Chapter 42 – Eve of battle

Today is the day… Today is New Year's Eve, and if we fail, the last day of humankind… For the past three days, the girls underwent murderous training. But it worked! Their Final Arts became at least ten percent more effective! And the fun I had battling Yoshika and Mio at the same time, buheheheh… Speaking of which… I did it with her, heh… I really hope I won't regret this… Sure, I want kids, but what if we fail partially, and instead of a one-day Armageddon, it turns into a war of attrition? Yoshika would be soon incapable of effective combat, and I would guilt trip myself until she would be… Damn…

But I've made a few mods to my cannon, or rather the equipment associated with it. Now I have two supercharged projectiles waiting for me, both in special, quick load assemblies. If bad turns to worse, I'll just fire the two in succession. Losing the cannon will be a shame, but whatever… Today, we rest. Or at least try to do so. I held up everyone till midnight yesterday, and told them breakfast is two hours later than usual, so we won't go into combat like living corpses. I guess I have to thank Yuki for adjusting me to the new time schedule. And it seems Kuji also did his job, since Yoshika is snoozing hard.

And I can't let the thought perish that that vision was accurate in every detail…. I already had one like this when I was about to die in the crash in Britannia… But I can't let Yoshika know of this, or she'll worry herself sick…

Well anywho, time to get up, I have something to do today…

Toshiro started moving, but of course, Yoshika immediately detected movement of her beloved, and said, "Is it time already?"

"Yeah, the usual plus two hours."

"Okay… I guess I have to go… OR no…"

"Please, Yoshika, you'll wear me out…"

"Hey, in a few weeks, no more oompa oompa, so you'd best use your chances up right now… Especially that we've already decided…"

"Well, nothing bad could happen out of it… Why not!"

"Hahaha! I knew it!" Yoshika said before her lips were sealed with those of Toshiro.

At breakfast, Toshiro looked around the gathered. They all looked normal, but felt tense, so he came up with an idea.

"Hey girls, to prevent you from losing your minds, I'll be going around the rooms and talking to you all, just to kill the time."

"Sure, why not…" Erica said. "Anything to fill the time will do."

The rest nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'll start with Shizuka and Heidi, since both are our newest members, okay."

"Sure," Heidemarie said.

"O-Okay," Shizuka added.

"Then eat up, both of you, so you have the energy to put up with me, hahaha!"

"Awww, but Toshiro…" Yoshika mumbled.

"Hey, don't be a stick in the mud, Yoshika. You receive support every day from me."

"Especially in the night…" Minna mumbled.

Toshiro briefly looked at Yoshika, and saw he shake her head discretely, so he looked back at Minna.

"Envious much?" Toshiro asked with a smug face.

"Of course I am…" Minna said and puffed her cheeks. "Half of us are jealous that Yoshika can get boned every day for at least twenty days a month…"

"Talk about sour…"

When they finished eating, Toshiro followed Shizuka and Heidemarie into their room.

"Sit on your bunks, I'll take the chair."

Shizuka mounted the top bunk and Heidemarie sat on the lower one.

"Well now, first I'll ask you, Shizuka – how was your time here?"

"This was nothing like I thought it would be during training in Fuso. I mean… I've met so many nice people, I've battled Neuroi, and… and I even got my own magic type… The last months were probably the most intense I've ever experienced!"

"And you've had your share of fun with your idol, huh?"

Shizuka's face reddened and she said, "With both of my idols…"

"Ah, right, you're in the club, heheh… Well, it's nice to know you had fun. Now, Heidi, same questions."

"I never thought I would join the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, even as a temporary member. And look at where I am! And I'm in the same unit as my best friend, Sanya. But I think I owe the most to you, Toshiro. You took me in to the unit, you helped me overcame my fears… If I had to repay you in money, I think the whole orchard wouldn't be enough…"

"Luckily, I have enough money, hahahaha!" Toshiro laughed heartily. "So, want to do something with me now? I think I can spare an hour for both of you."

"I… I can't think of nothing," Shizuka said.

"Me neither to be honest."

"Fine then, next pair. Stay sharp!"

Toshiro exited the room, and without bothering to knock, he entered the room of Erica and Trude.

"Oh, Toshiro!" Erica cheered.

"Sit down on your bunks you two, time for a little chat."

"Sure," Trude said.

With Erica on top and Trude on the bottom, Toshiro asked the former, "Erica, how was your time spent with me?"

"Should I start from the beginning?"

"Yeah."

"Well, at first I was like, "Wooooooooooooaaaah, seriously? A wizard? What the flying fuck?" but then I saw the good guy in you. I still remember how I proposed that I would be your ersatz sister… You really spoiled me, Toshiro. You've bought me sweats, you've made me a birthday party, and you gave me earrings that probably would cost me half of my pay back then… Recently you gave me a slight push to reveal myself to Trudy and stop this charade… But I wish you'd do it a bit earlier…"

"I took your little outburst of intelligence back in Romagna with a grain of salt…"

"Heheh… No wonder, I've been proving the contrary for all the time… But you could have somewhat deduced it from Ursula's intelligence level…"

"Didn't think about it to be honest. The cheerful, slightly ditzy, and messy Erica was just burned into my mind…"

"Oh well, I guess nobody was harmed… Unless you have a different opinion, Trudy?"

"You really could have said it back in the JG 52…" Trude sighed.

"Heheh, sorry, but back then, I just returned from the Genie Einfuhrungs Programm practicum, so I was a bit… too anxious…"

"Oh, and you damn well were! You and Marseille, Mein Gott… Good that I was a rank higher than you two…"

"Hey, don't mess Tina in… She was and still is a bit too eccentric for her own good. And you could give her some rest…"

"Yeah, yeah… I'll go and drink a beer with her one day…"

"That's the spirit!" Erica cheered.

"Well now, how was your time with me then, Trudy?"

"Umm… You probably still remember our rough start, huh?"

"Well no shit… Everyone probably remembers my purple arms…" Toshiro mumbled.

"Sorry for exploding at you like that…"

"You already apologized."

"You know, when you sucker punched me like that, I immediately gained respect for you. I mean, come on! I was the strongest in the unit by far! And you sent me flying with one punch… Later you helped Yoshika heal me… You visited Chris in the hospital with the both of us… And you started your devilish plan to get Shirley and me closer, you son of a gun…"

"You know me…" he shrugged.

"And suddenly, you became my cousin… God must have winked towards me that day… And you somehow got Chris for Christmas Eve! Ugh, Toshiro, Toshiro… A shame you didn't gain your powers earlier… I really would have enjoyed more of your company from earlier on…"

"I didn't choose it, you know… But it's nice that you think so warmly about me…"

"The Barkhorns keep tight together, Toshiro. Don't ever forget it," Trude said in such a way that Toshiro felt as if his chest went on fire.

"Not in a million years! So, anyway, want to do something with me?"

"Me? Nothing I can think of…" Trude responded. "Oh, wait, you could help me do the final checks on the weapons!"

"Sure, come on."

"Hey, can I come with you?" Erica asked.

"Sure, come on!" Toshiro said.

"I always wanted admired your diligence in weapon maintenance, Trudy, heehee…"

"Well, you could have said so earlier…" Trude said with a red face. "And you could have applied some of that diligence to your own good, damn you to hell! How can you lose your damn loader?!"

"I actually found it when we were moving out of Sint Truiden…"

Both Trude and Toshiro threw a disgruntled look at Erica.

"Sorry…" she said and laughed dryly.

They went to the hangar and proceeded with the last checks for the weapon. Every moving part was checked carefully, and Erica was taking note of everything.

"Not that hard…" she admitted after everything.

"Took you long enough!" Trude yelled.

"Heheheh…"

"Okay you two, time to visit the next pair. Stay strong!"

"You too!" they replied loudly.

Toshiro now went to Shirley and Francesca's room, and he saw them both lying on their bunks.

"Ah, you came!" Francesca cheered.

"Better on his legs that the other way…" Shirley said with a wry smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I bet it was dirty…"

"You know me, Franny… So I have a question… How was it serving with me?" Toshiro asked.

"Huuuuummm… Well, at first I thought "Woah, what a big girl! She must have boobs the size of watermelons!", but sadly, you crushed my dreams, heheh…" Francesca snickered. "But later I really started liking you, despite you smacking me with a piece of iron, heh… And you're always nice to Shirley, so you already have a hundred million thousand bonus points!"

"Oh my, I must have won a prize!"

"Heehee!" Francesca grinned.

"So, my dear redhead, same question for you."

"Well now… You really impressed me after you dropped down that robe and mask, and you certainly left me stunned when you deduced I'm a mechanic."

"That was a fluke."

"Really now?"

"Yeah, you might as well been a farmer, or any other kind of physical worker."

"Hmmm… Well, continuing, I certainly have to be grateful for you tinkering with my Mustang so I could be the first to cross the sound barrier… Even if you trumped me soon after…"

"Well, I held back, just as I promised."

"Yeah… Shame you didn't hold back after the party…"

"Oh, will you be talking about that night?" Francesca asked.

"Yeah…" Shirley said with a dreamy voice. "Toshiro took my virginity, which I basically offered to him on a silver platter… But it was so damn worth it… Even if Yoshika won in the end…"

"Shirley, how does it feel to have sex?" Francesca asked earnestly.

"The first time? Chaotic, short, maybe even a bit violent. But the second time, hoohoooo…"

"Wait… You had a second time? When?!"

"Errrrrr…"

"Francesca, let's say that Yoshika is a bit liberal in terms of intersexual contacts between the members of the 501st and me…"

"Oh… So Yoshika let you bump Shirley again?"

"Yeah."

"Sure was generous of her…"

"That's why we all love her, right, Shirley?"

"Yeah… And now I love Trudy…"

The two looked at Shirley surprised.

"Hell fucking no! Not like Eila and Sanya! It's all your fault anyway, Toshiro!"

"Yeah, I kind of forced your hands…"

"Well anyway, I have to thank you for bringing us closer… Sure is better to have some honest, heartfelt laughs, not those sarcasm ridden snickers…"

"No problem, Shirley. Both of you, want to do something now?"

"Can I go to Delos?" Francesca asked with an innocent smile.

"Wuzzat?" Toshiro asked.

"A very special place for me!" Francesca cheered. "It's an important part of history and… uh… Shirley, help me!"

The redhead smiled and said, "What Franny wants to say is that on the island of Delos, there are ancient ruins pertaining to the history of both witches and "the rest" of humanity, if I may say so. It was really something when I first saw it. The Lucchini family seems to have some special connection to that place… You know, precious memories and stuff."

Toshiro looked at her with wide opened eyes and said, "I thought that of the two of you, Francesca was the genius…"

"I told you multiple times that I'm not just a walking tit rack," Shirley winked. "Being with you and all the girls that suddenly started revealing their smarts kind of affected me," she shrugged. "But before you ask, I don't know the numbers. And no, I won't start behaving differently."

"But you want to know, right?"

"Yeah, sorta…"

"Maybe after all of this, huh?" Toshiro asked.

"Maybe," Shirley shrugged again. "Would be nice if I was at least as smart as our boob devil, heh…"

"Oh Shirley!" Francesca tucker herself into Shirley's bosom. "You're always my bestest of all friends, even if you're a dummy!"

"That sounded as if you stated it as a fact…" Shirley muttered.

"Heheh, sowwy," Francesca laughed dryly.

"So, I'll ask you again – what do you want to do now?" Toshiro asked.

"I want to take a nap!" Francesca cheered.

"Then you can do that alone. You, Shirley?"

"I guess we should do a quick check of the Strikers…"

"Then let's go."

"Oh, then I'll follow you! Nothing like the whiz of jets to put me to sleep!"

"Just remember about your blanket, it's damn cold," Shirley said.

"Okay!"

Francesca took her trademark blanket and she followed Toshiro and Shirley into the hangar. After they arrived, she quickly scaled the ladder on the side and placed the blanket on a strut.

"Ain't she something…?" Shirley sighed. "Okay, work time!"

They proceeded with the calibrations, which took them time to dinner.

"Toshiro, you still didn't visit us…" Perrine pouted.

"Sorry, I did weapon and Striker maintenance, but don't worry, I'll be visiting you just after dinner."

"Well okay…" Perrine mumbled.

"Eila and Sanya will be next, and then Mio and Minna. After that, I think I will rest a bit."

"What about me?" Yoshika asked with a cutesy smile.

"You're the last, heheh…"

"Aaaaaww…"

"Well, you'll be helping me with the rest part…" Toshiro said with a sly smile.

"Oooooooooooooh… I get it…" She responded with an even slier smile.

Toshiro could heard the girls mumbling around him angrily. When dinner was finished, he followed Perrine and Lynne to their room. After everyone made themselves comfortable, Toshiro popped the question.

"Lynne, how was it all those months with me?"

"Hmmm… At first, I was a bit surprised… I didn't know any wizards existed in our times… And I guess I was a bit scared but… I saw that Yoshika felt rather comfortable beside you, so I took that as a good prognostic… You could say that I opened up towards you because of Yoshika, heehee… But it was all really fun, because you cared about us…"

"Heh, thanks… So, you, Perrine?"

"Me? You remember how you played me the first time, right?"

"Yeah, heh…"

"That sort of won me over…" she mumbled.

"So fast!"

"Hmmm… But beside that… You helped me with my mouse problem, bah, you even stood up for me! And you meddled enough to get me closer to Yoshika… Thanks…" she mumbled. "And closer to the Major…"

"She'll always be the Major to you, huh?"

"Yes!"

"Heh… Well, want to do something together?"

"No, I'm good," Perrine said.

"Me too, Toshiro," Lynne smiled.

"Okay, I'm off then. Have a good day!"

"We will!" the two cheered.

Toshiro went into Eila's and Sanya's room, and a bit surprisingly, they both sat on the lower bunk.

"Are you sleeping together now?"

"Yes," Sanya responded. "Since Petersburg, Eila finally manned up and started sleeping with me."

"Well hey, since you're two officially a pair… How does it feel?"

"Nice…" Eila mumbled.

Sanya grabbed her hand and said, "We finally shed a load from our hearts, Toshiro. But I guess that us being together so… deeply is partially your merit."

"And what did I do, hmm?"

"You always helped our relationship when we had bad times for instance."

"Don't forget that Yoshika also had her share of helping."

"Yes…"

"I remember when I first saw you… I thought you were a Karlslander or Orussian, so big, with such muscular legs and arms… I was a bit scared to be honest…"

"But then came the first Neuroi attack?"

"Heh, yes… I saw you from your delicate side, and I knew that I shouldn't fear you. Later you've shown me that I was right," Sanya smiled brightly.

"And what about you, Eila?"

"Me? Well… I was a bit afraid of Sanya when I saw you…"

"What? You thought I would overpower Sanya in some dark corner and ravage her with full force?"

"Heheh… Kinda…" Eila laughed dryly. "But when Sanya told me she trusted you, I started looking more favorably at you!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"And… Thanks for getting us together more tightly…" Eila mumbled.

"So much time spent together, and you still behave as if I'm the first man in your life… Welp, time to go to Mio. Don't worry too much, okay?"

The two nodded.

"Want to do anything together?"

"Hmmmm… We would like to spend the time alone…" Sanya said with a small blush.

"I see no problem."

Toshiro went over to Mio. She was sitting on the top bunk, as if waiting for him.

"So, Toshiro, what exactly is that you want?"

"I want you to give me a brief summary of how it was to serve with and under me."

"Aaaaaah… Getting sentimental are we? But you already perfectly well know what I think…"

"Refresh my memory a tad."

"Well okay… You know, when that drunk Sergeant reported he saw you pulling up a shield, I thought "Pff, stupid shit drunk…" but then…"

"Then your curiosity overcame you, huh?"

"Yup. So I asked around a bit and found out you like early morning jogging. The rest you remember perfectly well."

"Uhum…"

"You impressed me from day one, Toshiro, and that's something rare. Even Miyafuji… shit, sorry, I mean Yoshika didn't strike such an impression on me."

"Because she was just another healing witch, right?"

"Yes. They are rare, but well… A witch is a witch, especially a total amateur… But you… A man, a wizard even! Somebody who could blow out the candle of my life with such ease… Yeah, you chiseled yourself in my memory hard…"

"Okay then, I won't bother you anymore, since you've probably been the one I've spent the most time outside of our bases."

"I guess…"

"Want to do something together?"

"Nope, I'll be honing my sword now, so I want absolute solitude."

"No problem, Mio."

Thus, Toshiro arrived at Minna's room.

"So I'm the last one…" she sighed.

"I figured you have the strongest mentality of all, so I left you as the last one to visit, beside Yoshika."

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"The past. How was it to have me as a subordinate and then superior?"

"I kind of liked you more as my subordinate, heehee… I at least had control over you… Ah, but those were my more… misandric times…"

"Well no shit… First night together and you already wanted to pop me…"

"I was really scared you know… I was scared I would fall in love with you, and that you would end up like Kurt… But I did anyway…"

"You did…?" Toshiro pondered. "Ah… Yes… I think you told me something about waiting for the right moment…"

"Yes… If Yoshika dawdled a week longer, I would make my move. But hey, at least in Romagna I could let loose, if you know what I mean…" she winked.

"I'm sorry for being a bother, and I'm glad to have pleased you, heheh…"

"You helped me get over Kurt, you got me to relieve my sexual tension, you reformed the unit, et cetera, ad nauseam, ad infinitum, ad mortem defecatam… And you are only ONE man…"

"Are you mad?"

"No… I'm glad I could meet such a nice guy in this war ridden world…" Minna said with a warm voice. "Say, Toshiro… Are you asking the same question all around?"

"Yeah…"

"You don't think we'll make it, huh?"

"There's always the possibility… And if I'm meant to die, then I have to take it with dignity…"

"I see… So you wanted to die at least knowing what the girls thought about you, right?"

"Yup."

"So why don't you return the favor?"

"Tell the girls what I thought about them? Well… Okay… At supper. But I'm warning you, I won't hold back…"

"I don't care… We will take that knowledge to the grave either way… I assure you…"

"Kay. Now, off I go to have some sex with Yoshika."

"Wait a second… Isn't she in her period right now?"

Toshiro gave her a sly look. Minna ruffled her eyebrows and said, "Are you telling me that…"

"Maybe…"

"So I'm the first one to know?"

"Uhum."

"Heehee… I hope they will be as healthy and beautiful as you two!"

"Thanks, Minna. Anything you want to do before I go ravage Yoshika?"

"You could ravage me, you know…"

Toshiro went silent for a few seconds.

"Kidding, kidding. Go now."

Toshiro exited the room and went next doors to his room. Yoshika was lying on the bed and watching the ceiling.

"Daddy's here!" Toshiro shouted.

"Heehee… I've been a bad girl, you know… Why don't you take your rod and… punish me?" she asked with a sultry voice.

"Cower before my rod!"

Toshiro took a nap after and he found himself in Amaterasu's realm. He was lying on his mother's lap under the usual tree.

"What do you think, Toshiro? Will you win?"

"I don't know, Mom… I really don't know… My friend told me how the power of the Matriarch scales to mine, and I had this ominous dream… But if I die, hey, at least I'll be with you…"

"Don't say such things, Toshiro… You have Yoshika, and my sources say she's pregnant."

"Sources, huh?" Toshiro looked to the side where he saw the giggling Amaterasu. "That's true."

"How nice… I'll finally have grandchildren!"

"Heh… Just you watch over them, okay?"

"Bah! It's a privilege! Just teach the squirts to pray to their grandma!"

"Of course!"

They both laughed, and then Amaterasu said, "Toshiro, I have a guest for you."

"Oh?" he straightened himself out and saw a balding man with a moustache in his late forties, wearing a white kimono and a small moustache. "Him…"

"Welcome, descendant."

"I don't know if I should talk to a man who wanted to murder my ancestor just because he had found some floosie…"

"I must admit that my actions were rash and unwise. I had only thought about my Tenka Fubu, and thus…" he fell flat on the ground. "…I apologize."

"Get up, Nobunaga… You were a man who almost united Fuso."

"Yes…" he said and stood up. "But my dear Kozaru finished my work."

"So, Ami, why did you bother getting this poor soul here?"

"He has something to tell to you…"

"Oh really now…"

"Dear descendant… Signs and portents are important, do heed them. Do not let this be your potential Honnō-ji!"

"Ami… Why are you letting third parties know about my dreams?"

"I thought that you'd appreciate the knowledge of your elders… You could forgive the poor sap…"

"Ugh… Well… Okay, I forgive you, Oda Nobunaga… But I won't forget!"

"Thank you, dear descendant."

"It's Toshiro, a rather traditional Fusojin name. And I'm surprised you aren't adding "bastard" to that "descendant.""

"I have officially acknowledged the child of Rinko, but it was on my deathbed..."

"Guess they didn't heed the dying words of Nobunaga… IF that's true."

"It is, Toshiro," Amaterasu said.

"Shit… I guess you are a good guy after all…" he sighed.

"I will leave you a gift, Toshiro," Nobunaga said. "You will know when to use it."

"Everyone is cryptic… Whatever…"

"Now, back to sleep with you," Akiko said. "You need to rest every bit today."

"Sure Mom…"

Toshiro woke up to gentle poking. The poker was none other than his deer fiancée.

"Had a good nap?" she asked with a radiant smile.

"Of course I did… You probably were mostly by my side, right?"

"Yup! Okay, come on, it's supper time. It hope not the last…"

"Geez…"

He entered the common room with Yoshika, but before they descended, he stopped.

"What is it?" she asked.

Quite the solemn atmosphere we have… Time to lighten up the mood a wee little bit…

"Girls, as you may know, I was walking around and asking one question – how was your time with me? Well, now I'll tell you the opposite, mainly how was the time with you. Full disclosure! Shizuka!"

"Yes?!"

"You really pissed me off to high hell at first. Yoshika was complaining that you were bothering her with unnecessary strictness, and on top of it, you led her into a nice mess! But you've finally opened up to me later, and I'm grateful for it. You are a really nice girl with potential, but you should try to have more fun, okay?"

"O-Okay!"

"Heidi!"

"Yes?"

"Silent and taciturn, I somehow liked you all the time. I always wondered what are you thinking all the time in silence, but I didn't want to pry in. Now, after all what happened recently, you sure improved. You talk more, you're more energetic, and the lack of those bottle-bottom glasses really makes you more beautiful."

"Oh... Oh really?" Heidemarie reddened up like a lobster, looking around.

The rest of the girls nodded.

"Well now, next up is Erica."

"Oh shit…" Erica said.

"Your shenanigans have always livened up the life in the unit, you know? And I'm eternally grateful for your proposition of being my ersatz sister. Also, I'm glad you're finally using that noggin of yours for something else that wearing that cute bob cut of yours, heheh…"

"Oh come on, Toshiro… You're making me blush…"

"Hah! Well, I wonder how Trudy will react then!"

"Me?! With a stern face!"

"Well, we'll see… Despite a rather rough start, I've grown to like you. Maybe it's the Karlslander part of me that likes your way of being. Always on time, always ready, never looking for excuses. And how can't you like somebody who devoted her life to her little sister, and, to top it, is my cousin?"

Trude was now so red on her face that she was almost steaming.

"Well now, Francesca, everyone's favorite boob devil. Oh, you sure made me laugh, all the time. Well, at least when you were available, you cute little sleeper, heheh... It's never a dull moment with Franny! And you've learned how to cook, you little rascal!"

"Heehee, thanks!"

"Now, Shirley… You sure were giving me a headache a few times…"

"I can already see where this is going towards…"

"Yes, and probably everyone knows. You tried advancing on me, but Yoshika kinda foiled your plans. But hey, you're just like your familiar in bed – a damn fast bunny rabbit, heheh…"

"You don't have to give the details to everybody…" she mumbled.

"But the thing I like about you the most is your straightforward and cheerful attitude. Where everyone sees the glass half-empty, you see it full, hahaha!"

"Now, that's better, ha!"

"Sanya now… Hmm… I always liked you for you politeness and openness towards me, despite me being a big scary log. And you're so cute, that I don't wonder why Eila chose you as her life partner…"

"Oh shucks…" Sanya waved him away.

"Speaking about Eila, you're also cute in some manner. And your reluctance and haughtiness also give you a mysterious aura. And your reactions towards Sanya are always a bucket of laughs, heh…"

"W-What do you mean?!"

Sanya suddenly leaned over to Eila, and with an innocent voice she asked, "Eila, will we go to our room now?"

Eila almost fainted, but she managed to sit straight.

"O-Okay, S-Sanya!"

"See?" Toshiro asked, and the girls giggled.

"Oh!" Eila grumbled angrily.

"Let's go on to Lynnie… I liked you for your well behavior and tameness. You were always a nice sidestep from the rest, and your friendliness really won me over. And you were the first friend that Yoshika had in the unit. Besides me, of course, heheh…"

"No problem, Toshiro," Lynne answered with a cute smile.

"And Perrine… Ho boy… Did I hate you for picking on Yoshika… But you turned over, and suddenly bam, I like you. And I have to thank you for the same reason as I thanked Lynne, mainly the fact you've befriended Yoshika so strongly."

"Well, somebody had to teach the raccoon dog some manners, right?" Perrine asked in her usual way.

"Boy I haven't heard that one in a while…" he sighed. "Okay, now's the time for some shocking revelations. Minna…"

"Ugh… Whatever now…"

"I really disliked you for the cold shoulder you gave me on day one, but after… clearing it out, I couldn't help but to sympathize with you. And progressively I started to like you, as a man, and as a soldier. But yeah, Yoshika kind of had dibs on me… But, heh, let me tell you that sex with you was something…"

Most of the girls looked surprised at both Minna and Toshiro.

"Yes, we had sex. But Toshiro, if we're going all out on honesty, maybe Yoshika could clear some misunderstandings first?"

"Well, I can…" Yoshika said. "But everyone promise that this information will not be repeated."

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, let's start with the fact that I'm bisexual. Furthermore, beginning from Romagna, we had threesomes and sometimes even more. I let Toshiro bang everyone I knew personally, so Minna, Mio, Adolfine, Shirley, Kaylie and Layla. The two of us also had a lesbian foursome with the Eila and Sanya of that world. I also did Mami, Trude, and Eila myself," Yoshika said with a straight face. "Oh, and we both did Maia."

The uninitiated looked at Yoshika, Toshiro and the present offenders with big eyes and opened mouths.

"All true…" Mio mumbled.

"Wow…" Eila gasped in wonder. "Toshiro, I knew you were humping Yoshika on a daily basis, but this? Wow…"

"Well, I guess that's that…" Toshiro said. "Oh, and there's Mio. I'll do it quickly – after we landed in Britannia, we just started slowly getting on the same page. I admire you your perseverance and combat skills. And for the fact you've started my journey, heheh…"

"All in a day's work, Toshiro. So, maybe we should start eating?"

"Yeah, we should," Toshiro responded. "What do you think, ladies, will this be our last supper?"

They looked at each other and yelled, "Hell no!"

"Ha! That's the spirit."

When they finished, only half an hour was left till the departure. Suddenly, a vision of a ring flashed before Toshiro's eyes. He slowed down time to an almost complete halt and looked at it. It was still on his left hand, glimmering gently with its mysterious monochromatic energy.

Supposedly this ring is special… I wonder… I never felt that it interacted with me so I really don't know what's the deal with it, especially that I can't remove it, and I don't actually feel it on my finger until I think about it… Hmmm… This really is a mystery… And why do I have the knowledge of the Atsumori all of a sudden?

He resumed the time flow, moved in front of the fireplace and said, "Before we go through the tactics for the last time, I have a little… presentation."

"Oh, fun!" Francesca cheered.

Toshiro took a deep breath, and slowly moving, he started a chant in a low but melodic voice.

"Ningen Nijuunen! Geten no uchi wo kurabureba, yumemaboroshi no gotokunari. Hitotabi sei wo ete, metsusenu mono no arubekika?"

The girls were amazed, but Francesca asked, "What?"

"A man's life of 20 years under the sky is nothing compared to the age of this world. Life is but a fleeting dream, an illusion Is there anything that lasts forever?" Mio answered. "That was Nobunaga's Atsumori song and dance, slightly modified. But… How could you do it so perfectly?"

"Remember, that I'm his descendant," Toshiro winked. "And this won't be my Honnō-ji!"

"Hahaha!" Mio laughed. "So you want to die after all?"

"Oh… Ah, crap, I messed that one up…"

He saw that the girls had a puzzled look, but Minna sighed and said, "Fusojin stuff…"

They went through a final briefing, and then assembled in the hangar. After carefully checking their gear, they mounted their Strikers. Toshiro took his MG and the Agneyastra, with both a projectile from Kye and his own blend. He also took the detonator for the Siegespfeil.

"Toshjro, it's time…"

"Okay."

"Strike Witches! Move out!"

"Roger!" They all cheered.

"Gott mit uns!" Trude yelled.

God is dead for all I care…

After warming up the engines, the thirteen witches and a single wizard went out into the black night, to fight the last battle of their lives.

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