-cut, and the various discussions and debates explore the pros and cons of each option, as well as the possible consequences. In the end, Miho makes her choice, but since she has yet to see what will come of it, she is still not completely sure about it.
While Miho has gained a great deal of confidence in the last year, she is understandably vulnerable and doubtful here because of her circumstances. It's thus plausible that no matter which decision she makes, she will feel a great deal of unease and doubt.
Character Analysis: Riko "Erwin" Matsumoto
Or "Why Erwin isn't vice-captain in Necessary to Win."
As a character, Erwin is defined first and foremost by her love of history. A somewhat telling point is the talent show in OVA 6, in which each team is forbidden from using their specialty, which varies (for Duck Team, it's obviously volleyball, while the Anglerfish Dance is the only thing besides tankery that Anglerfish Team has in common). While popular among history fanatics for this reason, the fact that she can't go beyond her obsession with history means that any fanfic writer will essentially have to build her character mostly from scratch.
Erwin is also Miho's yearmate, meaning that she will graduate at the same time as Miho. Perhaps she could fill in for Momo once she graduates, but she cannot replace Miho. She also has a great deal of knowledge about World War II-era armored vehicles, but little command experience. As such, she's probably a passable short-term replacement vice captain, but there are better candidates for Miho and Nodoka's long-term successors.
In terms of competence, I would rank Erwin and the others who were or might have been Oarai's commander as follows:
1)Miho. Oarai's team fits her own style of tankery well, which is why she has been able to lead them to victory time and again.
2)Hisa, and Nodoka by the end of her high school career. They're both talented in their own right, although Nodoka's somewhere between here and third place at this point.
3)Azusa by the end of Necessary to Keep Winning. Her skills will improve quite a bit, even if she may never reach the same level as her senpais and predecessors. Arguably, at this point, she's slightly below fifth place, though.
4)Nodoka at the beginning of her time at Oarai. She has skill, but has not had all that much success in the past.
5)Erwin, for the reasons I mentioned above.
6)Azusa as of the start of the series, since she's just another newcomer to tankery.
Dead Last: Momo. In addition to her trigger-happiness making her an atrocious gunner, she also does not possess the calmness or tactical acumen necessary to be a good leader. She is a fairly good loader, though.