June 12, 2033
Sunday
The Zuikaku
It was a hot day on the Zuikaku. There were no clouds in sight and the sun was at full blast. Yuna walked aimlessly along the sunny streets of the carrier in an effort to clear her mind. For the past week, she had been beating herself up over her Senshadō Team's loss, even though Miho and the rest of her team had already moved on from it.
It was due to her panicking that got her to a chase with the T44. And it was due to her overconfidence that she didn't see the Tiger coming. And it was because of her poor tactics that ultimately led them to defeat. At that point, she thought of herself as the worst Senshadō commander the world had ever seen.
After half an hour of walking around, she bumped into someone again. This time, it was a more familiar but less friendly face.
"O-Oh I'm sorry-" Yuna tried to apologize but stopped halfway as her eyes widened. Before her was a girl with short gray hair and distinctive red eyes. It was none other than Takeda Shingen of the History Club. She wore a male's kimono that day which was red and bore the kamon of the Takeda clan.
Takeda didn't flinch when Yuna bumped into her. The history buff gave her commander a raised eyebrow. "Fujiwara? What are you doing here?"
Yuna smiled, "Oh you know, just strolling around! How about you?"
"I'm on the hunt for tanks. Nishizumi-sensei said we needed more of them right?"
"Oh yeah, she did say that… Wait, then why are you dressed like that?"
"Why, it's my Sunday best of course!" Takeda exclaimed proudly as she fully faced Yuna. That was when the brunette realized she was also carrying two swords.
"H-Holy crap! Why do you have a friggin' katana?!"
"It's a symbol of my power and authority!"
"This isn't the Edo Jidai, you know…" she retorted.
"I don't give a damn about what you think. Now if you excuse me, I have places to be," Takeda turned around and walked away.
"Hey wait!" Yuna exclaimed before she got any further.
The history buff sighed and looked over her shoulder "What is it now?"
"I-I wanna come with you!"
"No," she quickly replied before resuming walking.
Yuna quickly followed behind, to the samurai girl's dismay. "W-Wait, I can help you out! I-I know this ship like the back of my hand!"
"I do too. I don't need your help so leave me alone," Takeda quickened her pace, desperate to get away from her annoying commander.
"Wait, Takeda-dono, please! I just wanna hang out with you!" Yuna pleaded.
But she didn't listen. Feeling exasperated, she decided to jog away from her commander. But the brunette matched her speed so she began to run, which turned into a full sprint soon afterwards.
"Please, Takeda-dono! Just gimme a chance!" the commander yelled at the top of her lungs.
Takeda looked behind her and realized Yuna was catching up to her. "W-What the hell?!"
Eventually, the history buff was exhausted and thus, gave up the chase. Yuna wasn't fast enough to stop though, and she crashed into Takeda, throwing the both of them onto the ground.
Takeda fell face first into the curb while Yuna was on top of her. "G-Goddammit!" she grunted in pain.
She soon pushed Yuna off of her and sat up, rubbing her nose. "Dammit, fine! I guess I'll take you with me. It's not like I have a choice anyway…"
Yuna got up as well and with a light chuckle, said, "Thanks! I'll try not to get in your way."
The two tank commanders got up from the ground and dusted off their clothes.
"Why are you so hellbent on coming with me, Fujiwara? Did you wake up this morning and choose to go out and ruin my day?"
"N-Not at all, no! I just wanna get to know you better! You know, since we barely interact outside of Senshadō."
"I have no intentions of making friends with you, Fujiwara. I'd like to keep our relationship strictly professional and nothing more. Now let's get going."
This is definitely a good enough distraction to keep my mind away from that match. Thank God, I ran into Takeda-dono… Yuna sighed in relief as she followed behind.
"So umm, where to, Takeda-dono?"
"I read about an abandoned tank being hidden somewhere at the bow of the ship. Do you remember that old Shinto shrine? The one that got destroyed by a typhoon not too long ago?"
"Yeah, I remember that. Shame the place got destroyed. I used to visit the place during natsu matsuri and the New Year festivals, you know?"
"I don't care," she replied sternly.
"Oh yeah, can I call you Shinzu-san from now on?"
"I'll allow it. But from tomorrow onwards, it's back to Takeda-dono, got it!"
"Yup!"
The Shinto shrine was too far away to be reached by foot, so the two opted to ride the train up to the northernmost district of Kitaibaraki.
Takeda caught the many stares of the train passengers thanks to her out-of-date outfit, but she didn't mind. There was not an ounce of shame in her body.
"How do you not get embarrassed by this, Shinzu-san?!" the brunette whispered loudly as she tried to disassociate herself from Takeda.
"I have no reason to!" she proudly declared.
Not gonna lie, I'd kill to have her confidence…
They spent about fifteen minutes on the train before they reached their station. Right before they got off though, Shinzu noticed someone was being groped, a common occurrence, even on the trains of the Zuikaku.
As the passengers got off, the history buff approached the molester, pulled out her tantō short sword, and stabbed him in the liver.
Everyone who saw it quickly ran. Meanwhile, Yuna ran over to Takeda and yelled, "Holy fuck, you stabbed him!"
"He was a degenerate, he deserved it," she replied, sheathing her tantō.
"Wh-What're we gonna do about the cops?! We're gonna get arrested, aren't we?!"
"Crime is non-existent in this carrier, there are barely any cops here. Besides, if there were, I would doubt they'd care."
Afterwards, the two emerged from the subway and walked the rest of the way to the Shinto shrine.
A few moments later, Yuna and Shinzu made it to the rural part of the Zuikaku with fields of crops in every direction. The air was warm and humid as the pair walked down a dirt road. It was quiet, just an echo of birds chirping in the distance and the sound of their footsteps on the pavement. A comfortable silence hung between them, one that seemed to stretch for miles. The silence wasn't awkward, just peaceful, and so easy to get lost in.
They continued walking like this for quite some time until finally, they arrived at the torii gate and ahead of it: the shrine grounds.
Shinzu looked around as a warm, gentle breeze blew through the air. "We're here," she remarked
"Whew, finally! That was quite a long walk. I'm sweating up a storm here!" Yuna said through panting.
"Enough whining. Let's go in there and find the tank."
The two bowed in front of the gate before passing through and making their way to the shrine proper. Most of the structures in the area were desolate or even razed to the ground by the winds of the bygone typhoon. The only thing left standing there was the shrine itself, as well as a Type 3 Chi-Nu parked haphazardly near one of the run-down buildings.
Shinzu's eyes lit up in excitement at the sight of the vehicle's green hull. "There it is!" she exclaimed before running over to it.
Yuna remarked, "Ah, so it is real. Wonder why they put it here though…" before going over to the shrine.
The brunette tossed a coin into the offering box before bowing twice. After that, she clapped twice before going into silence as she prayed to the kami.
Meanwhile, Shinzu was walking around the Type 3, inspecting it. She run her hand across the dusty hull of the old tank and remarked, "This is incredible!" she then turned to Yuna who had just finished praying. "Fujiwara, you're a tank expert, right? Tell me what this thing's."
Yuna scratched the back of her head. "Uhh, yeah. That's the umm... the Type 3 Chi-Nu! H-How'd you even know this was here in the first place, Shinzu-san?"
"My neighbor told me about it. She said she used to commandeer this very tank."
"Oooh, interesting… So umm, what do we do from here?"!
"We'll take it back to the tank sheds..." Shinzu climbed up onto the Type 3, "...and see how powerful it is!" and crawled inside via the commander's hatch.
Soon, Yuna climbed up as well. She peeked into the hatch and asked Shinzu, "Does it still work?"
"Hold on..." the girl's voice echoed from inside.
The Type 3's engines suddenly sputtered, causing Yuna to jolt in surprise. But they didn't turn on so the engines sputtered once again, to no avail.
"Shit," Shinzu muttered. Soon after, she poked her head out of the cupola. "This is broken. We need to contact the Automotive Club to get it picked up."
Yuna then hopped off the tank before pulling out her cellphone. "I-I don't have any of their numbers though. Do you?"
Shinzu crawled out of the tank and hopped off. "I don't. But I know someone who can contact them for us."
After the two commanders walked out of the shrine, Shinzu placed two fingers in her mouth and made a loud whistle out of nowhere. Soon after, a seagull came by and landed on the history buff's arm, to Yuna's surprise.
"W-Woah, where'd it come from!?"
Shinzu turned to the brunette with a smirk. "He's a friend of mine. He helps me deliver messages to my contacts."
The commander was at a loss for words. She saw Tsuruki initially as a quite peculiar girl, but now, she was just downright weird.
Afterwards, the history buff pulled out a piece of rolled paper from one of her pockets and gave it to the bird. "Kansuke, deliver this to Honda-san of the Automotive Club."
The seagull squawked before it grabbed the roll of paper from Shinzu's hand with its claws and then flew away to the town.
"You gave it a name too?!" Yuna exclaimed.
"Yes. He might not be as mighty as a hawk or clever as an owl, but he gets things done."
"U-Uhh, okay... So uh, where to next, Shinzu-san?" asked Yuna.
"The Johannesburg"
Yuna made a quick response. "What?! Wh-Why there of all places?!"
Shinzu tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "What? Is there something wrong with that?"
"Listen, I've heard that you don't like the people who live there, but please let's not cause any trouble alright? I have a job at the Donzoko, a-and if Ogin-sama finds out I led you there, I'll get fired!"
"I don't care about your personal life, Fujiwara. If you don't want to come, then you're free to leave," the history buff said coldly.
"A-Alright, fine! J-Just don't hurt anybody okay?"
"That's unlikely to happen, but I'll try."
Yuna sighed, "Hope not... Come on then, let's go."
It took half an hour for the two Senshadō commanders to get back to town to find an entrance to the Johannesburg. But before they did that, Shinzu stopped by her home first.
Yuna waited out front of her abode, which instead of being a normal modern home, was a traditional Japanese house with tatami mat flooring, sliding doors, and wooden engawa verandas.
Soon, Shinzu emerged from her - and the other history buffs' - house, wearing her distinctive red chest armor bearing the Takeda clan kamon, a shoulder guard on her right arm, and a red headband tied to a ribbon.
"You're still keeping the swords?"
"Those filthy cretins that reside in the Johannesburg's dark and decrepit hallways are unpredictable. That's why..." she turned around to grab something. "You should arm yourself too."
Shinzu gave Yuna a wakizashi short sword to which she gasped. "Th-This isn't deadly is it?"
"It's only deadly if you want it to be. Now let's hurry up. The sooner we find the tank under the ship, the sooner this day can end, and I can split up from you."
"O-Okay then! You lead the way."
And so the two commanders resumed their journey. They walked through narrow alleys and wide streets, catching everyone's attention with their odd attire and weaponry.
Eventually, they ran into a familiar face. A girl with short light brown hair who had a habit of wearing jackets like they were capes. She was the self-proclaimed tank ace, Michael Wittmann.
She was munching on a sandwich when she noticed the two approach her. "Hmm? Shingen? What in Rommel's name are you doing with your armor outside?" she asked with her mouth full.
"Official Senshadō Club business, Michael. We're looking for the Mark IV landship. I believe those delinquents under the ship are in possession of it."
"Wait really?!" Yuna chimed in but was ignored.
Wittmann swallowed her food. "Oh, the British tank? I thought the old club scrapped that thing."
The samurai girl placed a hand on her chin. "It can't be. I never saw any reports of it going to the junkyard..."
"So are we still going to the Johannesburg?" Yuna asked.
Takeda turned around. "We might as well still. There might be other tanks down there that we don't know of."
"Oh, you guys're going to the Johannesburg? I know an entrance. It's over there in that alley," Wittmann pointed to an alleyway across the street. "Over there's one of those little cellar doors that lead down the ship.."
"Let's go then." Takeda walked across the car-empty street and Yuna followed soon. "Thank you by the way, Michael. You've been useful for once."
"Hey, screw you too, Shingen! Don't come crying back to the house if those hoodlums steal your shoulder guard!" Wittmann yelled from across the street.
Takeda and Yuna made it to the alleyway. They walked over to a metallic cellar door, supposedly leading to the bowels of the ship.
"So uhh... Who first?" Yuna asked nervously as she stood before the doors.
"You are, of course. I might get taken by surprise down there so I need you to act as bait," Takeda answered sternly.
"Wh-What?! N-No, I don't want that!"
"You don't have a choice, Fujiwara," Takeda opened the cellar doors, letting the afternoon sun's light shine into the dark interior, before grabbing Yuna by her shirt and throwing her inside.
The commander tripped on the steps as she held the wakizashi in her hands before she fell to the dusty floor of the Johannesburg.
She now found herself in a dark corridor. The sunlight coming from outside managed to illuminate the room slightly to the point where Yuna could only see a few feet in front of her.
The commander's eyes suddenly widened as she realized she was in the presence of a dozen delinquents. All were either sitting on the floor or leaning on the metallic walls. Upon seeing the unfamiliar face enter the room, they all turned to her with curious gazes.
With a silent gasp, Yuna quickly stood up, holding her short sword firmly in her trembling hands. Her breathing was heavy; the delinquents noticed this.
"Hey, what's wrong, bro? You end up on the wrong part of the ship?" asked someone who was leaning on the walls.
"I-I was uh..."
"Fujiwara! What's going on down there? Are there any hostiles!?"
Once she heard Takeda's voice echo into the room, the delinquent stood up from leaning. "Hey I know that voice!"
Yuna heard footsteps behind her so she moved aside. Takeda descended from the surface into the dark depths of the Johannesburg, her red eyes seeming to glow in the dark. The samurai stopped as she arrived at the bottom of the steps, the sun shining on her like a spotlight.
"So this is the Johannesburg. Where rats live among rats," Takeda remarked.
"It's that crazy bitch from the alleyway!" one delinquent exclaimed. The others prepared to fight. Some broke bottles, some pulled out switchblades. Takeda in turn, pulled out her katana along with its sheath and went into a stance.
"G-Guys! Don't kill each other!" Yuna exclaimed from behind Shinzu.
2 minutes later...
Takeda placed her katana back to its strap as the last of the delinquents fell to the ground. She now stood in a hallway of defeated hoodlums.
"Holy crap... You beat them all!" Yuna muttered, placing both her hands over her mouth in amazement and shock.
Takeda pulled out a switchblade which was stuck on the back of her shoulder. She let out a faint grunt before replying, "It's nothing I can't handle. These fools fight like drunk tanuki anyway. Anyways, let us continue."
"A-Are they dead?"
"Probably not. And if they were, why would you care? These people are the scum of society. They deserve everything that comes to them."
Every minute I spend with Shinzu-san, I feel more and more like I'm in the Kill la Kill universe… she remarked.
The two commanders continued their walk into the dark abyss of the Johannesburg and soon, their eyes adjusted to the darkness.
"Where are we going anyway?" Yuna asked.
"The Donzoko Bar that you work at. We can ask around there."
There was a short period of silence as the two commanders walked a long and narrow hallway before Yuna got bored and decided to do the old ask-your-new-friend-about-their-life trick. "So uh... hey Shinzu-san, could you tell me why you joined the club in the first place? You're not the type of person to be interested in tanks, right? There weren't any tanks in the Sengoku Jidai after all."
"It was Wittmann's idea. She wanted to be 'the tank ace she was destined to be,'" Takeda said in air quotes. "The only reason I joined is because I want to be known all across Japan! Maybe even the world! Just like my aunt, and even Shingen himself!" she turned around to Yuna with a smirk.
"Who's… your aunt again?" the brunette tilted her head.
To which Takeda sighed, "The Ribbon Warrior, you dolt! Tsuruki Shizuka! Don't you know her?"
"Ohh, yeah, of course I do! I can't believe you're her niece, man."
"I have her surname… As expected of you. You're too much of a fool to even figure it out."
"Hey come on, I needed more hints, alright?" she shrugged with an awkward smile.
Soon, the two reached the Donzoko Bar where Ogin was serving two drunk friends, Mako and Miho.
"Hey, this shit is good! Where'd you even get this, Ogin?" Miho asked.
"That's above my pay grade, lass. Just enjoy your drinks," she replied with a smile as she cleaned a mug before turning her attention to the door.
She saw Yuna and an unfamiliar girl clad in armor come in. "Oh hey Fujiwara, I see you brought a friend along. Welcome!" then she noticed they were carrying weapons. "J-Just don't cause any trouble alright?"
"G-Gotcha Ogin-sama!" Yuna replied with a nervous smile.
Yuna and Shinzu were given cold stares by the other patrons as they sat at the bar
Ogin put the mug down to serve her new customer. "So what'll you have, newbie?"
"The rum please," she replied, placing money on the counter.
Mako noticed the girl who sat beside her. "Hey, ain't you too young to drink?" she slurred.
"I'm sixteen ma'am. Most of the customers here are way younger than me."
"Oh... Well, I guess it's okay," she turned to Miho next and asked, "Oi Miho. You think it's a good idea to have a few drinks with Eiko? Saori wouldn't mind, right?"
"Eiko… who?" asked the drunk instructor.
"My kid you idiot. I-I mean Saori's kid," Mako's face blushed a little. "I wanna know her better, man. Cuz it's pretty weird to be in your house and you see someone who's practically a stranger to you."
"I don't know. How 'bout you ask Saori about it? Hic,"
"Hell no, she'll kill me!"
Meanwhile, Yuna took this opportunity to take photos of the two. Oh man! Two Senshadō legends in the same place! I can't wait to show this on my insta! she thought before the two noticed her.
"Hey, what the hell are you just sitting there for?" Mako asked.
The brunette was at a loss for words. She began to get nervous as she expected to get berated by the two.
"Get over here and let's rant about the current state of today's society!" they both yelled in unison, pulling the girl towards them.
The drunkards placed Yuna on a seat between them and continued to ramble about meaningless subjects. She didn't mind it, not at all. Being sandwiched between two of the people she highly looked to was a blessing after all.
While all of that was happening, Ogin came back with a large mug of rum and placed it before Takeda. Before she could tend to the other customers though, the girl called her back.
"Hey miss, I need to ask you something. It's important."
"Huh? What is it, lass? Make it quick, I have customers to serve."
"We're here to search for tanks. Do you happen to know of any lying around here?"
"Tanks? I haven't seen a tank since I was just a lil' kid. Sorry but I can't help ya."
The samurai resorted to bribery and she pulled out a clip of money, to Ogin's surprise.
"How about now?" she said with a smirk.
"Heh, you're pretty smart, kid. It's in the back, inside the storage room. You can't miss it."
Takeda nodded and gave a quick "Thanks" before standing up from the bar stool and making her way to the back of the room. There, she found a rusty metal door, similar to that of the entrance. But before she could open it, she was called out from behind.
"Hey you, samurai girl! Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Takeda jolted in shock. She had heard that voice before. "Wh-Who..." she stuttered while turning around.
A few feet away from her was a tall girl, only a few inches taller than her, wearing a grimy 18th-century outfit. She possessed a cocky grin as she said, "Tsuruki-Goddamn-Shinzu. You're still kickin' I see."
Takeda settled down. "Stede Bonnet… I thought I told you to get rid of that costume?"
Stede slowly approached the armor-clad girl. "Hey, once a history buff, always a history buff. Now can you tell me what you're doing in my bar?"
Takeda raised a brow. "Your?"
"It's our, Bonnet," Ogin interjected.
"Sigh, I know, you don't have to remind me every time…"
"You bought it with your father's money, didn't you? Even to this day, you're still such a daddy's girl," Takeda said mockingly.
To which Bonnet immediately pulled out a flintlock pistol and aimed it at her. "You shut your fucking mouth."
That was when Yuna noticed the commotion. "What the heck is going on over there?! And who the heck is that?"
"I see her every time I go here for a drink," said Miho. "I think she lives here."
"Aye, that's true," Ogin chimed in for a second. "She's Tomiko. The self-proclaimed 'Gentleman Pirate' and the ship cap'n's granddaughter. She and her dad must've had a falling out, cuz she's been living here for the past year or so."
"Why don't you take her back to her family then?" asked Miho.
"Because of that," the bartender pointed towards Tomiko's pistol.
"Oh,"
"What?!" Yuna exclaimed, "If she's the captain's granddaughter, then why has she still been robbing me?!"
"I dunno," Ogin shrugged, "Maybe she just hates ya,"
Afterwards, they noticed the other patrons had gotten in on the action, cheering Bonnet on.
"Go get her boss! Kill that smug bitch!"
"Teach her a lesson!"
"Tell her not to mess with us!"
The delinquents behind Bonnet cheered as they held their cellphones to record.
Takeda unsheathed her katana as Bonnet pulled the hammer back, causing the cheering to intensify.
"Kill her! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!"
Takeda raised her sword to swing. But Bonnet pulled the trigger before she could land a hit. The samurai was shot directly in her torso, causing her to recoil from the impact before coughing up blood. The bullet easily pierced through her armor and went out the other side.
Takeda's sword fell from her hands and she fell to the ground. That's when the audience gasped and the room was left in shocked silence.
"Th-That was a real gun?!" exclaimed one of the spectators.
Noticing this, Ogin panicked and she yelled, "If anyone dies in here, all of you are banned!"
After a short pause, the delinquents changed their tone from bloodthirsty to panicked.
"Wait, wait, don't kill her boss!" they started swarming Bonnet to try to grab the gun out of her hand.
"What the hell are you bastards doing!?" Bonnet then shook them off. She failed to notice Takeda getting up, who after regaining her strength, pulled out her tantō and used her remaining energy to charge at her opponent.
The delinquents got out of the way and Bonnet could only gasp as the dagger pierced her side, puncturing her liver.
She screamed in pain and retaliated by kicking Shingen away. With the tantō still embedded in her skin, the Gentleman Pirate staggered back onto the bar and noticed an empty bottle on the counter, waiting to be broken and turned into a weapon. The said bottle was one of the many that Miho had emptied.
"Guys, you need to stop!" Yuna exclaimed and prepared to intervene.
But Mako held her back and said, "Stay back, you'll get hurt."
"I... I'm not done yet!" Bonnet grinned and held the bottle in her hands. But before she could lift it up, Miho grabbed her by the wrist. The instructor gave the girl the Nishizumi Glare and simply said, "Don't"
She jolted in fright before quickly letting go of the bottle. She then turned back to Takeda who was slowly approaching her, gripping her katana firmly.
"This is the end of the line, Bonnet," she said with a devilish grin. "Even a gun couldn't save you from your fate."
"Well, here's the thing, Shingen..." she chuckled before pulling out yet another flintlock pistol. "I've got two guns, bitch!" and Takeda was shot again.
The samurai immediately fell to the ground and dropped her katana which Bonnet kicked away.
Takeda lay motionless on the floor. Two visible holes in her chest armor displayed themselves to the crowd of people gathered before her.
"If you're gonna get up, that's fine by me," Bonnet arrogantly said as she pulled out a third gun. "We can do this all day!"
Then suddenly, Yuna appeared and stood in front of Takeda to block Bonnet's shot.
"I-If you're gonna kill Shinzu-san, you're gonna have to go through me first!" she exclaimed with a determined expression.
Bonnet smirked, "With pleasure," and she squeezed the trigger. But before the lead ball could eject itself out of the pistol, a drunk Miho stopped it, grabbing Bonnet's wrist.
"Listen, I don't know who you are, but I don't want you killing one of my commanders," she said in a low and slightly angered voice.
"W-Wait, y-you're-"
"Yep, I'm Nishizumi Miho. The tank instructor. Now I'm gonna warn you again, kid. Don't pull that trigger if you know what's good for you."
"But-"
Miho gave the girl another one of her deadly glares. "Just don't"
Bonnet jolted and she dropped the pistol to the ground. "Y-Yes ma'am!" she stuttered before withdrawing from the scene.
Now realizing she was before Miho Nishizumi, Yuna turned from scared to nervous. "N-Nishizumi-sensei! Th-Thank you for saving me!"
"Hey don't worry about it kid," Miho gave the commander an awkward smile. "Just get outta here and don't cause any trouble. I gotta get back to my drink."
Yuna nodded before she turned around and picked up Takeda, who was bleeding profusely, and she placed her on her back.
Before they walked out of the Donzoko Bar, Bunko Ishikawa conveniently walked in, looking confused. "Uhh… what the hell happened here?"
Upon noticing her, Yuna straight away asked, "Ishikawa-senpai! Have you changed your mind about the Senshadō Clu-"
"No"
Afterwards, Yuna and Takeda left and the customers along with the bartender were left in shock at what just happened.
With the situation over, Ogin collapsed on the counter, muttering, "These kids and their goddamn games..."
The sun had halfway disappeared into the horizon when the two Senshadō commanders made their walk home.
Eventually, Takeda woke up on Yuna's back.
"H... Hey Shinzu-san, you're awake! Are you doing fine?"
"My... everything... hurts..."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take you home, you'll take a bath, and tomorrow you'll be A-okay!"
The two spent a moment of silence as they walked in the streets bathed by the dusky sun.
"Hey... Fujiwara... You know... I could've defeated Bonnet myself... b-but I guess... I should thank you for... for helping out at least."
Yuna chuckled, "You're welcome Shinzu-san. It was actually pretty fun. Facing off against that Stede Bonnet gal was really heart-raising, in a good way of course! Why'd you two fight anyway?"
"It's none of your business," she replied rudely before coughing.
The two arrived at the history buffs' domicile where Wittmann was waiting out front. She seemed to be upset about something as she crossed her arms and wore a scowl.
Once Yuna arrived with Takeda, the tank ace walked up to them.
"Where have you two been?" Wittmann asked rather nonchalantly as she saw the bloody samurai.
"Tank hunting," Yuna answered, "Hey, Shinzu-san's pretty beat up, could you take care of her for me?"
"Sure, Fujiwara, hand her over to me."
Yuna dismounted Takeda from her back and passed her onto Wittmann who carried her in her arms.
"Hey, Shingen. You happen to know where my savings went? I can't seem to find them in my room."
"I donated them to the Donzoko Bar in the Johannesburg," Takeda answered without hesitation.
"Goddammit..." Wittmann grumbled before she carried Takeda into their home.
Yuna bid farewell before walking back to her own home, but before Wittmann could get inside the building, Takeda ordered her to stop.
"Hey Fujiwara!" she called out to which the brunette stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"Y-Yes?"
Takeda wore a genuine smile. "See you next practice match!"
Yuna smiled too and said, "You too!" before continuing her walk home.
To be continued...