Interlude 16: Rinkai

Inside Rinkai's tankery team meeting room, the coach and some of the members of the team held a meeting to discuss the latest developments in the tournament, including their third victory.

"Once again, excellent work against Saunders, ladies," Alexandra said, "but now we're up against Oarai Academy, the ones who defeated them. This will be our chance to show our skill against a relatively weak opponent, and prove just how far we as a team can go."

"I know, Coach," Satoha said. "Oarai does have a knack for overcoming the odds and going far with very little."

"Yeah, and I have my own reasons for wanting to do well here," Emi said. "After being away from Miho for so long and having so much time to improve, I don't want to disappoint her. I'd like to show her that I've been honing my skills, and that I found my own way of doing tankery."

Megan nodded. She was a classmate of Emi and Satoha, and knew the two of them relatively well.

"I gotcha," Megan said. "I heard about Emi and Satoha's stories, but what about the others? Why are you trying so hard to win? All of us have accomplished a great deal in our home countries, but why?"

"Do we need a reason, Meg?" Nelly said. "Winning may not be the be-all and end-all people like the Nishizumi school says it is, but isn't it what we try for, anyway?"

"I suppose," Megan said. "But at the same time, there's a clear difference in how people do when they have a reason to fight for and when they don't. Maybe it's because I'm from America, a more individualistic culture, but I've always believed that people should always get something out of the success that they achieve for their team, or any other organization to which they belong."

"I actually think that makes a fair amount of sense, Meg," Satoha said. "We have our obligations to the team, but we're all here because we choose to be."

"I'm not against it, either," Alexandra said. "I may be focused on the results, but whatever motivates you to achieve them is a positive in my book. While this team has yet to prove itself, all of you have demonstrated your skill, so I see no reason to doubt you."

"So why are we here?" Satoha said. "For me, it's a desire to fight for a common cause alongside my comrades, but I suspect that's not all for everyone else."

Myeonghwa nodded.

"For me, tankery wasn't always an obvious path for me," Myeonghwa said. "I had heard of it here and there, but hadn't had a chance to do it much, as I went to middle school on a somewhat small Catholic school ship."

"What was it like?" Megan said.

"It was a bit stricter than the schools you went to in America, Meg," Myeonghwa said. "We wore a uniform, a bit like this one, except we had a slipover sweater instead of a blazer, the skirt was plaid, and the necktie had blue and red stripes, our school colors. The nuns were zealous enforcers of the rules with little tolerance for misbehavior, and they would often have us write on the blackboard after class for various infractions."

Emi chuckled slightly, recalling the time she had found the requirement to wear a uniform to be very strict.

"Yeah, that sounds like quite the strict place," Emi said.

"Perhaps, but it was for our benefit," Myeonghwa said. "The purpose of school ships are to get children to be independent of their parents, and my school was very up front about what it expected out of us. We may not be able to support ourselves yet, but we have a great deal to learn before then, and they're determined to teach it to us."

The others nodded in agreement. They felt as though they still had much to learn, having come to an entirely different culture, but the idea of going to school on a ship was not new to them. Starting from their commonalities, they could become used to what others, particularly their hosts, did differently from them.

"Of course, there were downsides to all this," Myeonghwa said. "Being separated from my parents was sometimes lonely, especially when one day, out of the blue, I heard that I would never see my father again."

Four years ago

Myeonghwa was in homeroom at her middle school, along with several other girls. School had not yet started, and the homeroom teacher, Sister Francoise, was taking attendance. School had not officially begun yet, but while on campus, students were bound by school rules.

Myeonghwa's cell phone began to ring, she realized that she had absent-mindedly left her cell phone on. Like with most students who were studying abroad, her cell phone was her primary means of staying in touch with her family, so it was possible that several others had left theirs on, as well, and she was the only one unlucky enough to get a call.

"(I believe it's your cell phone, Mademoiselle Choe)," Sister Francoise said sternly in French.

Sighing softly, Myeonghwa decided to pick it up, noticing that the caller ID was from her mother.

"Mom doesn't usually call during the school day," Myeonghwa thought.

"(Hello, Mom,)" Myeonghwa said in Korean. Since neither Sister Francoise nor the rest of the class could understand the language, they watched her expectantly, hoping for her to quickly conclude the call.

"(Ah, Myeonghwa,)" Professor Choe said. "(I'm glad I could reach you.)"

"(Sorry, but can I call back later, Mom?)" Myeonghwa said. "(It's in the middle of class and Sister Francoise is already angry with me.")

Myeonghwa's finger hovered over the button to end the call, not wanting to further risk her teacher's wrath. Having students write on the board was a figment of the student body's imagination, but even relatively minor offenses could be punished with detention.

"(I'm sorry, Myeonghwa, that was absent-minded of me,)" Professor Choe said. "(It's just that after hearing of the plane crash, I haven't been thinking clearly.)"

"(What plane crash?)" Myeonghwa said, and her heartbeat quickened as she remembered that her father was setting out today on an early-morning flight.

"(Flight 4400 went down, and there are no survivors)," Professor Choe said. "(I'm sorry, Myeonghwa, but your father is dead)."

Myeonghwa paled in shock, and at this point, those around her realized that this was no ordinary call.

"(...Myeonghwa?)" Professor Choe said as Myeonghwa remained silent for several seconds.

"(I'm sorry, Mom, I can't talk now,)" Myeonghwa said. "(I'm in the middle of class, and it's too soon for me to come to terms with this.)"

"(I understand, dear,)" Professor Choe said. "(Let's talk later and work through this together. I'm sorry for getting you in trouble... but after what happened to your father, I just had to hear my daughter's voice.)"

Myeonghwa turned her cell phone off and flipped it shut.

"(I'm sorry for the disruption, Sister,)" Myeonghwa said. "(My mother called me to inform me that my father had died)."

Sister Francoise decided to put off Myeonghwa's punishment for another time. She lacked patience for rulebreakers, not compassion or empathy. And since her own parents had died in a car accident when she was a young nun in training, she knew all too well what Myeonghwa was going through.

"(You have my deepest condolences, Mademoiselle Choe,)" Sister Francoise said. "(I will be praying for you and your father)."

"(Thank you, Sister,)" Myeonghwa said.

With a nod, Sister Francoise decided to get back to class. Myeonghwa knew that her studies would have to resume preferably sooner than later, and appreciated Sister Francoise's gesture of kindness, but a part of her found it difficult to accept that life would go on without her father. In spite of that, she realized that she would have to come to terms with the loss sooner or later, and she had all the time in the world to do so.

Present day

A somber silence came over the group, broken only by expressions of condolences toward Myeonghwa. She gratefully accepted them before resuming her tale.

"Good things seem to take a while to work towards, while bad things happen in the blink of an eye," Myeonghwa said. "It's a bit like how a house of cards that takes hours to build can be knocked down with the flick of a finger." Myeonghwa slowly, and almost mournfully extended her index finger from the armrest of her chair, befoe relaxing it. "That's why, even as I work hard to help establish this team, I realize that it won't last forever, and might not last very long. That's why I cherish my friends, while I have them around."

"That's a good mindset," Emi said. "I should know, as I met some of my old friends again recently."

"Before long, I had to get back to school, although I realized things would not be the same," Myeonghwa said. "My mother, my only remaining family, was still alive, and I was grateful for that, but she was quite busy with her job. Perhaps if I had not been in middle school at the time, she might have taken a leave of absence, but she kept working to support me."

"I understood what she had to do, even then," Myeonghwa said. "But school breaks were lonely without her around, and I was hoping to find something I could do to stave off those feelings."

Three years ago

As Monday classes began, the students were already counting down the days until the weekend. Their teachers did not pretend that they had their students' undivided attention, but so long as they behaved and seemed to be paying attention, the teaches did not punish them.

Marie Delacroix, one of Myeonghwa's friends, sat down next to her to strike up a conversation.

"(Do you have any plans for the weekend, Myeonghwa?)" Marie said.

"(None, unfortunately, Marie,)" Myeonghwa said. "(Mom's been busy with work lately, and her university ship isn't stopping in port for a while.)"

"(Sorry to hear that)," Marie said. "(My folks were busy a lot before I started going to middle school, so I have some idea of what it's like)."

"(It's not entirely bad,)" Myeonghwa said. "(She says keeping busy helps keep her mind off of Dad. Every minute she spends in class or at the office is one that she doesn't have to spend in an empty home.)."

"(Yeah, but what do you have to do?)" Marie said. "(Speaking as someone who lost her dad at a young age, I imagine it's hard on you as well)."

Myeonghwa nodded. She had always been hesitant to talk about Marie's father, fearing it would only cause her pain. But after Myeonghwa lost her own father, she and Marie had started talking about their fathers, becoming closer in the process, and Myeonghwa realized that Marie was happy to talk about the fond memories. Talking with Marie helped Myeonghwa realize that she was not alone, and that others could help her understand her own situation.

"(I asked Mom once, and she said that all I could really do at this point was do well in school,)" Myeonghwa said. "(But I know enough to be aware that it's really only not causing trouble for Mom, rather than making things easier for her)."

"(Well, that's probably enough for your mom)," Marie said. "(You're doing alright at the moment, so she can carry on with work, her other responsibilities, and through it all, gradually come to terms with the loss of her husband.)"

"(I suppose so,)" Myeonghwa said, her tone doubtful. "(At the same time, though, I find it hard to believe that this is all I can do.)"

"(That's understandable,)" Marie said. "(It took me a while to come to that realization myself. But you have all the time in the world, Myeonghwa, so I think you'll figure it out in the end)."

Myeonghwa faintly smiled. Perhaps the process of overcoming her grief would not be easy, but she felt as though she would someday understand what she needed to do.

Present Day

"It took me some time before I fully accepted what Marie had told me," Myeonghwa said. "But in the end, I realized that if I was doing well on my own, Mom would be happy for me, and at ease with herself. I gradually began to accept the fact that becoming independent would not happen overnight, although some changes would facilitate it."

"So this is where tankery comes in," Alexandra said, and Myeonghwa nodded. When Alexandra had interviewed Myeonghwa, she had chosen not to inquire about her past or her family. Myeonghwa was grateful for that consideration, but now felt ready to tell her story.

"I first got involved in tankery in high school," Myeonghwa said. "The part about it making girls into good women was appealing, and it was an outlet for my energies. Through it, I hoped to become someone who could live independently and make her parents proud."

"What kind of team was yours like?" Megan said. "Our teams in America run the gamut from sports teams to ROTC-like organizations; and I mean actual ROTC, not just JROTC. Of course, it depends on what level of school you're talking about, as the military academies are clearly more organized than middle schools, and compete in a special tournament with other such schools."

"I'd say the former, Meg," Myeonghwa said, "but we were quite successful in spite of that. It was in my first year of high school that I was able to win the French tournament along with my school."

"Ah, yes," Alexandra said. "We heard a great deal about the tournament, and your being named an MVP."

"That's largely about attitude, Coach," Myeonghwa said modestly. "The member of the team who shows up the most often and shows the best sportsmanship is more likely to get it than the most experienced or statistically best player."

"And that's just as important to a team," Alexandra said. "With a team of so many people who have not worked well together before, we need people whose personalities are amenable to this. Even tankery in general is about working well as an organization, and to some degree, teamwork is more important than skill."

"Thank you, Coach," Myeonghwa said. "But fortunately, I'm not the only one thinking of it this way."

The others nodded in agreement.

"But what you said earlier was true, Coach; getting used to Japan is a bit of an adjustment," Myeonghwa said. "I try to be polite to others, but I do often find we have different standards."

"Well, I think you've got a better grasp of this country's etiquette so far than I do, even though you've been here for far less time," Emi said. "I was never able to get behind the entire idea of Japanese politeness."

"Not all Japanese follow the stereotype, Emi," Satoha said, "just as you're not necessarily stereotypical Japanese, German, or a hybrid of both. Of course, some have a point that a bit of tact and courtesy gets you a long way."

"Fair enough," Emi said, "my mom, who's my German parent, tells me that all the time. It does seem easier, though, to say what's on your mind, rather than constantly worry about what the other people will think."

"Yeah, and people can tell when you're sucking up to them or trying to avoid saying something," Megan said. "Real friends are honest with each other."

"I agree, Meg," Myeonghwa said, before turning to Emi. "The first friend I made in Japan was a girl who was bold enough to tell me that I had made a mistake."

Earlier this year

At lunch, Emi, looking fora table while Satoha stood in line, encountered Myeonghwa. While she immediately noticed that the pale-haired Myeonghwa did not look Japanese at all.

"Mind if I sit here?" Emi said.

"You certainly may..." Myeonghwa said.

"I'm Nakasuga Emi, a third-year transfer student," Emi said. "And you are?"

"I'm Choe Myeonghwa, second-year here, also a transfer student," Myeonghwa said in Japanese, as she set her tray on the table. "It's nice to meet you."

Emi bowed, but then rose to see Myeonghwa standing there, her hand extended and a blank look on her face.

Emi cleared her throat and looked at Myeonghwa expectantly.

"Word of advice," Emi said. "When someone bows, you do the same, especially when they're older than you."

Myeonghwa froze for a moment in shock and embarrassment, before realizing that there was only one thing she could do in this situation.

"I'm sorry, Emi..." Myeongwha said, bowing much more deeply than Emi had.

Emi blushed slightly. In spite of her sometimes irascible nature, she did feel guilty about putting Myeonghwa on the spot as she just had. To Emi, it was possible that Myeonghwa naturally tried to placate others, but it was also possible that Emi had unwittingly given the impression that she was angry with her.

"You don't need to bow so deeply, unless I'm much higher status than you, or you really pissed me off," Emi said. "While I'm a year above you- which means you call me "Nakasuga-senpai" until I give you permission to do otherwise- I'm also new to the school, and, well, I'm not pissed off."

"You're... not angry?" Myeongwha said.

Emi shook her head.

"Of course not," Emi said. "I'm just pointing out where you're going wrong, as I think it's preferable to someone who gets offended and doesn't say it. I always hated it when people dislike something I do and don't come out and say it, their anger boiling like a pot on a stove with a lid on it."

"I do have a lot to learn about this country..." Myeongwha said. "I've only been here two weeks, but that's no excuse..."

"Maybe not, but it's not all that bad of a start," Emi said. "I'll let you in on a little secret; I ended up stepping on more toes in my first two weeks in Japan than you likely will in two years at this school."

"That must be quite something, Nakasuga-senpai," Myeonghwa said. "I hope to hear more about it at some point."

Emi nodded.

"One more thing," Emi said, "which is your first name and which is your last name? I know the concept of giving you family name first, but sometimes get confused as to whether people like you do that or do the Western order for my benefit."

"Choe is my family name, and Myeonghwa is my given name," Myeonghwa said. "Most people I know call me 'Myeonghwa'."

"I see," Emi said. "That's a Korean name, isn't it?"

"It is," Myeonghwa said. "But while my mother is Korean, my father was French."

Emi decided not to ask about the tense Myeonghwa used when describing her father, and instead decided to get to the relevant point- the obvious similaity between the two of them.

"I'm also half-foreign, so I'm partly in the same boat as you," Emi said. "The two of us are a long way from home, and doing things on the Japanese's terms in most regards. I'm just as much of a newcomer as you, so the fact that I'm a third-year only signifies that I'll only have a year to get used to this. So why not do things a way that's more familiar for us, Myeongwha?"

Myeonghwa felt surprised. Few she had met in Japan thus far had made either offer to her, so she eagerly accepted it.

Emi then extended her right hand, and Myeongwha took it.

"I'd be glad to, Emi," Myeongwha said, as they shook hands, before sitting down to eat together.

Present day

"Emi might be different from me in many ways, but she and I are similar when it comes to our experiences in Japan," Myeonghwa said. "That's why, even if we got off on the wrong foot, we did end up becoming friends."

"The unfortunate thing is that while the student body in this school is diverse, people are more likely to find friends who have something in common with them," Emi said. "And Myeongwha and I found common ground in our European halves, rather than our Asian halves."

Most of the others went silent. Looking around the school, one could see cliques of various nationalities. Myeonghwa had four separate sets of friends at her new school- those present at the moment, her French-speaking crewmates, a few of her classmates and the fellow members of her Bible study group. They had all heard of each other, but none of them knew each other especially well.

"That may be true, Emi," Satoha said. "But the idealist in me believes that we all have that little bit in common, and that it's possible to meet someone from another culture and build a meaningful friendship. Right, Hao?"

Hao nodded.

"China has a more standardized set of tanks, done by our national industries," Satoha said. "There are differences between light, medium and heavy tanks, as well as between relatively cheap tanks and expensive ones, but it's not quite the same as the difference between a tankette and the Maus. And unlike other countries, there's no themes in our schools."

"I can imagine that it must have been an adjustment coming here," Megan said.

"I'd call it an eye-opening experience," Hao said. "When I first met with the coach, after winning the tournament in junior stage middle school, I started to realize how large the world was, and how much I had yet to see for myself."

Last year

Hao sat in the coach's office, discussing the possibility of transferring over.

"I am curious about one thing, though, Coach Windheim," Hao said in Japanese, as the subject of school life at Rinkai came up. "You said that 'unlike other schools,' your school didn't have a 'theme.' What do you mean by that?"

"Ah, you haven't heard?" Alexandra said. "It has become popular in many countries, although not China, to have schools themed after various nations. For example, in St. Gloriana, you would wear a uniform much like what British schoolgirls wear, have tea with your schoolmates, and be brought up as a proper English lady. And if you joined the tankery team, you would fight in English tanks from World War II, modified to be in compliance with tournament regulations."

"That seems interesting," Hao said. "But it's not like that, here?"

"Somewhat," Alexandra said. "There are schools that don't follow a theme, like Oarai Academy. But ours incorporates cultures and tanks from a variety of nations. And many of its incoming recruits have done tankery before."

"So " Hao said. "I look forward to learning from my senpais, as I think you put it."

Alexandra paused. In meetings like this, she often had to explain certain aspects of Rinkai to her potential recruits, whether because they were outside of what the recruits were familiar with in their respective countries, or because they did not fit their assumptions about Japanese culture and education.

"The idea of senpais and kohais isn't as firmly ingrained in Rinkai as it is in most Japanese schools," Alexandra said. "Older students do what they can to help out the younger ones, but there's far less of a distinction between them."

Hao nodded.

"Distinction or not, I do have a lot to learn," Hao said. "I'm looking forward to what you can teach me, so count me in."

Alexandra smiled, as she began to pull out the paperwork for Myeonghwa's transfer.

"There's little that makes a teacher happier than hearing that, Hao," Alexandra said.

Present day

"When my school won the tournament in China, I felt like I was on top of the world," Hao said. "But the world's quite a bit larger thanI had realized, and there's more to it. I think there's a saying, 'the frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.'"

"Yeah," Nelly said.

"Tankery in Japan is a bit of an adjustment, but all in all, I like the different machines that are available," Hao said. "I also like getting exposed to other cultures here."

"Like the school festival?" Satoha said. "That was quite nice, and a lot of people had unique ideas for events and attractions, apart from their usual fare."

Alexandra nodded.

"It went quite well," Alexandra said, "considering that it was the first time some of those girls had ever been to, much less held, a school festival before."

"To me, things like that matter more than winning," Hao said. "I'm reminded of the time when that one girl abandoned a flag tank two years ago to save the lives of her teammates; she clearly knew what was most important, so I seek to make the same kinds of decisions."

Emi gave a smile that was halfway between one of warm appreciation and an amused smirk.

"Incidentally, 'that girl' happens to be Miho, the friend of mine I told you all about earlier," Emi said. "She accomplished something more important than winning that day, and became a hero."

The others nodded in approval, but much to Emi's surprise, the normally confident and easy-going Megan looked discomfited.

"So, if your friend's a hero, what does it make the girl who fired on the motionless flag tank?" Megan said. "A villain?"

Emi, caught off guard, shook her head.

"I don't think she knew what was going on until later, since Miho was out of the tank in the blink of an eye," Emi said. "But be honest, Meg; this isn't about Miho or the girl from Pravda, is it?"

"Well..." Megan said.

"I think I know what you're getting at, Megan," Alexandra said. "And before you say anything about that, I'd like to let you reiterate that I don't hold that incident against you. You also don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

The others silently concurred. Megan unwittingly admitting more about herself than she had intended had piqued their curiosity, but if she did not feel comfortable talking about it, they did not feel it was their right to pry.

Megan smiled appreciatively, but shook her head.

"I know, Coach, and I'm grateful for that," Megan said. "But now, I think the time has come to let the rest of you know why I'm here. So far, out of everyone in this room- and this school- the coach, Satoha and Aislinn are the only ones who know what happened."

Satoha, with whom Megan had a confidential meeting to discuss what had happened, and Aislinn, one of Megan's closest friends, nodded in understanding. The others perked up their ears and listened attentively, deciding to wait until after the end of the story to pass judgment on her.

"I'm originally from Georgia- the state, not Nelly's country," Megan said. "The school I attended, which represented the state and is about the same size as this school, competed in the tournament, alongside about 30 other schools with tankery teams."

"Wow, that's a lot of competition," Nelly said. She had an unbroken winning streak in her middle school years, but she realized that winning the American national tournament was something else entirely.

"This year was the first time in a decade that we'd made it to the finals," Megan said, "so a lot of the team was nervous about how things would go. The coach made it clear that we were not to slack off, and mistakes would not be tolerated. Ironically enough, though, we won the tournament because of a mistake- my mistake."

Last year

In a battlefield on the Mississippi River, Megan's school faced off against Lionheart Academy, a British-themed school that was the favorite to win the championship. In spite of the fact that Lionheart had won four times in the past decade, Megan's school was fighting evenly with them until until a distress call came over the radio.

"All tanks, Tank 12 has fallen in the water!" the commander said, having seen the tank go down herself. "Stop engaging the enemy and begin the rescue operation!"

Megan commanded the flag tank for her school, and ordered it to head toward the location to assist with the efforts, and seek safety with the other tanks.

En route to the river, however, Megan encountered the enemy flag tank, a Cromwell, growing closer to her, its gun warily trained in her direction.

Megan had heard rumors that the opposing school, Lionheart Girls' High School, had engaged in less than honorable behavior in the past, such as radio interception, getting members of enemy teams to serve as spies and so forth. A political cartoon had one Lionheart girl, dressed in a uniform and patterned after the previous commander stabbing her opponent with a blade concealed in the flagpole the same way a cane concealed a sword.

Some of the rumors were exaggerated, while others were based on facts, but Megan had no time to sort out which was which. Now, Megan had to make a decision that was critical to the match in seconds, even though such decisions were more often made with her gut than with her head. Would she trust the enemy's good intentions when they had proven treacherous before? Or would she hesitate and possibly regret it later?

In a single instant, Megan made her decision. Her team was expecting her to win, so that was what she would do. Once she had done that duty for her team, she would have all the time in the world to figure out the other flag tank's intentions.

"Fire on the tank!" Megan said, almost reflexively.

The gunner, who was in the same frame of mind as Megan, and one of the few who did not end up blaming her for what she did, fired, and stopped the advancing tank dead in its tracks, a few hundred yards from Megan's position.

The white flag raised on the tank. But then the tank opened and another person came out with a makeshift white flag of her own.

"What are you doing?" the commander of the enemy tank said. "We're here to help you!"

Megan's jaw dropped in surprise, and she was speechless. Her mind barely registered the announcer declaring victory for her school. Her team had won, but could it truly be called a victory?

Present day

"In a somewhat controversial decision- even considering that most wins by decision in tankery matches usually are heavily disputed- the judges upheld the outcome of the game and declared my school the winner," Megan said. "Their ruling was that we had performed better over the course of the game, and that, whatever happened, we had fired a shot first without the enemy trying to retaliate. Of course, everyone knew what I'd done, so I didn't really take any pleasure in the victory."

"I heard about another such incident in the past," Emi said. "In that case, Nishizumi Maho fired on my sister's tank when it went to rescue one of her own, and I later found out that she did so unwittingly. I hated her at first, but I soon realized I didn't know the entire story, much less what kind of person she is. That's why I don't hold it against you, albeit partly because I never had a dog in that fight."

"Well, you're a hell of a lot more understanding than my teammates," Megan said. "At least you admit that you were never there."

"So they threw you and your crew under the bus, Meg?" Nelly said. "I suppose they wanted to do something about the person responsible for the sake of their reputation, but this is just too cruel."

"It ended up not being so bad," Megan said. "The coach came by and they recommended me for a transfer to Rinkai without telling any lies. But I knew their ulterior motive- getting rid of me- and I was leery about this at first."

Last year

Megan met with Alexandra in a meeting room in her school's athletics office. The coach had called her there after practice, giving only the bare minimum explanation that someone wanted to see her.

As Megan walked in, wearing a white cowboy T-shirt and blue jeans, while seeing Alexandra in a dark pantsuit with a white dress shirt and silver necktie, she felt somewhat under-dressed.

"(Thank you for coming,)" Alexandra said in English, standing up from her chair to greet her. "(My name is Alexandra Windheim, and I am coach of the Rinkai tankery team.)"

Alexandra extended her hand for a handshake. When recruiting students from different cultural backgrounds, she had to be mindful of different countries' standards of etiquette. In the first few minutes of meeting someone, factors such as whether to exchange bows or shake hands, how to address them and so forth.

"(I'm Megan Davin,)" Megan said, shaking hands with Alexanddra. "(It's nice to meet you, Coach Windheim.)"

"(Likewise,)" Alexandra said. "(Do you mind if I call you Megan?)"

"(Don't see why not,)" Megan said. "(My teachers and parents call me Megan, while my friends call me Meg.)"

Alexandra nodded.

"(Very well, Megan,)" Alexandra said. "(You can have a seat over there."

As Alexandra took a seat at the head of the table, Megan sat on her right.

"(Your teammates speak highly of you, Megan,)" Alexandra said, as she sat in a chair in front of the desk and motioned for Megan to have a seat. "(They said that you were responsible for making a snap decision that enabled them to win the finals.)"

"(That's a lie,)" Megan said in a blunt and bitter tone, before clearing her throat and correcting herself. "(Or, rather, it's a half-truth, in a sense.)"

"(What do you mean?)" Alexandra said.

"(I did get the winning shot, but while mistaking it for a tank that was advancing on our position,)" Megan said. "(And perhaps they'd be happy to see me go off somewhere, but they're probably not very choosy. When you litter, you just toss a piece of trash, not caring where it lands or what happens to it.)"

"(You know, littering has always disgusted me," Alexandra said. "And to be honest, Megan, I had heard about what had happened. You know what it's like to make a decision under pressure and come to regret that decision, so I believe this will be a valuable learning experience. And the fact that you helped your team get this far means you have a great amount of skill. I've also heard that you have good grades in your Japanese foreign language elective, which is quite a useful skill)."

Megan nodded appreciatively.

"(So am I the only student coming all this way to this school of yours?)" Megan said.

"(No,)" Alexandra said, immediately after Megan had finished speaking. "(There are several others coming here, some of whom are also American. Naturally, a few of them are still weighing their decisions, and have yet to get back to me, but if you accept, you'll likely end up going to school with some girls like you.)"

As Alexandra told Megan more about the school, Megan pondered the decision. She had reasons to be doubtful of Rinkai, but she had to wonder why they would need her, and why they would look to someone like her.

Megan's expression turned discomfited for a moment, as Alexandra shifted to what they expected of her. None of the individual expectations, from specific ones like wearing a unifom, to general ones, like respecting others' cultures, seemed too onerous, but Megan realized, too late, that her expression did not convey that message to Alexandra.

"(Is something wrong, Megan?)" Alexandra said.

"(No, ma'am,)" Megan said. "(I don't want you to get the impression that what you were saying turned me off. I actually think all that is quite reasonable to ask of us.)"

"(That's good to hear,)" Alexandra said. "(I don't expect you to make a decision today, or to do so without any reservations.)"

Megan nodded. While she couldn't shake off some of her doubts, so far, Alexandra had seemed entirely honest and forthcoming.

"(I'll think about it, Coach,)" Megan said. "(I appreciate you reaching out to me, even if I'm not entirely sure why you'd choose me.)"

"(Thank you,)" Alexandra said. "(Here's my business card. I'm going to be visiting a few other places, but feel free to let me know what your final decision is.)"

Megan and Alexandra stood up, shook hands and walked out of the office together.

Present day

"I talked with my parents and coach, and thought over this decision, but I did end up accepting," Megan said.

"You weren't entirely happy with it, Meg?" Myeonghwa said.

"Well, yeah, for two reasons," Megan said. "I did think I'd be letting my teammates win, in a sense. They wanted me out of the school, and by leaving, I'd given them the satisfaction."

"More satisfaction than using you as a punching bag?" Emi said.

Megan shrugged.

"I don't know, but that's not the only reason," Megan said, "The second reason is that I thought I'd end up in a ship full of misfits, failures and rejects, if my being recruited was indicative of the quality of the students. The coach seemed pretty optimistic, but I wasn't sure how well founded that was."

"I'm hardly surprised, Megan," Alexandra said. "I read between the lines of what you were saying well enough, a necessary skill when communicating across cultures"

Aislinn shook her head and then began drawing on her pad.

She first showed Megan a rough drawing of her wearing a t-shirt and jeans, with light shading on Megan's face to indicate her darker skin tone. Then Aislinn added a picture of herself in her old school uniform, followed by each of the others. All of them wore stereotypical outfits of their countries, with Satoha wearing a kimono, Hao wearing a qipao, Emi wearing a dirndl, Myeonghwa wearing a Catholic schoolgirl uniform, Nelly wearing a Georgian dress and Alexandra wearing her suit.

"So I'm no different from the others, right, Aislinn?" Megan said. "That's certainly true, even if it took me a while to figure that out."

"Yes," Aislinn said.

"You understood her picture so easily?" Hao said.

Aislinn used the dry eraser she carried with her, and divided the white board into two. On one, she drew a picture of herself smiling as she listened to Satoha speaking Japanese- literally, as the speech bubble contained the word for Japanese. On the other half, Aislinn had the same speech bubble, but frowned as she said it.

"Aislinn understands Japanese just fine," Megan said. "But it's more difficult for her to actually express herself in Japanese as easily as she does in English. So she's fine with using Japanese to hear commands, give responses, and so forth, but when talking about herself, she likes to draw."

"You've gotten better at it since you first came here, Meg," Satoha said. "I know because I also had to learn German."

"Thanks, Satoha," Megan said, "but it's certainly different going to another country. Since Aislinn and I had that in common, we got to know each other easily. And if we had that much in common, I started to warm up to this school."

Earlier that year

Shortly after Megan's arrival at Rinkai, she met with the coach. in the tankery garage. Megan was wearing her uniform.

"Reporting in, coach," Megan said.

"It's good to see you here, Megan," Alexandra said in Japanese before continuing in English. "(Megan, am I correct in assuming that you speak English better than Japanese?)"

"(Yes, ma'am)," Megan said. "I can converse with most people in Japanese, but feel like I just started)."

"(You're not the only one in that situation,)" Alexandra said, and ushered her over to meet Aislinn.

"(This is Aislinn Wisheart,)" Alexandra said in English. "(She's from New Zealand's Eagle High School, which won the tournament last year.)"

"(Nice to meet you, Aislinn,)" Megan said, then paused, remembering how she had been too familiar with others in the past. "(You don't mind if I call you that, do I?)"

"(Not at all,)" Aislinn said. "(I'm actually glad to hear someone get my first name right...)"

Megan nodded. Many other students from other countries had long and difficult to pronounce names. Nelly, after hearing her homeroom teacher mispronounce her last name for the umpteenth time, proposed that her teacher call her "Nelly-san" instead.

"(Megan Davin)," Megan said. "(My friends call me Meg.)"

"(Nice to meet you, Meg,)" Aislinn said. Shifting her drawing pad to her right hand, she extended her hand, and Megan took it and shook it. As they withdrew their hands, Megan took note of the pad.

"(What's with the drawing pad)?" Megan said.

"(It's a way I use to communicate with others,)" Aislinn said. "(I can speak Japanese, but it's not always easy to say excatly what I want to say.)"

"(I see,)" Megan said "(It's not really practical in a tank, though)."

"(I know,)" Aislinn said. "(But I'm glad to find someone who's in a similar situation as I am.)"

"(Yeah)," Megan said.

"(Still, there are times when showing someone an image is a lot more powerful than saying something)" Aislinn said. "(My favorite graphic novel is one that has no text, only images, and is about a man who's stuck on an island.)"

"(You're a fan of Marooned, too?)" Megan said, immediately recognizing the story and amazed that someone else liked it. "(I should have known; you're from the author's home country)."

"(Thanks, but I heard it's mainly popular in America)," Aislinn said. "(Because it sold so well in the States, it's getting a movie adaptation.)"

"(I know, and I'm excited)", Megan said. "(Some people are complaining that it's in live action, but I saw the trailer and it seems quite well made, like the part when the main character...)"

Megan and Aislinn continued talking cheerfully until reaching the mutual realization that they should get back on task. But once they did, Megan noticed that they were talking normally. Perhaps they were from different countries, but they spoke the same language and had common ground. Perhaps for Megan, this school was not a place for her exile, but a chance to start over.

Present day

"When I talked with Aislinn, I learned a few things," Megan said. "The first is that the school wasn't as much of a dumping ground for pariahs as I thought. The second was that there were people I had a great deal in common with, even among the many people of different nationalities."

"I agree, Meg," Myeonghwa said. "My crew consists of a few other French speakers. The Bible study group I attend on Sundays has Christians of several different nationalities and denominations. And, of course, there's everyone here. All of you are people I never would have met if I had not come to this school, so I'm glad for this opportunity."

"Yeah," Emi said. "Still, with all this diversity, it does seem like kind of a waste that the commander has to be Japanese, doesn't it? Back in Germany, nobody cared that Satoha was an exchange student, or that she'd be returning to Japan for her last year of high school when they made her commander."

"There was a bit of debate over how to select the commander," Alexandra said. "Some of our sponsors wanted a commander from another country, while others were more leery of including foreigners, and still others believed that results should matter most of all. In the end, as a compromise of sorts, they decided that the commander had to be Japanese. Under those circumstances, and with the standards we have, Satoha was the most viable of all the possible candidates."

"Yeah, I agree," Megan said. "The rule isn't exactly fair, but I've noticed that becoming commander's often about who you know."

Megan's thoughts went back to her old school. Their newest commander, Janice Lee, one of Megan's yearmates, had a knack for cozying up to the right people. When Megan became commander of her team, Janice was significantly more interested in talking with her. Megan, knowing about Janice's reputation, remained somewhat wary, and her suspicion was vindicated when Janice turned on her after the incident in the finals. As such, Megan had no interest in the commander position if achieving it required her to take such measures, but she hoped her American peers and other Rinkai transfer students would have a shot at it.

"Is it really a coincidence that our largest contributors happen to be the most persuasive?" Emi said.

"I don't think so," Nelly said. "But is this really so unnatural, Emi? There's a saying that 'he who pays the piper calls the tune,' you know. When people or organizations give you their money, they expect you to make good use of it."

"That's true, Nelly," Alexandra said. "But at the same time, their demands aren't especially onerous. We're meant to do well in the tournament, not necessarily take first place or achieve perfection. We're also expected to attract members and retain a relatively large number of students. It's mostly what's expected of any good tankery team anyway."

Satoha nodded in agreement. What Alexandra described was the one part of Rinkai's mission that had resonated with her the most, and the main reason that motivated her to give her all to succeed, day in and day out.

"I see what you mean, Coach," Nelly said. "But I'm here in large part because of the generosity of others. That's why I want to prove that I deserve to be here, as a way of paying them back. The same applies to the school"

Emi sighed and conceded the point. She had some inkling of why Nelly seemed so concerned with what the sponsors thought, even if Nelly was hesitant to talk about why she needed the scholarship as badly as she did.

"Well, in the end, I think the requirement for a native Japanese commander is a stupid rule," Emi said. "But Satoha's a smart choice for commander, even without the rule in place, and I'm grateful that they're willing to let me serve as her vice-captain, like i did back in Germany."

Emi thought back to two years ago, when she and Satoha were in Germany. When the positions of commander and vice-captain had opened up at the end of the year before last, Emi and Satoha both applied for the commander position, hoping that one of them would get it, and the other would be her vice captain. In the end, Satoha was chosen because while the two were both among the top of the school in terms of tactics and strategy, Satoha was significantly better at the interpersonal and leadership aspects of commanding, not unlike how Miho was when she and Emi did tankery together. Emi wholeheartedly agreed with that decision then and now, and her belief was reflected in her statement.

"I see," Alexandra said. "I'm glad you're being a good sport about this, Emi."

"Thank you, Coach," Emi said. "I'm not one for empty praise, but it's nice to be thanked for the things that most people take for granted."

Alexandra nodded.

"The sponsors approve of our progress so far," Alexandra said. "Despite getting a less than advangtageous position- purely by chance, I might add- we have so far defeated all three of our opponents, including Saunders."

"That does remind me..." Satoha said, "Didn't Oarai have to prove itself?"

"From what Miho said, it's still in the process of doing so again this year," Emi said. "They want to prove that their win last year wasn't a fluke, and they still deserve their reputation as a school that can triumph as an underdog."

"That sounds about right," Satoha said. "I hope they never forget their status as an underdog, and never stop trying to improve. There will always be strong challengers, so they'll constantly have to improve in order to take them on."

The other members silently concurred. They believed that, like with Oarai, the day would come when their school went from being a newcomer that was desperate to prove itself to an established school, fighting to protect its reputation, and hoped that when it did, they, too, could boast of winning the championship in their first attempt.

Author's Notes

Somewhat similar to Pravda's interlude, this was another interlude with multiple characters' POVs; since Satoha and Emi have already had their backstories revealed, now it's time for the secondary Rinkai cast. In stark contrast to Pravda's interlude, which wasn't "paired" with other interludes that told similar sections of the backstory (Saki and Teru, Nodoka and Achiga, Miho and Maho, and Mihoko and Hisa), this goes with the interlude about Miho's old friends, to some degree.

Edited to add a little to the end, including why Emi is content with not being commander.

Character Analysis: Choe Myeonghwa

Myeonghwa has the most detailed backstory so far in canon (albeit which is brought up briefly in Chapter 119), leaving the most to work with. She thus has a motivation to become independent, and while she has come some ways as a result of the school ship system, it seems likely that, since she's studying abroad in canon, she'd also want to go farther before she's truly satisfied.

Myeonghwa's desire to help her mother has some resemblance to Mako's intention to care for her grandmother, and the two will end up meeting each other and finding out how much they have in common.

Character Analysis: Megan Davin

Canonically, Megan seems to bear regret from her taking a cowardly act (sinking another school under 0 so that she would advance without having to deal with "Cold" Touka), so much so that she hopes to take a challenge even if it's not practical for the team. She also has a tendency to angst, even if she doesn't always show it.

I suspect her decision can be compared to Katyusha's decision to fire on Miho's abandoned tank, although without Katyusha's arrogance and foundation of self-confidence, Megan's self-esteem suffered a serious blow. Proving herself an asset to her team has helped, but she still has yet to turn her focus fully to the present and future.

Character Analysis: Nelly Virsaladze

Nelly seems slightly childish and playful, with a slightly aggressive streak as far as mahjong goes. She also has an odd preoccupation with money, and is concerned with what the sponsors of the team think. At this point, in absence of a flashback for or exposition about her, it's anyone's guess where this comes from, but perhaps she's committed to her school's mission in her own way and for her own reasons, as she is here.

Character Analysis: Alexandra Windheim

As Rinkai's coach, Alexandra has a difficult job, somewhat similar to canon. Her team has to prove itself to keep the support of their sponsors, and as such, she tends to be somewhat pragmatic. In canon, she unhesitatingly vetoes Megan's request to try out a new style, saying that it's too much of a risk and wanting the school to shine in the finals, causing Megan to be somewhat depressed at how bluntly Alexandra dismisses good sportsmanship as nothing more than good words. Of course, she's not necessarily a bad person, or even as harsh as someone like Shiho is; she does care for her students, wants them to succeed, and as such, gives them the best advice and coaching she can so that they can perform as well as possible.