Zeri welcomed the downtime following the operation.

Avan's charisma and gung-ho attitude was on his mind. Magari, the shy one, and Mischlitt, the distant one, got along with him well enough. Those were two people selective about the people with whom they hung out. Outside of Zeri and Mischlitt, Magari liked being around Raymond and Rene. Meanwhile, Mischlitt only associated with Zeri and Magari, preferring to keep her distance from non-Darcsens. To be fair, if Avan got along with Zeri, he could get along with just about anyone.

If only Class G had a tank ready for Arlem.

The wishful thinking motivated him to explore the R&D building. While he visited to pick up and check on his equipment, he never actually spent time in the facility until now.

R&D was an impressive warehouse, filled with vehicles and a wide array of weaponry. While he wondered where Class G's designated tank was located, he looked around aimlessly.

He couldn't stop thinking about the mysterious girl. It was the first time he saw a Valkyria in action, but it happened so swiftly, he barely had time to think about what transpired.

"Yo, you like what you see here?" Someone asked from behind.

"I could spend all day in here," Zeri replied, then turned around to see a young woman in a mechanic's outfit.

"You haven't seen the best until you see tank your class will be using. Oh yeah, I should introduce myself, I'm Lavinia, tank commander and your go-to mechanic for Class G. You can also think of me as your big sister."

"I never had a big sister before."

"You have one now!" Lavinia ruffled Zeri's hair. "You can come to me for anything, if you need someone to talk to. No need to be shy, okay?"

He became flustered because he wasn't used to being treated like a younger brother. Not sure what to say, he asked, "Could you show me around the place?"

"Of course!"

Lavinia gave Zeri a tour of R&D. At the end, they stopped in front of a tank.

"This right here, is my baby," Lavinia said with pride.

"Whoa this is impressive, a Light Tank B!" Zeri's cool exterior gave way to childlike wonder and curiosity. "I read about it, but to see it in person is another thing. They really upgraded it from the Light Tank A, even if it was a prototype. The improved engine allows it move up to 55 km/h. In addition, the improved treads helps it move across all sorts of terrain. I see it's equipped with an Anti-Armor Gatling 1. The Breda arsenal, with its 27 caliber, 50mm shells and the Erma 7.92 Tank Gatling turret makes this tank a formidable weapon on the battlefield."

"You know your stuff, kiddo!"

"Wish I could've seen it in action when we were sent out the other week."

"You and me both! They really short charged us with the tank. A fixer-upper, they say, you can git r' done in no time. Then you take it apart, soon it's one problem after another. I don't get why they sent you out without a tank. I could have brought a Light Tank A, but no, it's for testing purposes only, not actual combat, they say. Oh well, y'all back in one piece."

"We did the best we could. Makes me wish we had a Light Tank A to support us. You probably heard about the mysterious Valkyria girl, though."

"I sure have. This school is full of interesting happenings."

Zeri thought he heard clanging noises. "Say, is anyone else in here?"

"I swear there is, but I don't know who."

"It's definitely not Marion. I'd know right away"

"Oh, you know her! I love her enthusiasm for weapons so much. This place is like heaven to her. She's a great joy to be around!"

Zeri remembered Alexis' offer to have coffee with her and Marion. He missed having coffee time with them. They used to do it regularly back when he used to hang around the nobility, with other guests sometimes joining.

"Anyone else you can think of?" He asked.

"You should gather some friends and find out! I'd join you if I weren't so busy with this stuff."

He thought most rumors and legends were too crass for his liking, but a good mystery could captivate him. Rumors alone of a hooded person running around campus fell into former. Whether or not the hooded person was the Valkyria girl from the other day was a good mystery.

Lavinia tapped the tank as if she was meaning to say something. "Oh yeah, we need to give this tank a name. I'll give you the honors of naming it."

Zeri thought on the name.

"Orta," he said. "There was this story I read about a girl named Orta, who rode a dragon across the lands to learn about herself and realize her destiny. I've loved it ever since I was young and I keep a copy in my room. I used to imagine myself as Orta all the time in the fantastic world." He rarely talked about the fiction he read, because he thought other people wouldn't take him seriously, based on the impression they had of him. To mention Orta revealed a very personal side he usually kept to himself. The name felt right. This tank was a part of Class G, of him.

"I can tell how near and dear the story is to you. Orta, it is. Say, come with me inside," she motioned to him.

"Whoa," Zeri said once they got into the interior. He'd never been in a tank before.

"This right here is where it all happens," Lavinia said. "All we need to do now is actually turn on the tank and make sure it functions properly." She got into the driver's seat. "Say, kiddo, how do you feel about taking this dragon for a ride?"

"Yeah!"

Zeri could get used to having an older sister figure.

Author's notes: The tank name is a reference to Panzer Dragoon Orta, one of my favorite games of all time.