As the New Years came along, several changes were brought upon the witches. The foot hold on the Gallian border has been broadened, the unit was starting to get more recognition, the base they resided in was getting better conditions day by day, and the best part: new equipment.

In a hurry to increase the firepower that land witches produced, they were all sent shipments of modification kits to add coaxial machine guns to their strikers, each gun from their respective countries. Maintenance crews were busy installing the guns, which may prove useful in close ranges.

Along with the kits, a convoy of military trucks brought with them production-grade strikers. The most spectacular delivery was from Britannia and Neue Karlsland; 4 modified Churchill heavy tanks acted as tractors, working in pairs to bring the large A22 Churchill Mk. VII for Jessica Gorman and a new Jagdpanther for Johanna Boelter. Both had increased firepower, the Jagdpanther using the 88mm PaK 43/3 Mounted Witch Combat Gun and had a load more defensive capabilites. The same tanks were used to haul back the Mk. VI and the Ferdinand, which would be sent to reinforce other theaters of war.

The witches were excited with the new machines; Elizaveta was currently showing off the power of her new T-34-85 tracked legs, complete with an 85mm ZiS-S-53 Witch Combat Gun, and testing the 7.62mm DT machine gun. Félicia was nearby, frowning, and she attached a Karlslander MG 34 to her unit.

Jennifer was looking over her new Cromwell strikers, with more speed and defensive capabilities, which made her old Crusader strikers outdated. It also boasted a new Quick Fire 75mm Witch Combat Gun, which outclassed the QF 6-pounder WCG. The Suomi sharp shooter wasn't left behind, and Marjatta was revving the magic engines of her new StuG III Ausf. G tracked legs from Neue Karlsland, an MG 34 mounted above the mounted 75mm StuK 40 L/48 WCG.

But as everyone was getting to know their new equipment, one witch had not received even a single round of ammo. It was the Imperial Fuso Army witch, Nishizawa Kanako, wearing a scarf and was standing in front of the base, straining her eyes, searching for any sign of transport trucks.

"Ngh… It's still so cold at this time of year…" she mumbled, rubbing her hands together in a futile attempt to generate heat. This was her first Hispanic winter, and it was colder than the ones in Fuso. Her cheeks were the color of the country's iconic sakura flower from the cold, and small puffs of air could be seen leaving her lips.

She raised her left arm, checking a watch her father had given her when she left for Europe. The stainless steel watch ticked like it normally should, the glass so clean that she could see herself reflected off the surface. They're so late… She continued to peer beyond her, hoping to see the telltale gas exhaust of a vehicle.

"Hey Kanako, why're you standing there?" Kanako turned to the sound, seeing as Fauna came over to the Fusojin. "Ah, Fauna-san!" she exclaimed, her cheeks becoming a deeper shade of pink, "I'm waiting for a delivery, but they haven't shown up yet…"

Fauna was soon standing next to her, wearing a Liberion Army trench coat and her helmet's goggles. "Is that it? Well, I better keep you company then…" They waited together in silence, when Kanako asked, "by the way, did you receive your new equipment yet, Fauna-san?" Fauna looked over at the Asian witch and nodded. "Yeah, got a pair of M4A3 Sherman units, same weapon, better handling, and it comes with that good 'ol Ma Deuce, the M2 Browning." She paused before asking, "Do you know anything about what you're getting?"

Kanako shook her head. "They just told me to wait." And wait they did. But after several minutes, the IFA witch eventually gave up. "Maybe we should…" "Wait," Fauna interrupted, hushing her, and pointing to the sky. "You hear that?" Kanako focused her listening, and heard a low humming sound from the sky. "I think that's a…"

Eventually, the entire base shook softly by the humming of a large aircraft coming their way. Kanako turned, and her face transformed into one of an excited child. "There it is! A Nakajima Ki-49! An Imperial Army plane!" The twin engine bomber was on a beeline approach to the Hispanic base, dropping altitude and lowering speed. The bay door opened, and the silhouette of a large object dropped. But it wasn't ordinance; it was a crate, which soon produced a parachute, allowing to glide down safely to the snowy ground below.

The guards waved their helmets as the plane passed overhead, showing off its Imperial Fuso roundel. Kanako and Fauna ran to the spot where the crate was landing, and watched as it hit the snow, the parachute covering it slowly. They approached it, noticing the box was larger than how it seemed. They pulled off the fabric, revealing the planked box with Fusoan letters on it.

"Property of the Imperial Fuso Army!" Kanako exclaimed, so excited her scarf fell off. Fauna picked it up, and put it around the girl's neck once more. "Calm down, let's get it opened first." Kanako nodded, and a guard came by, a large crowbar in hand. He began to peel the wood off the crate.

Finally, the side fell off, and revealed the mysterious contents. A striker unit, a witch gun, a machine gun and an envelope were found inside. Kanako opened the envelope, which read:

My dear Kanako,

Enclosed in this letter are the specifications of the new unit before you, the Type 3 Chi-Nu medium tracked legs. Also included are its Type 3 75mm Witch Combat Gun and a Type 97 machine gun which is ready for fitting. This new unit hopes to fulfill the promise of a modern Fuso tank, which is armed with one of the biggest guns we could find.

I hope you are doing well with the witches in the 401st, and I recall a Liberian witch in the unit who uses M4 Sherman strikers, which are almost identical to this unit. Train with her on how to use these, as they are completely different to the units you've used in the past. I pray for your safe return to Fuso.

Fight well and bring honor to the army!

Signed, Keoko

Kanako took a brief look at the papers behind it, which was filled with technical data on the unit and its equipment. She was filled with joy at the prospect of a new and more powerful unit. Finally, worthy Fuso tracked legs! Arigato, Hyakutake Keoko-sensei!

As the maintenance crew took the units out and began work on them right away. Fauna took a look at Kanako, who was dazzled by the strikers. "Kanako, do you think you can handle the new strikers?" Fauna asked. Kanako gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean, Fauna-san?" "Well…" Fauna waved over at the tracked legs. "The unit is obviously slower than the old one, and you'll need to use the witch combat gun differently, seeing as how you're directly moving from the small 47mm to this high-velocity 75mm cannon." Kanako didn't know what to answer. "Well, I, uh…"

Suddenly, Marelda appeared, with Sandy trailing behind. "I see you've gotten your new unit, Nishizawa," Marelda said, looking at the dark-green medium strikers. "Is there any data on it?" Kanako hands the commander the letter, and she didn't understand a word of the language that was so foreign to her.

"Well… From these numbers, I can presume that these new tracked legs are very similar to the M4 Sherman units." The Fusojin nodded in agreement, and so did Fauna, with a curious thought running through her head, which showed on her face. "Interesting… That means that I can help her out easier." Marelda nodded, and said, "In this case, you two are going to be paired for the time being. A fourth platoon was recently made, D platoon, and I'll put Sandy in there along with Verdeja and Odetta. You two and Karlyn will be C platoon." She turned to Sandy, "will that be okay with you?"

Although there was a smile on her face, Sandy's face was dark. "It'll be a pleasure to work with my other colleagues." She then walks off without another word. "What's with her?" Fauna wondered out loud. "You don't?... Honestly, you are so clueless sometimes, Pool," Marelda answered, and she handed the letter back to Kanako. "I want the translated version on my desk soon," she ordered, and walked off. "Haik, Wittmann-san!"

They watched as the commander walked off, and Fauna turned to Kanako. "Looks like we're platoon mates now," she said. "Yes, it seems so, Fauna-san…" Kanako answered, still looking at the unit in progress. "Hey Kanako…" The Fuso witch looks at Fauna curiously. "Yes?" "Isn't there a suffix in your language for people you treat as friends?" Fauna asked, scratching the back of her head. "Eh? Oh, you mean 'chan'?" Kanako said. "Yes, I believe so. You wouldn't mind referring to me as that, would you? I don't like feeling like the superior." Kanako smiled, and replied, "haik, I'll do that, Fauna-chan." Fauna sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"It's finished!" shouted the lead engineer. "Wanna go do some test runs?" Kanko nodded eagerly. "Of course, Fauna-chan!"

"This thing is so slow!"

Although that was the only thing she said, Kanako was complaining about how the unit was so different in a heated session in her head. The gun's so heavy, the recoil is huge, and the shells are so heavy to load… It also proved awkward to move, where she was used to the Type 1 Chi-He, or the popular Type 97 Chi-Ha and Type 89 I-Go strikers she used during training. They were relatively smooth to operate.

"Of course it is, these aren't light strikers!" Fauna replied, wearing her M4A3 unit, a mounted M2 Browning mounted on the right leg, the 76mm gun in her hands. "Medium strikers like these rely on a balance of speed, armor and firepower on the field!"

Kanako grimaced, remembering a report on how Fusoan and Romagnian tracked legs aren't labeled correctly. For instance, the Type 97 tracked legs are classified as medium strikers, but by international standard they are only light strikers. Alicia's P40 is also called a heavy striker in Romagna, but they are comparable to the Mark IV strikers from Karlsland.

The Type 1 was only an over modified Type 97… In other words: this was her first time using medium tracked legs. "Unlike light witches, we medium witches aren't very fast, but we pack a punch. We also aren't heavily armored like heavy witches, but we are much more maneuverable." Fauna demonstrated by gracefully weaving around some obstacles, and firing a shell at a broken half-track.

Alright… Kanako attempted the same course, sometimes scratching against the obstacles, and her shot went over the roof of the vehicle. Another shot finally hit it, but Kanako was frowning. That's not it… She began the course from the beginning, and when she failed again, she restarted. The old side of her began to show: the student that kept going until she was better than her teachers. She kept traversing the course, with its abundant supply of broken vehicles to serve one last time. Fauna watched, shouting tips and encouragement to the Asian witch.

Kanako forgot the cold, which began to reach its climax, which was just below 0 on the Celsius scale, a temperature which would have forced the island witch to stay indoors. But she completely ignored it, tightening the scarf to keep her lips from cracking and outputting enough energy to make the magic engine keep her warm. A couple of witches came to watch, Félicia handing Fauna a blanket and Elizaveta with a thermos of hot chocolate.

"I don't need any, Oruso," Félicia said when offered, rejecting the drink. Elizaveta shrugged, and downed the extra cup. She was only wearing a sweater, as if the weather was nothing for her. "How long has she been up to that?" Elizaveta asked. Fauna sipped her chocolate, and answered, "several hours I believe. Her magic supply is pretty huge. I think she might be about finished though. Her striker is looking tired."

Like she said, the Type 3 was melting all the snow it touched, and Kanako was finally about done. I think I got it… She ran the course with drunken grace, and landed a shot with pinpoint accuracy. Yatta... She then slumped over on the spot, the magic engine finally dying.

Fauna got up, quickly walked over to Kanako, pulled the ejection lever, and caught Kanako in her arms, who was fast asleep and shivering. She draped the blanket Félicia had given her, and carried the smaller witch into the base. Good job…

She laid the Fuso witch on her bunk, covering her with another blanket. Kanako's eyelids opened slightly, and Fauna tucked her in, shaking her head. "You did well, just take your rest." Kanako nodded slowly, closing her eyes. "Arigato… Fauna… chan…." She muttered under her breath.

"Alright, let's review the plan!" The witches were all facing Marelda, who was standing in front of her huge Tiger I tracked legs. The snow had begun to stop falling, as the transition to spring was beginning. But it was still cold enough to show when a witch breathed.

Two kilometers from where they stood, a town was visible. "To take Hendaye, we're going in with a couple of other units. The Division Azul will start with an airstrike, which we'll follow. We'll then be supported by the Hispanic Volunteer Armored Brigade as we penetrate the outer defenses." Both were Hispanic units, but the Armored Brigade was not composed of witches, but of conventional tanks, mainly T-26's and Panzer I's, but a single PzKpfw IV Ausf. F was also tagging along.

A crackle on a nearby radio was heard. "Hola, this is Teniente (Lieutenant in Hispanic) Mariana Cuadra Medina." Marelda picked up the receiver, and said, "this is Lieutenant Colonel Marelda Wittmann, how can I help you, Teniente?" "Ah, si, we're arriving earlier than planned."

On that note, several magic engines were heard humming overhead. The land witches looked up, seeing a small group of witches, wearing Flak-Wulf 190 strikers, an assortment of weapons in hand, one of them held an M1 Bazooka. They even seemed to have bombs attached to their units. They also wore blue panties, possibly a reference to their division's name, the Blue Division.

"Everyone, get your gear together!" All the witches scrambled to their strikers, a large buzzing through the earth as multiple magic engines roared to life. They were all set, and waited for the command. "We're going to destroy their defenses in one, swift strike. Johanna, you and your platoon will provide fire support from that ridge, the rest of you know your positions!" Marelda shouted. "Yes ma'am!" They all watched the Hispanic witches near their targets.

Soon, small silhouettes could be seen dropping from the witches' strikers. A trail of rocket smoke also slammed into the enemy down below. Screeching could be heard, and lasers soon filled the skies. Odetta, as always, was sitting below a shadowy tree near the town, radioed in, "The first bomb hit its target, and combat has begun."

"Panzer vorwarts!" Marelda roared, and the entire battalion surged forwards. The ground rumbled as they all rushed towards the town, not stopping at all for breaks. As they got closer, they split into four groups, Marelda following Johanna's group, and Jessica's moving down the main road.

Fauna and Kanako followed Karlyn to the east side of town, an open field as opposed to the west side being a port. The popping sound of machine gun fire filled the air, and the screeching of Neuroi echoed throughout the town. They tried to swat the witches out of the sky with lasers, but shields were deployed, and more machine gun bursts were loosed.

C platoon had reached its destination, finding itself against several Neuroi emplacements. Karlyn, who was now in her finalized Tiger I Compact strikers, turned to face the two. "This'll be a piece of cake, let's get 'em all in one blow!" The two nodded, and they broke their cover, firing at all the emplacements, which were ironically Anti-Neuroi guns, and putting them all out in less than a minute. "All in a day's work!" Fauna exclaimed. But the unexpected happened. The Neuroi began reforming, its destroyed parts forming once more.

"Wait, what?!"

Next time, on Rolling Witches!

Fauna: They won't die no matter how many hits!

Kanako: Wait, what's that crystal thing in it?

Karlyn: Who cares, shoot at it!