Miho's room, Ooarai school carrier

"Nishizumi-dono, why have you gathered us here?"

"Well, with so much free time after that practice, I just wanted to share this book with you all."

"A Bible?"

"Are we going to read it?"

"Yes, please sit down, everyone. Alright, Genesis chapter 1... Jouko asked me to read it from the beginning."

"Should we take turns reading, Miporin?"

"Jouko-san has notes all over, so I'd say we let Miporin read while we take turns reading the notes."

"I want to take turns such as Saori said! I love read-throughs!"

Mako, meanwhile, was asleep as usual.

"Okay, it looks like we're taking turns! Sorry, Hana-san, but..."

"Oh, it's okay, Miporin! No need to apologize."

"Okay... we'll read three verses each, pass the Bible to the next reader, please. If anybody has questions, we'll go over it. Ready, everyone?"

After everyone nodded, Miho looked at the first verse of the Bible, and began to read.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light: and there was light."

Receiving the Bible, Saori was captivated by the first few verses. God created everything? This was only the start and her interest was already peaking. After a few moments of contemplation, Saori continued.

"And God saw the light, and it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

As the read-through of the first chapter continued, Anglerfish was growing more and more interested in the story of Creation, and were surprised when reading about the downfall of man. They read on of Cain and Abel, the genealogy of Seth all the way to Abram, of Abram's travel to Canaan, his name change to Abraham, and the huge blessing that came with it. They also read of Isaac, Jacob, and closed off Genesis with the story of Joseph. By the time they had completed the fifty chapters of Genesis, the sun was far below the horizon, and Mako had woken up in time to join in reading the final few chapters. Her curiosity also aroused, she decided to have a look for herself, reading through all of Genesis and going over all the promises, drama, chaos, and acts of forgiveness and faith. She had several doubts in her mind, but from what she had heard Jouko tell Miho, there were many promises to be found in the Bible, so she strove to continue on, and decided to go ahead of the others by reading Exodus next.

Exodus was the story of Moses' life and liberation of the Israelites from slavery through God's help. From Moses' deliverance from Pharaoh's edict to kill the firstborn, the Burning Bush that commanded Moses to go to Egypt, the ten Plagues which terrorized Egypt, prompting Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free, the first celebration of the Passover Feast, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna and water that God provided for the Israelites to satisfy their wants as well as stop their complaints, the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the instructions of building the Tabernacle, the priestly robes, the altar, and the ritual ceremonies, the Israelites' fall and worship of an idol which caused Moses to destroy the first set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments, and their sentence of wandering of the desert for forty years. The book would close with the construction of the Tabernacle to God's instructions, and the start of the forty years in the desert. By the time Mako had finished Exodus, it was way past midnight and it was almost time for the sun to come out.


For the next two months, Anglerfish would continue on their Bible quest, reading every book in the Bible and studying it with the help of Jouko's notes. With all the stuff they had been going through, it was a source of comfort for all of them, especially Mako, who took heart in the promises that the Bible presented, and gradually her nihilistic school of thought faded. Miho also took comfort in knowing that no matter what happened between her and her mother, everything would be alright in the end. Hana saw it as the most beautiful flower arrangement, for as she better comprehended the complexity of the Bible, the more she understood how everything tied together, even when two things didn't seem to come together. Saori admired the heroic men of the Bible, and proclaimed her favorite character to be the mighty, yet flawed Samson, because with his immense strength and muscle, which girl wouldn't fall for a man like him? Yukari was most interested in the events taking place like the battles, politics, espionage, assassinations, sieges, meaning that her favorite book was Judges.

Even after they finished reading the entire Bible, everyone wanted another read-through. They had loved it. The story, the optimism, the hope, the promises, it was just too good to read and move on with after one reading. So, they would read it again. And again. And again. And it never got old. Miho would stay in contact with Jouko and happily tell her how much she and Anglerfish loved the Bible, and that they couldn't stop reading it even when they finished it. Jouko expressed how glad she was that Anglerfish was being very receptive to the Bible, telling her afterwards that if anyone in Ooarai needed help or assistance with something then they could feel free to join Jouko and company in their Bible studies. Jouko would also inform Miho when she would come over and visit the school carrier to conduct Bible studies with Anglerfish, either coming by herself, with Alice, or herself, Alice, and the Sturmi crew. Soon enough, they would be in talks for a date to set for baptism not just for Miho, but all of Anglerfish.


But, back to the past, Anglerfish would devote time to their new Bible studies, but would remain focused on their practice for the Grand Finals, this time with all of the major schools that would assist them in their battle. Long and hard they practiced with each other, going through everything that needed to be improved. Practice matches sometimes dragged on long into the night, even up to midnight, with everyone exhausted by the end of them. But, they were going to face the best fighters in Sensha-do, and without the necessary training, they would all be wiped out within ten minutes or less. In an annihilation match, there were no flag tanks, but by decapitating the chain of command, victory was sure to come. They would make it their goal, therefore, to knock out the "Big Three" as soon as possible, as they posed the biggest threat and were the biggest stumbling-block on the path to victory. After that, they would effectively have the match in the bag, unless Jouko still had tricks up her sleeve from beyond the grave.

So far, these would be the numbers for Ooarai's Compound Team:

Ooarai - 10 tanks (PZIV, M3L, T89, SIII, HTZ, RB1, T3CN, T(P), MIVM, T-44)
Kuromorimine - 3 tanks (Tiger I, II, Panther)
St. Gloriana - 3 tanks (Churchill, Cromwell, Matilda)
Saunders - 3 tanks (Firefly, M4, M4A1(76))
Pravda - 5 tanks (T-34/76, T-34/85, KV2, IS2, ISU152)
Chihatan - 4 tanks (x2 Type 97, Type 97 Shinhoto, Type 95)
Anzio - 2 tanks (P26/40, Semovente da 75-18)

Thirty tanks for Ooarai and company, thirty for Continuation. Two-thirds of Continuation's tanks were made of T-26s, but thanks to Jouko's implementation of more secure measures to prevent further espionage, especially from Yukari, their upgrades to their tanks was unknown but to them. In for a rude surprise, Ooarai was going to fight a very rough battle.


St. Luke's International Hospital - 3 days before the Grand Finals

"I have some good news and bad news, mostly good news.

The surgery thankfully went excellent. The aneurysm in Miss Itsumi was successfully removed, meaning she'll likely be stable again with few, if any, changes to her mental state. Bad news, given there's only three days before the Grand Finals for the Winter Cup, I'm afraid she won't recover in time. At most it will take a week and a half, at least, about four days."

"That's okay, doctor, I'll go with Miho to appeal to the Federation to delay the match by that amount of time. Please keep us updated in the meantime, we don't wanna cause too much of a fuss with the public, after all."

"Yeah, we hope they listen, despite all the complaints. Eririn is a very good commander, and I should've done her better in the Finals..."

"Oh, don't beat yourself over it, Miho. You did what you could, just be hopeful that Erika will be able to recover quickly. Thanks for your help, doctor."

"No problem, good luck with the Federation, and good luck in the Grand Finals!"

"Thank you!"


Lobby

"Is Erika-san okay?"

"Did she have a good surgery?"

"Will she recover in time?"

"Was it successful?"

"Everyone, please, calm down. The doctor told Jouko and I that Erika's operation went well, and that the aneurysm was removed, and her mental state will barely change. She will spend at most a week and a half recovering, so we'll have to appeal to the Federation to delay."

"Oh, at least Erika-dono is in good health!"

"That's good to hear, I hope you succeed with the Federation."

"I'm confident we'll succeed. After all, we're some of the biggest figures of Sensha-do, I'm sure we'll get them on our side."

"But, what if they say 'no'?"

"Well, then Koume-san will take over Kuromorimine. I'm sure she'll lead them well!"

"I hope so, Continuation with its commanders will surely deal much damage, but together we'll beat them!"

"Heheh, loving the enthusiasm from your friends, Miho. Can't wait for the Grand Finals, I'd like to see Anglerfish in action myself. By the way, how's the Bible going?"

"Oh, we LOVE it! We just started Numbers, and... it's just numbers, names and stuff."

"Oh, a LOT happens in that book. Rebellion, conquest, plagues, miracles, it's going to get more eventful as you reach chapter 11."

"Well, we gotta continue reading once we get back on the carrier! I LOVE action!"

"Well, Jouko-san and I will go approach the Federation tomorrow. I hope they'll accept our request."

"Good luck, Miporin, you have our support!"


Federation Headquarters, Tokyo - the next day

Jouko and Miho stared into the faces of whom were commonly called the "Four Horsemen of the Art of Tankery". They needed no introduction, everybody who knew Sensha-do knew who they were. The atmosphere was generally friendly, save somewhat for Shiho, who was seated in her usual monotone, cold-hearted demeanor. A quick glance at her mother was enough to send chills down Miho's spine. It was the first time she had met her mother since leaving for Ooarai, but after so much she had gone through, she was confident her mother had forgiven her, and this was solidified by Jouko's gesture that she had a supporter. After a short silence, Shinchiro invited the two girls to be seated as drinks were handed out. Renta wasn't present, he was busy dealing with matters elsewhere in the southern prefactures.

"Well, your visit was most unexpected, but it is very pleasant to have the two of you here, right Ami?"

"Right you are, Chiyo-san. But, you've gotta add 'curious' to the list too, having two titans of Sensha-do come here means they want something big."

"Well, speak your minds, please! We're very interested to hear what you two have to say. We're all ears."

Shiho stayed silent as Miho stuttered a bit, but glancing at Jouko, she nodded at her to spit out the question as she stood silently, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, we're requesting you delay the Grand Finals by around a week to allow Miss Itsumi to recover from her ordeal. We've been visiting her in hospital and we're glad her operation went very well and that she's recovering. Unfortunately if we do not delay she will not recover fast enough."

"S-so we ask that we delay for a week, to allow Eririn to make a full recovery in time. I want to fight with her, she's a really good commander and I'm sorry for what I did to her in the Finals."

After another short silence, the four then broke into discussion, talking about the possible consequences and reprisals of such a long delay over one person. But, that person was a big figure in Sensha-do, and a rising star. If you would just swap her with some younger kid nobody knew anything about, Kuromorimine fans would be disappointed at first, and if worse came to worse, some would just straight-up leave, as well as others who wanted to see more of Erika. However, that wouldn't be as bad as having to help refund thousands of passengers who had to reschedule their flights, unless the airlines they chose were gracious enough to agree to refunds, which they were likely to, but there were going to be some that wouldn't agree to refunds.

But, they had the funds for it, as their budget was rising from their recent popularity abroad thanks to several documentaries about Sensha-do and the phenomenon of Ooarai, as well as Jouko and Continuation. They had received heaps of money from the tickets being sold that filled the stands more than before, as well as the donations online. Gradually their loans were being paid off, and they could afford to spend more and more without worrying as much. It was going to be a waste of money announcing this, if the airlines refused refunds, but it wouldn't really matter given their budget was getting better and better every passing week. A little help for their fans wouldn't hurt their popularity anyways, they'd like a boost with their new attention.

With all four in agreement, Chiyo announced the news to the two commanders still seated, waiting.

"We've agreed to delay the match and pay for any refunds if necessary. Miss Itsumi has gained quite a following with the Sensha-do community, and it would be very disappointing if everyone missed out on her lack of participation, and I'm sure she would be equally disappointed at missing out the Grand Finals. We thank you for your time, we'll announce this in a press conference tomorrow."

The two commanders smiled and bowed, thanking the Federation for their decision, before turning to leave. However, Shiho motioned for Miho to stay, and for Jouko to leave. Jouko accepted, indicating this with a nod, and left the room. Shiho also gestured for the other heads to leave the room, asking for privacy with Miho. Within moments, the room was empty, save for mother and daughter, who were now reunited in person.

At first, the atmosphere was tense as both figures stared at each other for a long period of time. Miho was visibly shivering in fear. What did her mother want from her? Was she about to be disowned, chewed out, or beaten for something she did? Shiho was known for that, and she was lucky to be at the receiving end of a lighter stick given how Maho, being the elder daughter, received more punishment for failure. She gradually got used to it, and somehow never lost her loving side with Miho. But here, Miho didn't know what her mother was about to do, and she didn't want to know. After what felt like a century, Shiho finally began to walk forward, rushing even, causing Miho to squeeze her eyes shut and brace for what felt like the biggest slap of her life, before opening her eyes when something totally different was felt all around her body. It felt like a hug. Turning her head, Miho laid eyes on another thing she had never seen from her mother. Smiles, and tears of joy.

"Miho... it's been too long."

"M-Mother?!"

"What? How would you expect a mother who hasn't seen her daughter in so long to react to finally seeing her again?"

"B-but-"

"I've missed you so much..."

Miho soon found herself returning the embrace, and even when finding out, simply hugged more. This was a surprise, but a very pleasant one to receive. Both were now crying, but Miho's sobs were more audible than her mother's. Soon, however, Shiho appeared to have something to say. Locking eyes with her mother, Miho was all ears to hear what her mother had to say.

"Miho, I just want to tell you that... I'm sorry for how I judged you, and I'm sorry for how I've treated Maho."

"Mother... I don't understand..."

"Heh, of course..."

Shiho was pulling something out of her pocket. Displaying it in front of Miho, it was a Bible.

"This book has changed me, Miho."

"Mother!?"

"Just sit and listen, I have a lot to tell."

Miho joined her mother in sitting on the couch, still holding each other as Shiho told her story.

"After sending off Maho to Germany, I decided to take a look at this Bible, out of curiosity, and reading some passages, I was initially repulsive, as you'd likely expect. It was given to me from a relative from another country as a gift. So, I left it sitting for weeks until I decided to read more. Sure enough, what it taught was contrary to how I teach, and again I was repulsive and set it aside. Then, Alice was baptized, and you saw me criticize it. Chiyo then approached me, asked me to just put all my personal beliefs aside and read it, telling me how much better Alice seemed to be after her baptism, and that Chiyo was happy to see it. And, I don't know what it was, but there was something inside me urging to just read it. So, I decided to read it again, and put aside my biases and whatnot, even Alice visited me to help, and I'll admit, it was quite awkward when we first met. But, she explained the Bible to me, and she was just the sweetest thing, Miho...

The past week, we discussed the Bible heart-to-heart, learning more and more about it. Jouko even visited me a couple of times as well after her training sessions. It seemed to know me, my past, what I've done, and it seemed to criticize me and tell me how to be a better person than I was before, and I felt a softening in me that previously I was taught to resist. Lo and behold, here I am, treating you like I should've been treating you for the past sixteen years-as a real daughter. I'm sure you've been studying the Bible, too, have you?"

"Mother, I have! I've been studying with my friends for many hours on end, and we've been enjoying reading the books!"

"That's very good to hear, dear. It seems Christianity is about to turn Sensha-do completely on its head."


Sensha-do training grounds, Continuation School Carrier - Five days later

"Linder, your flank!"

"I'm aware!"

Five T-26s descended on Linder's Panzer IV, firing a barrage of shells with their upgraded guns. Ignatius drove like a madman, avoiding projectiles left right and center as Hjalmarson reversed her turret and fired back, rarely getting a hit.

"Drift now?"

"Not yet! Hjalmarson, start traversing as fast as you can!"

"On it!"

Hjalmarson began turning the turret as fast as she could, rotating the wheels with all her strength. It took the turret almost a minute to complete the 180-degree turn, but when it did, Linder didn't hesitate to give her order.

"Now! Go for it, Ignatius!"

Ignatius rotated her wheel all the way left, causing the tank to swerve and tear up ground. Now facing their oncoming opponents, the Panzer IV's turret fired at them. One T-26 turned too late, and was white-flagged. The others quickly used their superior speed and mobility to flank the halted Panzer, and opened fire. The Panzer escaped, the shells missing it by inches.

"They're trying a flank again! Half-drift!"

Ignatius did so, stopping the turn in time for a T-26 to move itself into Hjalmarson's sights. With the instinct that for months had been pressed on her by Jouko, she pulled the trigger and sent a shell barreling into the poor tank, white-flagging it instantly.

"Good shot, Hjalmarson!"

"Jouko-san's instincts have fully developed, I guess!"

"Ignatius, slam into one of their tanks!"

Driving forwards and accelerating, Ignatius turned to charge another of the T-26s. Trained by Hannes and Jouko's calculating, she predicted impact, and maneuvered to ram the T-26. Her predictions were accurate, and the two made contact. Moments later, with Wetzer slamming another shell in the Panzer's turret in time for the ram, Hjalmarson launched a devastating shell straight into the weaker-armored T-26, knocking it out in a cloud of smoke and flame. Not that it would've mattered, the impact alone would've been enough to knock it out, given the difference in weight.

Moments later, Linder's face brightened as she sighted a glint in the distance, and as it neared, the familiar and welcome shape of a Sturmi manifested itself, firing two shells as it closed the distance. Those two shells easily hit their marks, liberating the Panzer crew from its predicament. Opening her hatch, she welcomed Jouko's arrival, pleased with no longer having to deal with cancerously agile tanks.

"About time! Those T-26 drivers can drive you mad when this chasing goes on long enough..."

"Well, good for us, we'll be sure to drive our opponents mad... though I'll tell those going for Kuromorimine to take it easy, wouldn't want Erika to suffer a second time."

"Of course. Now, let's go get the last three tanks-"

"KV-1 knocked out! Repeating! KV-1 knocked out!"

-make that two, thanks, Wilkman. I've been learning, so hopefully we can get Alice faster than previously."

"Of course."


With some difficulty, Alice had just finished off the last of the remaining T-26s from Jouko's team, but not before it fired one last shell straight into the turret ring of a KV-1 next to her, knocking it out. Jouko herself had been engaged with her tank moments before, but withdrew to regroup with Linder. Now, with her receiving reports that all of her tanks that had been sent to engage Linder had been knocked out, Alice knew that the duo were on their way to finish her off. Knowing that running simply meant getting worn down and knocked out after a prolonged period of time, she opted instead to fight.

Stroking her foot on her driver's back in a circular motion to the left before moving it downwards after a 180-degree turn, this was the signal to turn around for Alice's driver. The driver dutifully maneuvered as ordered, turning the steering wheel to the left then balancing it out as the U-turn was completed. Alice was followed close behind by the other T-34, ready to face Jouko and Linder in a 2-on-2, being the last tanks remaining on the battlefield. They didn't expect to win, but they would give it their best shot.

At first, upon sighting each other in less than a minute, you'd think it would be a regular joust. Charge in, try to shoot your opponent and knock them out. But, Alice had other plans. Alice stroked her foot not as gently as last time, meaning more urgency, and motioned by stroking a bit right, then hard to the left, then lightly right. Accelerating, the driver suddenly turned the wheel hard to the right, then even harder left, causing the tank to drift. Stopping suddenly as the driver wheeled back right and then centering it, the tank's gunner then readied to fire, calculating when and where the Sturmi would come into view, before instinctively firing her shot as its shape entered her peripheral vision.

At that same span of time, Alice was watching the Sturmi through the slits of her cupola. She watched as it, too, turned slightly then in the opposite direction, drifting and about to cross paths with her tank barrel. At the exact same moment, both tanks fired at once. Alice and her crew felt a tremendous impact, rattling the tank all over. When it settled, smoke was everywhere outside, and moments later, the sound of a white flag emerging from the tank was heard by all. The impact had been a perfect shot into the turret ring. Looking through the smoke, Alice could see the Sturmi driving off, seemingly unfazed. Its better armor had really helped it survive a shell of this caliber. She thanked her crew, smiling at each of them for their efforts, and reassuring them with good rest and some good food after.

The T-34/76's joust with Linder went similarly, but without a commander quite to Alice's caliber the drift was not as well executed. Taking advantage of this, Linder had maneuvered her Panzer into a perfect spot to knock out her opponent, and with one well-fired shell, Hjalmarson fried the T-34/76's engine, knocking it out and engulfing it in smoke as a white flag popped out. Shortly after its knockout, Alice's tank met her end at the hands of the Sturmi, leaving Jouko and Linder's band victorious in the final practice match. This practice match had been almost unplanned, as everyone expected the last practice match from a week ago to be the real "final" one, but with the delay for the Sensha-do thanks to Miho and Jouko's efforts, time had allowed for further preparation.


"This is it. Our last practice match for this tournament is now concluded. We've been doing this every day for the past two months or so, and we've been seeing some great improvement from everybody as the tournament dragged on and more practice matches took place. Initiative, decisiveness, sharp wit, critical thinking, all have been refined by countless hours of practice. As has been said millions of times before, practice makes perfect, and we can start to attest to that statement. Not only that, but we've also improved our tanks as well! A double blessing on us! Not only will we have, and I don't mean to brag here, some of the best tankers in Sensha-do, but we'll also have the better quality of our tanks to better compliment that!

I'm proud of how far we've come in my two years here, I really am. Now, we're here to win it all. I, and all of you, are hoping that we do. This is the second time a minor school will disappoint everyone in a tournament, and we want to inspire our other minor schools to strive hard, to learn new things, and to learn how to fight, to conquer, and to win. Our battle will not be easy. Our tanks will face some of the most legendary tanks in history, and we don't expect everyone to come out of it. But, trust on each other, work well with each other, coordinate perfectly, and victory WILL be assured! Only in unity can we truly get victory. Let no division, rivalry, or malice rise up within you, for that will only result in the destruction of all that we have worked so hard to attain.

I'm relying on you all. Continuation is relying on you all. This school's former students, whether well-known or unknown, impactful or impactless, nevertheless drive arm-in-arm with you as you undertake this final upheaval. For many years, this school has been like Sisyphus, rolling the stone of challenges and hardships up the mountain of tournaments, only to fall back down again. Now, we've neared the top, and we don't plan on falling back down. With every cycle we've grown stronger, and rolling it has been easier as we have been refined in the fire. I want you all to prove how great you all have become, to let everyone know that Ooarai won't be a one-trick pony with the minor schools, but that we'll make sure that it becomes the norm and not the exception!

Now, let's win it all! Are you with me?!"

With one heart and tongue and voice, everyone shouted, at the top of their lungs,

"YES, COMMANDER!"


Maho's room, Niedersächsische Universität - four days before

"Our next topic is Panzerfahren. A few minutes ago, Mr. Shinchiro Kodama released a statement regarding the Grand Finals and the incident involving Erika Itsumi, commander of Kuromorimine, during the Finals of the Loser's Bracket. Here is his statement."

"Good morning to all Sensha-do supporters and fans. Due to unfortunate circumstances the Federation has unanimously decided to postpone the Grand Finals for up to a week. This has come as the result of a reported mental breakdown from one of the school commanders, Miss Erika Itsumi, last week during the Finals match that was broadcast. It was later found she had suffered an aneurysm during the breakdown, after which she was quickly transported to hospital to have the aneurysm surgically removed. Fortunately, she is in good health and the doctors have proclaimed that her mental state will remain stable, although she will take up to a week to recover from the surgery. We are thankful for the news and we hope that Miss Itsumi will recover quickly enough to return to fight in the Grand Finals, and we wish her family all the best..."

Maho was speechless as the statements continued on the television. Ever since Maho had left for Germany, Erika had done so well as Commander during the Winter Cup, finding her own Sensha-do, getting desired revenge against Pravda, defeating most of the opposition in the Loser's Bracket, only to mess up in the Finals so bad that she suffered not just a mental breakdown but an aneurysm from it, and it may have well killed her if not for the instincts of her crew in sedating her in time. This caused Koume to take over, and with what she had, Maho was satisfied that her commanding almost gained a victory. As much as she wanted to ask how this all came to be, she knew that it was better not to give Erika those memories again, and risk losing her permanently. Then came Christianity crawling back into her mind. She could almost hear her mother telling her,

"That 'Christianity' caused this. Do not fall into its dark grasp."

Yet Miho had told her of how she prayed with Jouko during Erika's hospitalization, and that she was glad her prayers were successful in helping the operation go excellently. Had she fallen for it, too? Over two months of university, and Maho had learned much about Christian theology. Disinterested at first, she gradually gained interest as the lecturer talked about how everything connected, even if two things were conflicting. Her curiosity grew, and a couple of days prior to the Finals, she decided to study it for herself, eager to know for real what was in its contents that helped convert Alice and formed Jouko's faith. In it, she was rather confused by some of the statements found inside, considering some to be far-fetched, but was interested in the promises it offered, especially in the books of the prophets of the Old Testament and the entirety of the New Testament. Soon enough, she had forgotten about her mother's warnings and was invested. But, as the news came on TV, her mother's words had come back to haunt her.

Maho eyed that divisive Bible that was lying on her table. Was it the reason Erika suffered like that? Or, was it what saved Erika, and helped her survive with her mind intact? Her mother would say the former, and demand that it be tossed aside, never to be read again. Jouko and Alice would say the latter, and further motivate Maho to study it. The full weight of her mother's trial was now on her shoulders, heavier than a ox's yoke made out of lead and tungsten, straining and crushing her mind to no end. She could so easily give up, this wasn't possible to go through. After seeing the news about her former Vice-Commander, Maho too began to worry that her mind would one day just snap from all of the pressure mounted on her to not disappoint her mother. However, the Bible promised comfort and peace if you would only follow God's Word, and Maho needed that comfort at a time like this. Stuck at a crossroads, Maho was at a severe lack of choice. Her mind was conflicted.

Come on, stop this madness and just accept the Bible. You won't be suffering like this when you do, that's what it promised.

Your conversion will be the end of the Nishizumi Style. With both children disowned, all your mother worked for will be gone. The Fifth Commandment, after all, says you must honor your father and your mother, right?

You can always try to help your mother become a better person, and help her understand what it means to be a loving, caring mother. Prayer and trust in God will help you with your troubles.

Are you sure that God does exist, after all? Is there proof of everything in the Bible? Is it all nonsense?

Would you pick a good, happy, bright life to live, or would you rather keep going down the dark, iron-fisted path of your mother's brutal upbringing?

Don't ruin Sensha-do and your passion for it. Your hallowed ancestors have built on this art for decades. Do not think to dishonor them in this way, ruining so much hard work put into it.

The Bible says that earthly things are fleeting, so what does it matter if you get disowned from something that won't last forever? Nothing on earth lasts forever, after all.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Maho dressed for a brisk walk outside to clear her mind and get some fresh air and relaxation. She brought her phone with her and put on some earbuds to listen to some music as she walked around. Yet, the thoughts still remained. All around the courtyard, the fields, and the playing areas, Maho left dozens of steps. Steps that should've each gotten rid of a thought in her mind, and give her the peace and serenity she wanted. But they refused to give her peace and quiet. They would never give her peace and quiet until she made her choice. Frustrated, she turned off her music, and stormed back into her dorm room, dejected and angry. The thoughts were only growing stronger, and further drained Maho's sanity. A shower was attempted, but still there the thoughts persisted, and even intensified. Maho left the bathroom without having put any soap on her.

With no other options, Maho decided to just call her sister. She was sure that Miho had been talking to Jouko, and learned a few things about the Bible from her. With her facing a mental crisis, and her mind inching towards collapse, Maho re-dressed, ran towards her phone, grabbed it, vigorously searched for Miho's phone number, and called her, pressing the phone tight to her ear, sinking into an armchair as she did so. Worriedly she waited as the beeps continued, hoping Miho would pick up. If she was asleep at this time, which wasn't possible given it was 7 in the evening in Japan. After several seconds of beeping that felt like individual eons and increased the stress on Maho's mind, the phone finally picked up.