Chapter Three: First Conflict, Part II
Disclaimer: People who are suffering from mental illness are not inherently more violent, nor are they precondoned to any sort of behavior. Like all people, they are products of the ways people treat them, and are deserving of the love and kindness any other person should get. They need help and support, not condonement or shunning.
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The day the practice match was to be held was the day before New Years. It would only be a week since Jizo first joined the Sensha-Do team, but she hadn't missed a single evening, and continued to practice. During that time, Jizo could see that she was absolutely… What was the analogy she learned from a book? A fish out of water, that was it. People in the team would often give her long looks, and she, of course, would look back. Some people turned away when she did, some just continued to stare at her. Jizo noticed, it was often the first or third years who looked at her the most. She wasn't sure what made her stand out. Was it the fact that she was new, or that she was inexperienced compared to them? Or was it because of her hair?
Jizo wouldn't spend much time with the other members, however, as she would be given private lessons with either Cahya, or Khin. With Cahya, she would continue to let her drive in Tiger tank, specifically in the commander's positions, with Cahya staying behind. She wanted to come along with Jizo for evaluation, however, it was the sister, Khin, who convinced her not to. While Cahya gave her in the field tutoring, Khin took her back, and lectured her with books and studies. Historical books, practical essays, and all the like. By the end of any day, Jizo could understand the written material better than Khin could herself, it was for that reason, as Khin herself would argue, that she should be left to command the tank without Cahya there.
It was the evening of December 29th, as Jizo sat quietly at a bench in the hanger, surrounded by the noise of engineering work. The Krupp hanger was filled to the brim with tankers working on maintenance, after a long day of practice. The crews were on their respective Panzers, and since Jizo didn't have a crew or tank, she just sat patiently, staring out a window at the sky of looming gray clouds, waiting to be dismissed. As she did, a girl walked up to her, and tapped her shoulder.
"Hey," Jizo remembered this girl, she was Lorita, the one who nearly had a fight with Alfonsine. "You're the new girl, right? That's obvious enough. I don't know why they haven't assigned you a crew, but, you know, you don't have to wait to be dismissed to leave. It's gonna get darker soon, and colder, so you should just excuse yourself."
"But," Jizo responded, "The protocol is to wait until the Kommandant dismisses the team."
"Yeah, that's standard issue, but that doesn't mean you have to wait."
"But sometimes," Khin had told her this, "The Kommandant will randomly do head checks before dismissal, to be sure no one is skipping, so it's not something I can get away with."
"Pfff'," Lorita chuckled, "You have a funny way of wording things. I'm surprised you know about that, normally the first time people learn about it is when they are on the receiving end of one of the Kommandant's punishments."
"Khin told me."
"She did, did she? Khin must really like you. But, I don't think you need to worry about that, in fact, I think you'd be doing the Kommandant a favor if she does head count, do you know why?"
"Why?" Jizo asked.
"Well, I just get this from her whenever I ride with her, but I don't think she likes you at all. I would go so far as to say she very much dislikes you, actually. You may not know, but the Kommandant likes to cycle between teams in her crew, I think it's so that she can personally evaluate us. That doesn't mean much on getting to know her personally. But once, while I was riding with her, I asked her about you, the 'new girl with no experience', who is doing surprisingly well. Well, you know what she said? She told me to shut it, if I didn't want to get dismissed right then and there."
"That sounds harsh."
"I know, right? It's fine, though, the Kommandant is always like that. Still, it's very clear she doesn't want to acknowledge you. I mean, she hasn't even given a team statement on the matter. I don't think she hates you, if she did, she would've thrown you out right away, or maybe driven you over with a tank, but she definitely doesn't like your presence. That's what I'm getting, so, you should just go."
Jizo remained quiet for a moment and she thought on what to do, "I'll ask Cahya," She said.
"Man, me personally, if a senior tells me that it's okay to leave, I would be out the door in an instant. Sometimes, I would just leave if I felt like it, no one can make me stay if I don't want to." Lorita groaned, "But, you do you, I guess."
An hour or so passed after that, after the Sensha-Do team was dismissed with no issue, however Khin had asked her to stay behind.
"Tomorrow is the practice match. I've basically taught you all that I can, but I got one more thing to explain to you." That is what Khin said, as they now sat together on a bench on the hanger.
Khin went on, "Everything you've learned so far has been the essentials of Tankery. What player learns most fundamentally before entering a battle. Awareness, battle tactics, technical ability, radio call-outs, first aid, decision making, you've at least learned something. Well, you can only teach decision making so much, but my sister and I, through her reluctance, have tried. However, there is something else I will tell you about, something only Kuromorimine is known for. No one else in all Japan, or in all Sensha-Do follow such a precept of battle. My sister didn't want me to explain it to you, but considering everything, I think you deserve to know. In Kuromorimine, we practice the style of the Nishizumi. I'm not the most qualified to explain, and even I'm still learning, but I'll tell you straight. That is, to win your battles."
"What does that mean, 'win your battles.' Jizo asked.
"Exactly as it sounds, that is what the Kommandant, and the Marshal follow. That no matter the strategy, no matter the plan, you must always win your battles. Never falter, never surrender, never put doubt in your mind. 'Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win,' that is what the Marshal told us all when we joined. You never heard it, but now you know. There must be no doubt, when you hit your enemy, you've already knocked them down, when you aim at them, you've already hit them. And when you plan to go to war, you've already won."
Jizo thought for a moment, and she really did try to think. She looked into all the reserves of her mind to try and understand what Khin was talking about, what sort of message was she trying to give her. Try to compare it to everything she's ever learned, and figure out how they come together, but she couldn't. All the pieces of Khins message were broken apart, and it was difficult to put them together, Like broken glass. Like a glass that was broken. Every individual shard ripped into her skin as she tried to pick them up, and when she tried to put them together, they would fall apart again, even smaller and sharper than before.
"I don't understand."
"It's fine, no one does, the first time around. You will, with experience. Isn't that how we all learn? Well, that's all I have left to tell you. Go home, go to sleep. If you aren't tired, then go distract yourself with what little you have, till you get tired. And, good luck, tomorrow."
"Alright." Jizo said, and she stood up from the bench and turned to get her coat.
"Oh', and Jizo."
"Yes?"
"Don't get hurt."
"… Okay."
Jizo, at all, didn't get it.
In a blink, it was the next day, and it was already time for the practice match. She still didn't have a proper uniform, but everyone already knew who she was, and as she walked into the hangar, a girl she hadn't seen before stopped her.
"You, new girl, go to hanger section C1. Hurry, it's the Panzer IV, H variant. The rest of your crew is already there."
Jizo hurried past other girls who were rushing all around. Jizo saw that the hanger was usually chaotic at this time, but today, it was especially so, as people rushed to get into position.
Running up to the section C1 of the hanger, she saw there, was that aforementioned Panzer IV. Gray, with white camouflage thrown about. Her crew as already inside, so she stepped up to the haul of the tank, and made to open the hatch. However, before she could, someone called out to her.
"Hey, Ary!"
Jizo didn't know anyone by that name, but turning around, and seeing Alfonsine walking up to her, she stopped and said "Who is Ary?"
"That's you. That's the name I'm giving you now, be glad, you get one early. Look, I gotta say something to you, first year, so listen, it'll just take a second. I overheard you and Khin talking yesterday. I was working on my tank, and, well. First, I don't think I've ever heard Khin get quite personal with someone like that, anyone except her sister, anyway, so, lucky you. She can be as uncaring toward people as a judge. I don't think that's a good thing, but whatever, that doesn't matter right now. More importantly, what she said about the style of the Nishizumi, you didn't really understand it, did you. Right?"
"I didn't. That is correct."
"Yeah, I knew it. A second year student like her can't explain it right, so I'll just tell it to you in a way that makes sense."
"What is it?"
"Do whatever it takes to win. Got it? I see your confused face, it's not confusing at all, it's exactly as I said it."
"Exactly as you said it?" Jizo questioned.
"Exactly."
"Oh, okay, alright. 'Do whatever it takes to win.' I'll 'do whatever it takes to win'." Jizo said, nodding her head.
"Good. Now, get out. I don't know how well you're really going to do until I see it but, but really, the other first years this year fucking suck. And those sisters… Eh', those sisters are decent enough teachers. So, go knock them dead'."
"'Knock them dead'?"
"Uh'," Alfonsine got an odd look on her face, "Yeah? Why are you so confused, it's just a figure out speech." Alfonsine turned with a sigh. "Gott, first years are so fucking weird."
Jizo watched Alfonsine walk away for a moment, then continued to climb onto her tank, and to the commander's seat. Opening up the hatch, Jizo sat herself onto the seat, and looked down to her crewmates. She would have to get to know their names first, before they could begin-
Hmm? Jizo could swear she saw their faces before, what were their names?
"Look, the new commander." A girl Jizo recognized from somewhere glanced back at her from the driver's seat, "Hey-" Then she stopped.
There were three girls in the Panzer IV. The one in the driver's seat was with long, brown hair. The other other, in the seat of the gunner, had short, black hair. Finally, the one girl in the radio operating position, who was the shortest of the three. All of them were looking at her now, but where did she see them from? She knew the short girl, from when she first came to the hanger, Lina, that was her name.
Wait, Jizo remembered now. Months ago, when she had no friends, on a rainy day, she approached three girls in the cafeteria. They were talking about whether or not to take Sensha-Do. Looks like all three of them did, despite the shortest girl's dejection.
"Hello." Jizo spoke first, "I am Jizo. What are your names?"
The three girls paused for a second, and looked at each other silently, before the driver spoke up. "My name is Hitomi. Uh' girl's, you should introduce yourself to the new commander, right?"
"R-right…" The girl with black, short hair stuttered, "I'm Fuji."
Finally, the smallest girl introduced herself quietly, "... Lina."
Jizo looked around, "Where is the 5th member?"
"Yeah… About that," Hitomi said, "The previous radio operator and gunner, well, they sort of… Didn't wanna do tankery anymore, uh', yeah."
"What she is saying," Fuji said, "Is that they quit. Quite bad. Got bullied for their poor performance to the point of leaving, so there's that, no big deal, right? So it was just the three of us, and now there is you, so that makes four."
"… I… I was actually the… C-… Commander… Bu-but, I got de-demoted-"
"She lost the job of commander after her performance during the finals. That's right, the Kommandant let us take part in the finals. We sucked terribly, so she got demoted, and replaced with you, got that all?" Fuji spat.
"Yes," Jizo affirmed quickly, and the girl named Lina actually flinched at her plain tone. "So, Fuji, you will take both the roles of gunner and loader, since you're in position. then."
"Fine."
"Fuji," Hitomi said, "Can you at least, I don't know, try to not antagonize the new commanders?"
"Antagonize, what did I do? All I said was, 'fine'."
"It's the way you said it, Fuji."
"What are you, reading my mind? Ask the 'commander'. Hey, blondie, was I antagonizing you?"
Jizo tilted her head in confusion, "I don't think so."
"See? So why don't you mind your own business, Hitomi, and just drive the damn tank. Okay?"
Hitomi shook her head, "Why do we always have to do this? Alright, I already know where the starting position is going to be, so whenever you are ready, Lina-," Lina whimpered, "I mean, uh' Jiko."
"Jizo."
"Jizo, right, yeah. Commander, whenever you're ready."
Jizo cleared her throat, and straightened her back. "We shall drive to the designated area, and await further instructions from the radio as to when the match will begin. Fahrer, ausrücken!" She shouted.
Nothing happened.
"What?" Fuji asked, "What does that mean? You said some gibberish.
"Oh," Jizo's eyes widened slightly, "It means 'Driver, move out', in German."
"German?" Fuji said, "Why would you speak German? We don't understand German."
"Sorry," Jizo said, "Okay, Driver, move-" Before she could finish, Hitomi already started the tank engine, and it whirled to life. Picking up traction, the Panzer drove forward, and the automatic doors of the hanger opened. Even though she was inside the tank, Jizo could immediately feel the dropping temperature, and immediately, she shivered from the cold. It had been snowing lightly for the past day, so the roads and ground were already covered. Peeking her head out of the hatch, Jizo looked around. It was still fairly visible, but anything at a long distance would be difficult to make out.
"He-hey, keep the hatch closed!" Fuji yelled, "It's freezing when you do that."
"Sorry." Jizo said, as she sat down and closed the hatch.
After about 20 minutes, they were stationed at their designated spot, and were now waiting to receive news from the radio to begin the match. Khin said that the best method for a free for all like this was to lie in wait, and try to outlast the enemy. Only engage if you absolutely have the advantage, or can get the jump on them, otherwise don't bother. Like a true predator, Khin had said, that is how true predators hunt.
So they would lie in wait.
And, about an hour later, under fire by three enemy tanks and fleeing at stop speed, Jizo remembered a certain saying. No plan survives first contact with the enemy, or something of that kind, and up until now, Jizo never understood what that meant.
A shell flew right over the head of the Panzer IV, exploding right behind them, kicking up snow and dirt.
"Ah!" Lina yelped.
Now, she understood it.
At the start of the match, every team was provided with a map of the area they would battle in, to which Jizo was reading right now. The region was a large, snowed in forest, similar to the training area she practiced in before. However, there was the addition of a town. As the centerpiece of the mock battle, an early 20th century, large urban area, meant to mirror something out of the Great War. It would be there they would escape too.
"Why are they only firing at us?" Fuji yelled, "This is supposed to be a free for all damnit!"
"I think-" Hitomi said, as another shell flew by them, "I think they are targeting us because of the new girl!"
"What the hell? Those assholes-"
Another shell, "Eep!" Lina yelped again.
Jizo wasn't sure herself. Why were these three tanks tearing down the road right behind them, ignoring each other, and focusing on them? She had no time to think about it, what she needed to do now was act. "We are about to come up on a fork in the road," Jizo said in that same, plain tone. "Take a right, we are going into the town."
"The town? Are you nuts?" Fuji questioned, but Jizo didn't have any sort of clue what dried fruits had to do with what she said. "We can't possibly maneuver through a broken down town without the risk of running into someone else or breaking down."
"You can't except to fight in a tank battle without running into an enemy tank," Jizo said, repeating the words she was told by Khin during one of their personal sessions, "And, from all the work you've done on the tank, then there should be much risk of breaking down. Right?"
Lina whimpered.
"Okay," Hitomi said, "There's no need to say it like that, we get it. Right, you said? I see the fork coming up."
Jizo wasn't sure what Hitomi was talking about, but so long as they got the order and followed it, everything was fine. Yet, as another shot flew by them, followed by another, and a third, she thought that maybe, it wasn't fine. Still, if they continued to miss, then it didn't matter how many were chasing them.
Turning slightly to the right, the Panzer IV eventually broke line up with the tanks firing at them, as they made their way to the town. Jizo watched closely behind them, but none of the other tanks followed. For whatever reason, Jizo wasn't sure, but they were safe now. Eventually, coming over a small hill, they came into view of some broken down wooden houses. The outskirts of their destination. Yet, as they approached, the sound of cannon fire could be heard in the distance.
"This is going to be difficult," Hitomi said, "It's not some modern city, it's old fashioned, who knows where our tank will be able to go."
Entering the town, Jizo saw clearly its disarray. Many of the buildings were falling about, with chunks of wooden and stone beams debris laying around the town. Also, there were many ditches, meant to be the fallout of bombs being dropped in that area. They would have to avoid driving over any of them, or the snow that filled the ditches would make it impossible to get the traction needed to escape.. This all made them go slow, extremely slow, they were practically sitting ducks in their current state. The only thing they could do effectively was turn the turret, as there was more than enough space in the streets, but even that was hindered because Fuji had to take both the jobs of gunner and loader. If Jizo were completely honest, she hadn't a clue what they could do in order to ensure their safety. Yet, it was because she expected such an environment, that she knew it would be safe for them to come here to escape. If their prior attackers really were in an alliance to take them down, then they wouldn't risk doing it in here, lest they turn on whoever was in a bad position.
Jizo opened the hatch to get a better view of the terrain, and Fuji said, "Hey…It's freaking cold, keep the hatch closed." But she ignored the loader and popped her head out to the open. Immediately, her whole body began to shiver and her teeth clenched, but she didn't bother herself with any of it. Instead, she just squinted her eyes, and focused. There was still the sound of distant fire, and it grew louder as they moved, so Jizo tried to spot any movement in the direction of the battle.
Meanwhile, in the tank, the crew spoke.
"I should've brought a heavier jacket."
"Fuji…" Hitomi said, "I get it, but can you stop complaining, we're all trying to focus here."
"Well, it's cold, I don't know what else you want me to do other than complain. I mean, I can barely keep my hands steady, they keep shaking."
To that, Jizo quickly said, "Will that affect your reload and aiming time? If so, then we can have Lina take up one of the positions."
Fuji scoffed, "Lina has never even touched the gunner position, and look at her, she's way too small to even lift a shell. Right, Lina?"
Lina coughed, and her voice was very light, "Y-yea-..."
"U-um, anyway. Anyway! It won't be a hindrance at all. Don't underestimate me, I've been at this for years."
"Okay."
They continued to drive carefully, until, from at least 300 meters away, through the gap of collapsed houses, Jizo spotted smoke rising into the air..
"A few hundred meters, north west, behind the broken down building, there is smoke in the air. There isn't much, but it's most likely from another tank." Jizo got into her seat and closed the hatch, "Back up into the alley right behind us on the right."
"Are all we are going to do is hide?" Fuji complained. Still, Hitomi continued as ordered, and they backed into an alley which also exited in the street behind them, with the turret facing the way they just came. Hopefully, Jizo planned, someone to drive past this area, and they would get a chance to take them out while remaining hidden.
"Hey, Jiko." Fuji said.
"Jizo."
"Yeah, whatever, Jizo. You know, this isn't how you're supposed to play Sensha-Do. Right?"
"Is that so?" Jizo questioned, "I was told that ambush tactics are the most effective method for taking out the enemy."
"Maybe in some other game, yeah. But in Sensha-Do, it isn't.."
"Then what is it?"
"It's that, that's… Well, it's not really a solo game, so… Man, how do I explain this."
Hitomi commented, "Hey, Lina, wanna help her out?"
Lina, who hadn't said anything until now, quietly spoke, and looked at Jizo. "You… Can't always accept a solo fight… There are always others… Your team, the enemy team… I-if I had to guess, you only learned things about solo play? W-w-well, there are others you play with, y-you aren't some… Lone wolf… Please stop staring at me like that…"
Like what?
"Yeah…" Hitomi trailed, "She's just trying to give you some advice, you don't have to be like that."
Be like what?
"Girls," Fuji said, "Just ignore this brat, bet she's used to getting whatever she wants. Right? How else did you get into the Sensha-Do team, bet you thought it was some cool little thing to battle in tanks, so you asked and it happened. "
"I wouldn't go so far."
"What? Hitomi, you were saying the same shit before the match started." Fuji scoffed, "Don't try to act like you have the high ground now."
"… Still." Hitomi trailed.
"'Still' nothing, you know I'm right. She's not even bothering to defend herself. Hey, Jiko, how did they let you in? At least give some explanation."
"That's simple." Jizo said.
"Simple? What is it?"
"It's because I'm related to the Kommandant."
"See! I told you- wait, to the Kommandant? But, that doesn't make any sense, the last person to be willing to do something like that is Nishizumi."
"Maybe," Jizo continued, "It's probably because I'm her sis-"
They were interrupted by the sound of tracks moving.
"… Shit." Hitomi cursed."
Jizo looked forward, to what was right ahead of them, from where they entered into the alley they hid in, and she didn't see anything. So that left-
Oh', that's what. A Hetzer. Well, from what Jizo read, they were going to get blown to pieces. It had managed to come behind them. She should've been listening more closely, or had told her crew to stop talking, then she could've heard it coming. Also, she was too focused on the possible tank that was coming in their direction. She hadn't taken into consideration another tank. At this range, Jizo would think that there would be nothing left of them, if this were real combat. The Hetzer was pointed at an angle where it came in from behind them, as its turret was facing directly at them. It was a matter of when the enemy would fire.
But that fire never came.
"Why aren't they shooting?" Jizo asked.
"They are being dumb, that's all." Hitomi said.
"They are being assholes, that's what they are." Fuji spat.
Neither was a clear answer.
"What they are doing," Lina spoke lightly, "Is that they are… M-mocking us. I-it's like in a chess game. If you k-know you have a c-checkmate, then… Then you can stall out the game… As a form of d-d-disrespect…"
Jizo nodded her head. "Should we wave the white flag, then?"
"No!" Fuji suddenly yelled, "Do you really not know anything? The first thing they teach you in Sensha-Do school is to never raise the white flag unless you are completely out of commission. Even if your tank is on fire, and your engine is burning, if you can still move or shoot, you fight."
"I don't think," Hitomi commented, "You should go that far."
"Well," Jizo said, "Guess we'll have to wait, until they fire."
After about another ten seconds, ten grueling seconds of quiet, the sound of cannon fire rang out loudly, and Jizo brazed herself for the impact. An impact that would never come.
"What?" Fuji said, "Did they miss?"
Jizo, equally confused, popped open the hatch, intending to speak to the Hetzer crew directly. But, when she looked back, it was the Hetzer that was smoking, with a large shell having hit the back-left side of it. Jizo stared, as after a few seconds, a white flag popped out of the Hetzer.
Jizo re-entered the Panzer IV. "They were shot."
"Hahaha!" Fuji laughed hysterically, "Serves those dumbasses right!"
"Drive forward," Jizo said, "I'm not sure what happened, but our position is compromised."
The engine whirled to life, as the Panzer IV exited the wave it came, since behind them was blocked by the destroyed Hetzer. Yet, as soon as they exited, they came under fire from another tank to their right that was driving in the same street. The shot missed, barely.
So there was a tank, Jizo thought, a Panzer III to be exact. If they had just a few more seconds, then her ambush plan would've worked. That didn't matter now, though.
"Turn left, keep up evasive maneuvers, don't worry about driving over objects. Rotate the turret 180 degrees, and provide cover fire."
"Alright!" Hitomi shouted.
"Don't gotta tell me something that simple," Fuji said.
"I think… t-think we are in the middle of a firefight." Lina said.
Jizo, wanting to confirm her radio operator's suspicion, popped her head out of the hatch above her. There were constant loud bangs from multiple directions, and just from her spot, she could see multiple tanks through buildings and streets engaging in conflict. It seems like the fight they heard earlier had caught up to them. There were two tanks engaged at a long range, with at least 500 meters between them, a fight Jizo could only barely make out. Another set of two tanks are fighting at point blank range, with one nearly driving into the other to avoid getting hit. Finally, just from what Jizo could spot, there was a tank, another Panzer 4, driving past a building, before being shot at through a nearby wall. It didn't get taken out, but its tracks were clearly broken, leaving it as a sitting duck.
All that was secondary however, as Jizo turned around to get a view of their attacker.
"It's a Panzer 3… We should be able to take it on." Jizo said, re-entering the tank.
"Not unless it hits us first." Hitomi responded.
"Don't worry, I got that damn thing!" Fuji yelled out, and right after, she fired the turret.
A loud bang, a massive shudder and vibration, followed by the shell being ejected from the turret. There was a slight shift as they gained a little bit of momentum from the shell firing in the opposite direction of their movement, and Jizo's vision became blurry for a second as a result, but still, she didn't need to see clearly, to know that Fuji missed.
"Damnit! Hold on, I'll reload at hit'em this time-"
They were hit.
Jizo actually took the brunt of it. The shot from the Panzer III was a bit off, and instead of hitting the body center, hit into the side of the back of the turret and at such an angle that forced it to skid away, and explode in a nearby building. It was pure luck that they survived, as Jizo rubbed her head, trying to clear her sudden nausea.
"… Is everyone alright?" Hitomi said, continuing to drive undeterred.
"We're all fine, that thing barely hit us, and I can still move the turret." Fuji answered.
"C-commander, w-what about you." Lina asked, "C-commander?"
Jizo took a second, "I'm fine."
"Well you better brace, I'm gonna fire. Two- One-"
"Hold on…" Jizo trailed, still a little dizzy, "Look right ahead of us."
About a hundred meters out, the road broke into two split streets. The right road was smaller than the left, with the only thing separating the two being a stone wall that was looking like it would collapse under any pressure. It was probably what remained of some long building, with all but one of its walls being destroyed and scattered.
"Drive onto the right of that wall, hold your shot, force them to go left. As fast as you can."
"Got it." Hitomi answered.
Doing as told, Hitomi drove the Panzer IV at top speed to the right side of the thin wall, and when the Panzer III tried to follow, Fuji fired the turret at them. This, in turn, caused the Panzer III to end up on the opposite side, just as planned.
"Well, what now?" Fuji said.
That was the question Jizo too, was asking herself in her own fragmented mind. They could try backing up, but, Jizo thought, that would leave them far too exposed for far too long. No, instead, Jizo remembered what Alfonsine had told her before the match, and she had an idea. A plan that could take out the Panzer III. She had initially only thought to separate themselves from their opponent just to escape their fire for a moment and find a way to escape, but looking through whatever gaps could be found on the wall, she could barely make out that the Panzer III was still following them from the other side, just slightly trailing behind. And, that up ahead, the wall ended, and the two streets would come together again. They would need to act quickly.
"Slow down slightly."
Hitomi nodded, "Slowing down."
"What do you need me to do?" Fuji asked.
"Get ready to fire."
The Panzer III was completely out of sight now, but Jizo could still make out a mental image of where it was, so long as they didn't change speed.
"On my mark… Break left."
"Break left? Tank's can 'break left-'"
"Now!"
"Okay!" Hitomi shouted, and maneuvered the tank in such a way that would make it drive directly into the stone beside them.
"Brace."
They slammed into the wall. The spot Jizo chose to move into was particularly light then the other parts, due to decay, that made it easier to break through. However, it was still an extremely heavy hit, as Jizo was forced out of her seat and into the side of the tank. Jizo could barely keep herself steady as debris fell atop them. Yet, after a moment, there was a nearly deafening screeching sound, as the two tanks collided. Finally, their tank came to a complete stop, and when Jizo looked throughout, she saw that they had driven directly into the side of the Panzer III.
Jizo inhaled. "Fire."
Fuji said nothing, Jizo had expected some sort of comment.
The shell shot out from point blank, and struck directly into the front side of the Panzer III. Right where their engine was. Jizo said, "Get ready to fire again," However, before Fuji could reload, from the smaller tank, a white flag popped out.
It was decommissioned.
"Yes!" Fuji shouted, "Take that! Finally, it's been so long since I managed to get a good shot."
"Alright, reverse us out of here." Jizo ordered.
However, they didn't move, "Uh', commander," The driver said, "I can't seem to get the tank moving. Hold, it might just need to-"
Jizo was then slammed into the back of her seat, as they were shot at from the front, directly into their engine. She heard the other three girls yell out, with Fuji cursing, but Jizo remained silent. It took them all a few seconds to recover from the hard impact, with Jizo rubbing the back of their head. It seemed there was someone else here. Did they just get into position? Or were they watching. Whatever it was, Jizo thought, she should've prepared for the possibility of there being another enemy.
As smoke began to enter the tank, Jizo coughed through the black air, "Can you drive?"
"Commander," Fuji said, her voice quivering, "Our engine is completely fucked."
Nodding, Jizo reached to her side. Each tank, in fact, each member, was provided with a small white flag. In order to indicate that your tank was out of the fight, it was left to the crew to pop out a small white flag through one of the many tiny openings.
A small white flag came out.
"Damn, we're already out…" Fuji complained.
Jizo immediately popped open the hatch, and jumped out of the tank, followed by the rest of the crew. Looking forward, there was a Panzer 38t, quickly driving away. It must've been that tank which shot them.
"Ah,'" Fuji said, jumping down from the tank, "My arms and back hurt, loading and aiming is really hard."
"My legs are nearly cramped," Hitomi said, following after Fuji, "I don't think I've ever had to drive that hard before."
Lina also jumped out, but she didn't comment, and seemed to shrink into herself.
"Okay," Jizo said, "Now we just wait here for-"
"Hey!" From the side, a girl shouted, and turning to see who it was, Jizo saw the commander from the Panzer III looking at her from atop the tank. "What the hell was that? You drove through the wall to ram us? Are you nuts? What kind of school did you go to that taught you that?"
Jizo thought, and responded, "I would think my actions were in alignment with the Nishizumi-style."
"The what?" The Panzer III commander questioned, "You are weird."
Well, Jizo thought she had heard that before.
After about half an hour, a pick up truck was driven to their location, two, in fact. One for her tank, and one for the Panzer III. There were many of these large vehicles, serving to tow destroyed tanks back to the hangar, and pick up any crews. Khin told her to watch out for them when she got eliminated. Now, her and the rest of the crew were sitting in the back of the large truck, quietly riding back. Jizo did try to strike up a conversation, "Hey, Fuji, Hitomi, Lina… Nice job." But, from Fuji's scowl, something must've gone wrong in what she said.
"You don't have to insult us like that, I'm already annoyed by the cold."
"Oh'," She was pretty sure she never said anything insulting, "Sorry."
After a little while longer, they eventually returned to the hanger, and their tank was moved to be repaired.
"I'm gonna go clean up, it's freezing from all this sweat, and I feel terrible." Fuji said.
"Yeah, I have to get home soon, too." Hitomi responded, "I have to finish up some school work I'm almost done with."
Jizo was just about to leave as well, but was stopped by Lina. "Y-you should get to the showers… A-also b-b-be sure to lay down today, you-you took a pretty bad hit earlier… Bye." With that, the short girl slightly bowed her head, and chased after the other two.
Heeding her advice, Jizo would get changed, out of the standard Kuromorimine outfit, and into some casual clothes Khin told her to pack. By the time she was done, the practice match was already finished, and most of the competitors were back in the hangar. Instead of following the lead of many of the other girls, Jizo didn't leave, and instead looked around for someone.
That was when Khin approached her, "Hey, J-, my sister already left half-way through the match."
"Oh'. I see."
"... I can't tell," Khin said, "If you are disappointed, or not. Either way, I have to get going, but you had a decent enough performance out there. Not much you can do when you are constantly being chased, and your gunner can't hit the broad side of a barn. Right?"
Jizo was confused, "Was Fuji bad at her aiming?"
"Is Fuji the name of your gunner? If so, well, I wouldn't say she was awful, considering the circumstances, but I'd say she underperformed, just from what I saw. I'd even say your only saving grace was your driving. What was her name?"
"Hitomi."
"I see, Hitomi actually did pretty well. I'll be sure to put in a good word for it with the Kommandant. Also, what was the name of the other two crew?"
"Lina. We were down a gunner, so it was just four."
"Really? That's odd, I'm sure there could've been someone to fill your roll... Still, I'll have a chat with them another day about how you performed, and see where we can improve your commanding skills."
"Alright."
"Okay," Khin responded, "See'ya, J-. also, your free to go home."
Jizo nodded her head, as she watched Khin leave. Yet, before Jizo could even think to move, she was slapped hard on the back of the shoulder. "Yo' yo' yo', Ary." Rounding to infront of her, Jizo saw the familiar face of Alfonsine. "I watched that ending there, fucking hilarious." She chuckled, "Driving through that wall? That's the type of shit you only see first years try to pull. And to think, I would've missed out on seeing something that fun if Cahya didn't let you play. I do think I chose a good name for you. But, don't ever go pulling something like that in a real match, or you are gonna get eaten up like a sheep!" She laughed, "But, here's a tip, if you are going to ram someone. Be sure to ram them from the Commander's side of the tank, to ensure whoever it is gets as much as the impact as possible. Also, If you can, try to position your main gun so that it's pointed directly at the commander's seat. So you can give them a double shell shock."
Jizo nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."
"You better." Alfonsine finished, before giving Jizo another heavy pat on the back, and walking away.
And then, another person walked up to Jizo, snapping their fingers and pointing. It was strange, no one ever started conversations with her before coming to Kuromorimine, so what changed?
"Hey, Unteroffizer."
"Hello, Gerhardina."
"Eh' just 'Dina is fine, that's what all my friends call me."
Jizo didn't know they were friends. "Okay."
"Anyway, I couldn't watch the whole match, but I got her at the end, and I saw you take out the other tank. Nice job. Honestly, the whole crew was kinda happy to see you actually managed to take someone out."
"Is that so?"
"You know it! You should've seen Evonne, she apparently watched the whole thing, and was cursing up a storm whenever she saw those three tanks chasing after you, while ignoring each other. I'm not sure why they did that, but whatever, what's done is done, right? Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen Lea so awake before. So, good shit."
"Thanks."
'Dina smiled widely, "You're welcome. Also, I actually came to ask you if you had any plans for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? No, I don't have any plans."
"Well, that's good, cause I got these tickets for a firework show. I asked Cahya if she wanted to come, but she said she was busy, I'm not sure with what though. It was just gonna be a crew's night out, so we didn't plan on asking anyone else, but then, I decided to ask you, since, y'know, you've basically been on the crew for the past week. Well, actually, it was Halfrid who thought to ask you, but since I am the one who actually has to do it, I basically get all the credit." 'Dina laughed at herself.
Jizo just stared.
"Nothing?" She sighed, "Normally Cahya laughs at that… So, you wanna come?"
Jizo thought for a second, "Okay."
'Dina snapped her finger and pointed at her, "Nice, we'll meet at the front of the school at six in the afternoon."
"Should I wear anything?" Jizo asked. She read before in a book that whenever going out with friends to special occasions, it was very important to wear something appropriate.
"What to wear? Uh', I don't know. I never care about things like that, I know Halfrid and Lea care more about these sorts of things, but, wear whatever you want, just make sure it's- I'm not sure. Warm? Just, wear something that looks like," She winked, "Who knows, maybe you'll be able to pick up a date."
"What's that?"
"What's what?"
"A date? Isn't that the current day in the year? What do you mean by, 'pick up a date.'"
'Dina was silent, "It's a date, everyone knows what a date is. Goodness, Unteroffizer, you're hilariously weird to talk to." She snapped her finger for a third time, "We'll see you there."
Jizo waved to 'Dina as she left. It seemed that for the first time in a long time, she wouldn't spend a holiday alone.
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Author's note.
Hello!
I have a few things to say so stay with me here. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. Of course, I believe that everyone should be first and foremost, writing for themselves, when writing fanfiction. However, I will admit that it does feel very nice to know that other people find what I'm writing interesting, and serves as a great motivator to work on the story. So, once again, thank you.
Secondly, more importantly, is on the contents of this chapter. Specifically, the actual tank combat scene. I would like to say that, while this was short, I have planned out the actual team battles that will be done in the Nationals to be much longer, with them being multiple chapters of respectable size. The reason for this one being so short is a few things. One, is that I didn't have much planned for this narrative wise, and simply wanted to introduce the characters who will be in Jizo's crew, and some important themes regarding tank battles that will come up much more later on, secondly, I wanted to represent the feeling of how easy it is to be taken out, with the abrupt and sudden end to Jizo's run in the practice match.
And thirdly, this is also the third point I want to make in this AN, is that I don't have any experience writing such action packed scenes. I have written fighting scenes before, but those didn't include, well, tank battles. Also, my writing experience is much more limited to dialogue, narrative, and telling a more grounded story. So, if it feels off in some ways, feel free to leave a comment on what you think. I'm still trying to learn how to write these scenes myself, and hopefully by the end of our journey here together, I will be much better at it.
Once again, thank you for reading.
Yours Truly.
A.A
