Chapter 6. A Little Heart to Heart
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock. The clock in the temporary facility keeps on moving forward, regardless of how empty the room is. Most of the participants who are found wounded have finally woken up from their coma. In fact, the only people who are residing in the encampment right now is the two commanders themselves.
Nanako has been sitting on Araki's bedside ever since the Hohei-do match ended, and multitudes of minutes pass by as she carefully observes Araki. With the better lighting conditions of day, she can now see him more clearly with his distinctive buzz cut shown as the helmet is removed. His chest moves up and down slowly, bring the air in and out through his nose. He sleeps, unbeknownst to the stern observer keeping her eyes on him.
This is what a commander of Otto von Krieger should do, right? Keeping eye on the commander of the opposing school to make sure nothing goes wrong? The school is very much known for their hospitality, after all. Everyone here at Otto von Krieger feels like family members, a far cry from their Sensha-do counterpart who are more like machines than women.
But this… This feels incredibly naughty to Nanako, somehow. Her face blushes a bit at the thought of her being too close for comfort. And so, she stands up. And then, she sits down. Stands up. Sits down. Stands up. Sits down. Then she keeps sitting there, making a sigh, as other members of Otto von Krieger's Hohei-do come to look inside.
"Hey, how long has she been sitting there, anyway?" One of the men whispers, peeking ever so carefully as not to expose the group away.
"I don't know, but she is definitely acting strange. Never have I seen captain Nishizumi so… indecisive. And the way she keeps looking at him, too." Another boy added.
"How is that anything odd? Maybe she's just worried? It has been 2 hours, after all. Most of the Krasnaya Zvezda's students have already recovered from battle damage sustained during the games. It's only natural if she wants to keep an eye on him just to make sure."
"Then why didn't she call the caretakers in? Couldn't she just let a professional handle the job?"
"Maybe she just wants to keep it personal."
"Or she could be planning something else. Something more… spicy."
"Uh… I don't think captain Nishizumi is that kind of girl."
"Who knows? Maybe she has her wild side or something."
"Yeah, right." Suddenly, an authority figure arrives at the scene, announcing himself loudly. "Now please, can you kids leave my sister alone? She wouldn't like it to know someone is spying on her now. And I think she just wants a talk with the guy."
"A-Ah, lieutenant Nishizumi!"
"Shit, h-he's here!"
"Aah, I-I don't mean anything, sir. W-We're just curious, that's all."
"Well then, do you boys mind returning to back to go talk with the others?"
"And what about sir? A-Aren't you planning on doing something unethical, lieutenant Nishizumi?"
"Y-Yeah! Y-You shouldn't abuse your power! W-We will report you to the Student Council if you commit any misdeeds!"
"Come on! You boys know I am not that kind of person, yeah?"
The group students nervously nodded, though they continued to shake, thinking he might punish them for this. Seeing that, the lieutenant can only shake his head.
"Look, it's not like you did anything particularly harmful, so I won't… give you 20 extra pushups or things like that. Come on, let's get back with the group. I'm sure you want some kinderpunsch, don't you?"
"Oh right! Kinderpunsch!"
"Kami's greatest invention for hot summer days! Best drink after finishing a Hohei-do match!"
"Kinderpunsch! Kinderpunsch! Kinderpunsch! Kinderpunsch!" And just like that, the group of spying boys left to enjoy some thirst quenchers, leaving Ryunosuke behind.
When he is sure that it is only him around, he peeks inside the encampment and calls out to his sister. "Hey Nanako, how is mister Yamamoto right now?"
The call brings Nanako out of her trance, her body tense up suddenly before turning back to answer him in a characteristically straightforward manner. "He's fine, brother. He should wake up any second now, and I don't want to leave him alone here."
"Alright, alright." Ryunosuke nods back and forth. "Make sure not to miss the party, okay? The cooking club's bringing some kinderpunsch here. It's your favorite, yeah?"
"Yes, brother. I'll make sure to give mister Yamamoto some too." Nanako waves back at her brother.
"Alright. I'll leave it to you then." Then the lieutenant leaves to the others rallying up near the road with tables set up for the after match party, his hand gripping tightly as he mumbles, wiping off an invisible, happy tear on his face. "Can't believe my little sister is already growing this fast."
And once again, it is only the two commanders together. Just Nanako and Araki. Nanako would have been content with just looking at him for another hour or so with pleasure, if it is not for the fact that Araki's face muscle finally tensed up.
"Ugh…" Araki groans as he takes a look around the encampment, his eyes adjusting to the sudden intrusion of electromagnetic radiations to his eyes. He tries to sit up straight from bed, to which Nanako stops. "Wait mister Yamamoto, don't-"
A sudden jolt of pain hits him in the head, before also striking his spine. One is definitely from eating lead, but the other is likely from him just lying on bed for a while too long. "Ах, блядь! (Ah, fuck!)" He swore.
Nanako can't help but to repulse a bit, her stern face easing up a little. "Take it easy, mister Yamamoto. You just woke up."
Araki looks back at the girl, and does as instructed. When he finally gets a grip on the general whereabouts and the person sitting on his bedside, he asks the commander. "Where are the others, miss Nishizumi? Are they okay? D-Did anything happen to them?"
"No, thankfully not." Nanako shook her head.
"Хорошо, хорошо... (Good, good…)" Araki nodded up and down, letting his worries fly away with the wind. "How long have I been out for, miss Nishizumi?"
"Almost 2 hours now. You weren't waking up like the others, so I got a little worried. I thought something was wrong with you, but didn't want to call the doctors in yet." Nanako said, her eyes averting to somewhere else that is not Araki's eyes, her face's color moving a little bit towards the red spectrum.
"Huh." Araki huffs, also starting to feel a bit of awkwardness in the barrack too. The couple just sits remaining idle, trading gazes every minute or so as to gauge each other's feeling on the matter.
Not having it with the odd silence, Araki opens up. "So… you just sat here for the entire time I was out?"
"Yes." Nanako looks back at him, her face becoming stern again.
"And you didn't leave, even with everyone else recovered, mine and yours?"
"Yes."
"And you were worried that I might have something wrong happened wrong with me."
"Yes." Nanako keeps her tone serious and answers like it's merely fact. "I just don't want anything bad to happen, especially before the season actually starts. It would be horrific for a team like Krasnaya Zvezda to lose such a talent like you, even if temporary. Plus, you know that Otto von Krieger's commanders are very much some of the friendlier people you will meet in the Hohei-do League."
Araki muses over the word that Nanako gave. "…Something tells me this is a tiny bit beyond what Otto von Krieger's commanders would have done."
"Perhaps." Nanako looks straight into Araki's eyes as she gives out an ambiguous answer. The sudden eye contact triggers something within the young boy, something warm and fuzzy, but also foreign.
"…Cute." Araki blurted out unknowingly. However, just that word alone stirs some emotions within the female commander. She then starts playing with a strand of hair lying on her shoulder, looking away from Araki again.
"My, my… Why does he have to be so kind to me? Not to mention he's kind of handsome too." Nanako thought about him for a second. "And why did our meeting this early morning have to be so awkward? It's not like he said anything offensive or shocking."
Araki also starts to grip his hand, look at her from the corner of his eyes. "Agh, she's so beautiful, and polite too. But she's just like the others, right? Everyone can be polite, and it's not like I have an eye for beauty anyway."
"The way he just fights to the last of his breath, even as he knew his chance of making it out is borderline zero..." Nanako thinks about the close quarter encounter she witnessed through the commander's camera.
"The way she commanded the BMP with deadly efficiency…" Araki remembers the moment when he witnessed his BTR-82A being destroyed 5 seconds after catching the German IFV in view, before also seeing his squadmates being surgically removed from the match with autocannon fire at breakneck speed.
Then, as if their heartbeats sync, they both internally screamed. "Agh, why am I thinking about all of this!? What's wrong with me!? I shouldn't be feeling any of this! Isn't it a bit too early for us anyway?"
"Regardless…" Nanako takes a breath before turning back to Araki, giving him the welcoming smile she gave out this morning. "Mister Yamamoto."
"Да? (Yes?)" Araki turns his attention back to the girl.
"My brother mentioned that my school's cooking club is currently bringing some kinderpunsch to here. Would you mind if… you have a sip of it?"
"Huh? Uh… sure thing, actually." Araki finally notices how raspy his throat is. "Would love it if it is something refreshing."
"Then we should get going, too. Everyone has been waiting for us two for a while." Nanako finally stands up from her seat.
"Alright then." Araki nods and gets out of the bed, but when he steps his two feet down to the floor, disorientation takes over his mind. "Agh. I think I might have got out of bed a little too fast."
Suddenly, Otto von Krieger's commander gives her hand out again. "Are you feeling dizzy? If so, I can assist you if you want me to."
Thankfully, the headache and dizziness dissipate as he breaths air, in and out. "No, I'm good. I really need to get out of bed, anyway."
"So… shall we get going, mister Yamamoto?" Nanako snaps a look at him.
Araki simply nods back and moves along with the girl, his step syncing with hers all the way through. The foreign warmth that he felt in his chest as he saw the girl suddenly creeps up again, making him curls up his mouth into a smirk as he looks to the orange peel sunset of Kumamoto. Seeing the expression that Krasnaya Zvezda's commander gives to her, Nanako can't help but to also ease her posture and relax her face.
"What a lovely commander I met." They both thought.
"What the actual-" Araki's face elongates as he witnesses the party, being filled with loud, bombastic music played from a speaker that was likely set up by Otto von Krieger's club members. The music playing on it is a 1965 record of 'The Dance of the Soldiers' by the Alexandrov Ensemble, with Krasnaya's students dancing to it, reenacting every move that he was able to remember watching the video when he was little. The first-years apparently stood by, watching in awe. The German side also shares the same sentiment, witnessing the dance as Krasnaya Zvezda's students defy gravity with their combat uniform still worn.
One of the upperclassmen even brings her leg up and waddles with one leg, the other one straightens up, syncing with cannon firing sounds from the speaker. Then she joyfully plays around with her great footwork, before gesturing an invite to her fellow dancers. Three boys then come in and do their choreographies, before two of them stops to leave the other boy to his own stage. He then lowers his posture down low to the ground and do a Slavic dance named Hopak. He amazes all the students around as they give their thoughts on the matter.
"Hot darn, he definitely does not skip leg day!"
"Man, why are the Krasnaya Zvezda's student so good at dancing?"
"You reckon it's part of their training regimen? These definitely seem to be very physically intensive."
"Pff, really? This is easy. I can do this all day long."
"Then do it."
"H-Huh?'
"I dare you. 500 yen."
"Bet he is just going to flop to the ground. Also, 500 yen too."
"Oh it's on!"
"Hell yeah, it's on!"
"Come on, go in there and show the Reds what we are made of!"
"Or fail miserable!"
"B-But… Don't push me like that!"
"Too late! You already boasted about it, you have to do it!"
"Come on, mister. It's now or never."
"U-Ugh, fine…" Then an Otto student emerges from the crowd, trying to imitate what the Russian-themed school's student is doing with decent success. Suddenly the two feel like this should become a competition to see who can keep this up longer.
"How dare the Germans think they can just do that without consequence? Come on, show these Hans who we are!"
"Yeah, you can do it man!"
Krasnaya Zvezda's students join in on the cheer, hoping they could at least achieve a victory on the dance floor as a consolation prize after their defeat in the practice match.
"Don't fell before the Ivans!"
"I'll give you schnitzel for lunch if you win!"
"Go Otto, go! Go Otto, go! Go Otto, go! Go Otto, go!"
Otto von Krieger's Hohei-do members also refuse to back down. The two schools then cheer on, trying to one up another in the volume department.
"Oh my, everyone is definitely enthusiastic about this, huh?" Nanako told with her eyebrows raised up, being taken aback by the sudden rise in volume from the crowd.
"Yeah." Araki takes his attention away from the dance battle and looks at Otto von Krieger's commander, who inches closer to him like she is seeking comfort from all the noises around. "You don't like loud noises?"
"Just not my thing, really. But I am happy to see my men like this. We all have to let loose a little, don't we?" Nanako answers, then huffs as she relaxes herself.
"You can say so, miss Nishizumi." Araki responds and smiles at Nanako, to which she feels fuzzy inside, looking straight at him. Her mind is suddenly interested in closing the distance between the two, to which she fights, not wanting to disturb his personal space. The mental fight happens without Araki's knowledge, but he can see the odd hesitation in her right hand, flexing muscle and moving, as if she is torn by something in her mind. The hand then makes sudden movements, inching ever closer to his left hand. He instinctively pulls it back, as the music changes to 'Kasatschok Loy Loy Cosak'.
"Whoa, that's a little close there, Miss Nishizumi." Araki reminded her, to which she finally woke up from her romantic trance again.
"Ah… Sorry. That was impolite of me there, mister Yamamoto." Nanako backs out and looks away from him again.
"Ah, no. It's alright. You have been very welcoming for me, after all." Araki suddenly grabs her back with his left hand. He breaks a smile to her. "Kumamoto is very beautiful, isn't it?"
"A-Ah, yes." Nanako shyly responds, avoiding eye contact. "I-I am very proud that you have such a positive experience here."
Araki initially doesn't understand the strained reaction he receives from the female commander, until he stares onto his hand, holding the girl's. He immediately retracts it away due to embarrassment, and to give her some breathing room too. "That was definitely rude of me. I shouldn't have done that."
And so, an awkward silence shrouded the atmosphere between the two commanders again. It keeps going on until an Otto von Krieger waitress intervenes to invite them with kinderpunsch.
"Well well well, look at what we got." She said jovially. "Are you two good? I didn't see you when the party started."
Nanako turns to the waitress, her face turning stern again, but her voice is more relaxed as she is about to take her mind away from the confusing emotions she has in her head. "Mister Yamamoto here woke up later than the rest, so he got out later too. For me, I just sat by him. I wanted to make sure nothing bad happens to him. It is his first Hohei-do match, after all."
"And yours, too. You mentioned you were a first year?" Araki added.
"Correct. This is also my first year playing in the Hohei-do League, too." Nanako nodded back at him.
"Huh…" The waitress shakes her head back and forth, understanding the matter. "Anyhow, here's a cup kinderpunsch for you, and a cup of kinderpunsch for that fine gentleman over there. I know you may not enjoy being the life of the party, but just kick back and relax, alright captain Nishizumi?" She gave Nanako two cups of homemade beverages.
"Okay, I will. Oh and, you should also keep an eye out for our guests. I want them to be as comfortable partying here, sergeant." Nanako calls out to the girl.
"Already working on that, captain!" The girl informally salutes back, before disappearing amongst the crowd to see the dance battle that is still going on, even 15 minutes after it started.
Turning back to Krasnaya Zvezda's commander and giving him the cup, Nanako starts the conversation, steering clear of any implications of romance with a straight, stern expression. "So… I'd say you did well for a first-year commander there, mister Yamamoto."
"Yeah, yeah…" Araki then takes a sip, exhaling with great pleasure as he tastes the drink. "Is this cold kompot? Tastes citrusy, with a hint of cinnamon in it."
"It's kinderpunsch, but they just put ice in it. It's oddly refreshing, and a mainstay for us during the summer months here." Nanako introduces him to the drink. "And what's kompot anyway?"
"Basically… Russian fruit punch." Araki plainly elaborates. "Anyway, I don't think you were waiting for me just to have these small talks, weren't you?"
"You are correct." Nanako takes another long sip, the wipes the excess off her mouth. "You definitely performed as expected, even managing to take out a Marder with your APC."
"Yeah, APC…" Araki mused over the word. "You mean the BTR-82A? Yeah… Though I wouldn't consider just a BTR. It's more like… a stopgap between the BTR and the BMP classifications of vehicles. We use them in tandem with the BMP-3Ms, as you may have seen in the practice match earlier."
"Uh huh." Nanako nods back at him. "Anyway, I didn't notice anything unusual today."
"What do you mean, miss Nishizumi?"
"Nothing really changed with how Krasnaya Zvezda functions as a whole, micro wise and macro wise. I thought you were promoted to commander to-"
"To what, miss Nishizumi? What are you trying to insinuate here?"
"Ah… I mean, Krasnaya Zvezda suffers a humiliating defeat last year, not even making it to the quarter finals, yes? And that coincides with your sudden rise to… your current position, mister Yamamoto."
"And I took it fair and square. There was no 'connections' or 'favors' involved. I just got put into the position as designated by the seniors, that's all."
"Seniors? They willingly do that?"
"Well, they wanted to reform the club in some way or another after their defeat. They don't particularly shy away from it, if I am being straightforward. Now, how did you, a first year, and a girl for that matter, achieve commander status?" Araki playfully insinuates back at the female commander.
"It is one of the many traditions, mister Yamamoto. Traditions that we have upheld ever since the establishment of Otto von Krieger Co-ed College. For this one in particular, it is due to the clan that we descended from." Nanako implied, though she didn't seem to be positive that Araki has much of an idea of her lineage.
"How does that have to do with the way commanders are elected at Otto von Krieger? I don't understand."
Nanako then sighs, her face tensing up more as she digs her family's own history. "You see…" She clicks her tongue. "Like many other clans-"
"Aah, there you are, miss Nishizumi, in the flesh herself!" A girl dressed in Russian combat gear suddenly emerges from the crowd of people, which has dissolved quite a bit with the dance battle ending in Krasnaya Zvezda's favor. As the people cheered for the consolation prize of more kinderpunsch, the girl kept on ranting, her eyes lit up the moment she saw captain Nishizumi. "Aah, I still can't believe I actually get to see a Nishizumi in real life! You really exude the kind of qualities that every girl wanted to have! Beauty, grace, decisiveness, and just plain old bravery. I mean, have you see how they command the tank? No one in their right mind would continue to stand in the cupola, even if shells were fired straight at them. Like somehow, they dodge every incoming projectile, as if they have a sixth sense or something. And another thing…"
Nanako is in shock, her face temporarily breaks from her usual stern expression, being jumped at by such a dedicated fan. She wants to shoo away the girl, but she feels bad doing it so she looks at Araki, asking for help.
Araki, somehow understanding the nonverbal message, clears his throat. "Kyoko!"
Upon hearing sound, Kyoko immediately snaps out of her rant and looks at him, her posture straightens up. "Yes, squad leader?"
Araki chuckles when he hears the way Kyoko refers to him, then exhales and scolds lightly. "Can you please conduct yourself in a more professional manner? This is the commander of Otto von Krieger, and I don't want her to have any bad ideas about us, or our school for that matter. Also, we were busy discussing some personal stuff between us."
"Huh… So you guys are…" Kyoko suddenly feels burning hot all over her face, her hands turning into fists seeing how she is clearly being very impolite and brash. "F-Fine, I'll leave. If you two want to be alone with your own stuff, that's alright too."
Feeling guilty about Kyoko leaving, Araki calls her back. "But… you can stay here, if you want. You don't mind, miss Nishizumi?"
Nanako nods back at Krasnaya's commander. "I don't."
"T-Then why did you look so scared, miss Nishizumi?"
"I was… surprised, that's all. I know the Nishizumi is a popular name, but I haven't seen such passion from a person with my own eyes."
"So… you're not angry?"
"No." Nanako then smiles. "In fact, I'm happy to know you view me in a such a positive light. It's what I want to strive for, after all."
"R-Really?"
"Really. Oh and, forgive me for saying this, but I think we should introduce ourselves. My name is Nishizumi Nanako, first year and student of Otto von Krieger Co-ed College."
"Y-Yeah! I'm Fujihara Kyoko, first year also and student of Krasnaya Zvezda High School. I'm also Araki's classmate!"
"Oh, okay. Anyway, as I was saying…" Nanako then turns to the other commander. "Like many other clans of the Sengoku era, we were led by men. But then a schism happened after Nobunaga's unification campaign. Afterward, the clan agreed that it would be the women that lead the clan. That continues even until today, as told by my mother."
"What happened to the man that was in charge of the clan after the schism?" Kyoko asked the commander.
"H-He committed seppuku, out of shame for tainting the clan's name with blood." Nanako clicked her tongue. "Yes, it is very brutal, but no malevolent force was behind the supposed suicide. Anyway, from then on, the Nishizumi clan is completely lead by women."
Everyone from Krasnaya Zvezda's team breathes through their teeth as they listen, their cringing up at the imagery Nanako painted.
Then, Araki looks at the opposing commander. "How can we know your reasoning is true or not? I know you are a very sincere person, miss Nishizumi but we just want some levels of confirmation."
Nanako then sips the rest of her kinderpunsch. "It may be just an oral tale, but my family has kept the legend largely unchanged over centuries. I believe that my ancestors do not lie when it comes to our own history."
"But I haven't heard of Nishizumi clan while learning about the Sengoku era when I was middle school."
"Again, the Nishizumis were part of a very minor clan, and generally tried their best to avoid conflict with other clans, if possible. The most involved in the general conflict that took place in Japan as a whole largely localized during their alliance with Oda Nobunaga during his unification campaign."
"Ah, mentioning the Sengoku, didn't the film 'Biography of Tank Commander Nishizumi' state that Nishizumi Kojiro's birth place had been well-known for a number of royalist samurais since ancient times?"
"Indeed. I will say that the director for that film didn't do a very detailed research on background information relating to the Nishizumi, but given that a lot of the information surrounding my family were, are and likely will be remained as classified and to be only exchanged amongst family members, I don't think that will change anytime soon."
"Oh, alright…" Kyoko gulps the rest of the cup into her mouth. "Anway, I've got to join back with my BTR crew. They want me to teach other girls on how to crew a non-stabilized firing platform, in case of emergency."
"Take care, okay Kyoko? We'll need you for the opening matches of the League this year." Araki waves at her.
"Да, конечно! (Yes, of course!)" Soon after, it is only the commanders standing with each other. They trade glances here and there, as Araki quickly drinks the rest of the cup of kinderpunsch.
"Now that's what I call refreshing." He exhales before saying something. "So… do you have any plans for this year's tournament?"
"Ah, for me? Perhaps I will see if I can get through the quarter final. I am very new to this, so I don't want to be too ambitious, mister Yamamoto. What about you?"
"Just making sure I don't repeat what happened last year to Krasnaya Zvezda. The upperclassmen seem to be putting a lot of faith on me, and recently… I kind of have taken a liking to the school. And it is quite some time since we have done anything of note so… Really, I just want it to return to its heyday, that's all, miss Nishizumi."
"Okay, that sounds good, mister Yamamoto…"
Silence coats the atmosphere between them again before Nanako turns to Araki again, this time with a cellphone, her eyebrows sloped downward indicating seriousness. "Hey, I know that you don't want to disappoint your men, and you are quite talented too, as I have observed. But…"
"But what, miss Nishizumi?"
"I feel like you can do better, mister Yamamoto. Great things await you, but you have to actually work for it."
"Well, motivation is not a problem for me. I already loved to be with them, even over the course of just a month."
"But… perhaps you can get some advice from me? By the looks of it, you are very well verse in modern Russian infantry doctrine, yes?"
"Uh huh." Araki agrees with a confused expression.
"Well, given that you want to make some reforms, I thought I can give you some words on it. You said you want to move away from the typical top-loaded, Soviet style of command, ja?"
"Да. I mean, I know what I want to avoid but…"
"You don't know what to aim for. The only thing you have an idea is how not to set up a command chain like the Russians, not how to set up a Western style one. You can say that experimentations will help you, but that would likely take way longer than the years you will study at the academy, yes?"
"Yes." Araki then pulls out his phone. "Okay, I'll take your offer then, though don't expect to follow your words to a tee."
Nanako snaps back at him, her cheeks pushing up, making her eyes a little smaller than usual. "Honestly, you shouldn't be. It is your club, after all. You're the one to make the final call, mister Yamamoto. Plus, there are great advantages to the Russian style of command that you should not forfeit. I think you might have known already?"
"Of course. It is well known that Russian doctrine is built on experiences gained from the Eastern Front of World War Two, after all, and a lack of communication is very common on the battlefield, so we kind of just assume none of that advantage exist and work our way. Again, it makes for a top-loaded command chain to which I want to rectify, but it would be stupid of me to deny that it has situations that it extremely excels in. Anyhow, what's your number?"
"My number is 070 – 0911 – 1989."
"Alright, let me call to you…" Araki presses call, to which Nanako's phone buzzes with a ringtone that has similar melody to 'Ich Bin Soldat'.
Nanako refuses the call on her phone and saves her phone number. "Your number is 080 – 1503 – 1990. That's… intriguing, to say the least."
Once the contact exchange is done, the sky of Kumamoto has already turned to become orange, signifying the burning daylight coming to an end. The party has already ended, with students start moving towards and mounting on the vehicles that has been repaired by the JHF staff to be operational for driving waiting as a long convoy.
"I guess our meeting for today has come to end, mister Yamamoto." Otto von Krieger's commander looks at the Krasnaya Zvezda boy.
"Yeah. I am very glad to meet you today, miss Nishizumi. Your hospitable attitude has been nothing short of amazing for us. For me personally, along my men, would love to visit here again someday."
"Vice versa, mister Yamamoto. Vice versa."
The two commanders then also go and mount onto the vehicles, sitting on top of it to sightsee the wilderness of Kumamoto's mountains one last time before leaving.
As the convoy approaches the outskirt of Kumamoto, the loud sound of the horn moves throughout the air and collides with Araki's eardrum, taking his attention away from the road ahead and towards the large ship that docks the city. The ship is ginormous, its size likely equivalent to an aircraft carrier. It is the exact large figure that he sees when he first arrived at the train station, though with the sun still somewhat lighting up the sky, he can now see it more clearly. The design is definitely reminiscent of World War Two ships, given the size of the aircraft carrier being smaller than modern day's aircraft carriers. He sees buildings that is up on the ship's supposed flight deck and lines of people moving up onto the carrier. Upon closer inspection as they move closer to the sea, the carrier looks like a seaborne, wandering extension of Kumamoto itself. The ship, of course, got some of the men and women talking.
"Damn, that's a large ship docking the city."
"Isn't that the Graf Zeppelin? The sole aircraft carrier of Germany in World War Two?"
"I can't believe it got repurposed as a floating city now. I mean… Here, I'll give you the binoculars."
"Damn… That really is big. Wait, I see some people walking up there."
"Come on, give it to me, give it to me!"
"You guys can come inside here if you want, though our optics is kind of broken at the moment so you can't get a clear eye on it."
"Welp… I guess I'll wait for my turn."
Having acquired Nanako's number, Araki messages to her about the large object floating far to the west of the city.
Me: Hey, do you see what I am seeing?
Me: There's like… some super big ship far to the west.
Me: Looks like a WW2 aircraft carrier.
Me: Any ideas about why it is here?
Nishizumi Nanako: Oh, you mean the Graf Zeppelin?
Nishizumi Nanako: Yeah, that's where Kuromorimine Girls' Academy is, along with some residential infrastructure there too.
Me: Kuromorimine?
Me: Isn't that the school that dominated Sensha-do for 9 years straight before dropping it last year?
Nishizumi Nanako: You are correct, mister Yamamoto.
Me: Isn't the school sponsored by the Nishizumi family?
Nishizumi Nanako: Yes, but my family has nothing to do with them.
Me: What do you mean?
Nishizumi Nanako: It means we are not related to the Sensha-do counterpart.
Me: Why?
Nishizumi Nanako: I would like to turn down the question, mister Yamamoto.
Me: Alright, I respect your decision.
The sounds of engines roaring keep emanating throughout the city as the conversation ended, the ship starting to move out to the sea again with its passenger finally on board. Not before long, the deafening silent of Kumamoto would come again as night falls.
Having done the procedures for packing things up onto the ferry train, the students of the two schools once again stand parallel to each other and salute respectfully to express gratitude. The two commanders then step out of the line, face to face to have some final words. They stand in silence, observing each other for the last time, though the act is less to assert capabilities of each other and more of an endearing. Each of them tries to turn their head away, but they can't, as their gaze keeps being glued to one another. It's as if both of them have something to say before going.
Then, all of a sudden, Araki brings out his pinky finger and says. "Hey, uh… I have been thinking while we were on our way here and… I want to promise something with you."
Nanako's heart suddenly flutters a bit, something hot fills her chest. She breathes to counteract the heat in the lung, only for her cheeks to become redden. Araki follows suit, his pinky finger becoming more hesitant and his eye contact slowly breaking as minutes pass by with no response.
Araki continues before he loses all his courage. "I promise to face off with you once again during the tournament, as commander to commander, miss Nishizumi."
Understanding that he isn't making any kind of romantic remarks, and knowing that Araki isn't a hopeless romantic by any sense of the word, Nanako quickly locks her pinky with his. "I would also promise to face off with you once again too, mister Yamamoto. It is a pleasure to play with you." She said, under the mindset of friendly words between commanders, but she couldn't knock off the sentence as not carrying some emotional values too.
Araki then smiles at her, his heart feeling a fuzzy warmth. Right when he blinks, however, his eyes become a bit downcast, unlocking the pinky promise. "Still… It is goodbye for now, miss Nishizumi." He bows.
Otto von Krieger's commander bows back at him. "Yes, it certainly is." She then raises her head up to look at him dead in the eyes. "I wish a safe trip home, captain Yamamoto."
"Me too, captain Nishizumi, me too…" Not soon after that, he turns to his men, gesturing them with a hand wave. "Alright men, playtime's over. Time to pack up and get going back to home. Пошел, пошел!"
Only 15 minutes later and the train has already picked up steam, hightailing its way out of Kumamoto, leaving behind the female commander as she follows it with her eyes.
In an abrupt way, her brother Ryunosuke places a hand on her right should. "You got something on your mind, Nanako?"
To that question, Nanako only smiles at him more brightly than usual without elaboration, her mind now looking forward to a rematch in the future. "I hope that day come soon enough, mister Yamamoto. Someday…"
It is now the day after, Monday to be exact. The day goes on as normal, the weather in Aomori still enjoyable as always, rarely going above 30 degrees. But the city is now peaceful. Too peaceful. A lack of pressure being constantly expanded in the air can be felt by all residence of the city, and that is because today they are not doing their usual training. Instead, after the usual physical regiment that was done at the same time for students of all ages, they now changed back to their school uniform and is now sitting the auditorium, watching the match again from the drone's point of view. They are currently at the small skirmish between the opposing heavy mechanized units, the German IFV eating munitions like it is breakfast.
"Wow, that thing really can take a lot of punishment for a BMP."
"You guys reckon it's just a downsized tank at this point?"
"I don't know but… that isn't a Marder, I remember. The vehicle's turret is oddly offset from the center."
"Ah, now that you mentioned it… We saw the BMP leading the convoy before our practice match, yes?"
"Uh… Yeah?"
"I think that might be it. Command said it's an unknown German BMP or something, just procured this year by Otto von Krieger."
"Ah, that definitely explains a lot about its resilience."
Of course, it didn't take long for the girls to realize that it wasn't the new German IFV that got them eliminated, but rather an infantry anti-tank unit firing a munition into the back of the BMP-3M, cleanly knocking them off and leaving the infantry attached to the vehicle exposed. The cleanup that took place after that event didn't take long after, though the resistances from Krasnaya Zvezda were fierce.
The film continues to play, now moving up the infantry grind of Aso. Columns of infantry can be spotted moving the around the city to scout out each other, before turning the town into a bloodbath, with men dying left and right as the IFVs support their own infantry. During a close and direct confrontation between the armored vehicles, the BMP-3M managed to come out on top by using its 2A70 100m cannon simultaneously along its autocannon, though it did not come out unscathed, being heavily damaged at the front as the Marder's autocannon has a faster rate of fire. Another thing of note is that the motorized infantry of Krasnaya Zvezda suffered greater casualties compared to their German counterpart, as Otto von Krieger held fire and retreat, waiting for the cavalry to come into town to make a final offensive. Margelov's platoon was battered a lot because of engagements with enemy forces, taking heavy losses, and with Araki's request, had to spread themselves thin to maintain some semblance of control over the town. Araki's call was definitely wrong, but when it was in the heat of the moment, expectations that the commander would know exactly what to do would be unrealistic, especially as intel became harder and harder to come by as squad wipes done by Otto von Krieger happens across the town. The Germans managed to group up and took out cells of Russian soldiers, though the extremely oppressive sound of gunfire is always present, and it wasn't like a walk in the park either.
Of course, Araki's light mechanized detachment fought as hard as they could, even taking out a mechanized squad and a Marder, but as they celebrated, the new German IFV then came and ruined the party, as remaining elements of the motorized infantry units start sieging the building Krasnaya Zvezda's commander.
And just like that, Otto von Krieger took the win from them.
Then, the projector shuts down, the screen gets pulled up by one of the members. Once all that is done, the commander of Krasnaya Zvezda, for the first time since his designation, stepped on the stage of the assembly.
He bows then looks at all the people who look straight back at him. He tries to keep up a stern persona, only to immediately crack a snicker.
"Ah, I am very much not cut out to be a serious commander, aren't I?" Araki thinks, before getting to the subject he wants to talk about with a huff on the mic. "Sorry for that everyone, I guess I am just not the serious type. Anyway… I guess all of you, men and women, have seen the video of our practice match recorded on the sky by the JHF. I've decided not to make any major, sweeping changes to how we operate to get a better understand of the problem that we are currently. As such… I have managed to spot some problems that exist amongst our tactical operations." Araki pauses, then points to the mechanized unit that is responsible for the western Aso push. "I wouldn't say that your call to engage the enemy was a complete blunder, but I think you understood the outcome of that, yes?"
The mechanized nods, feeling a little guilty, though Araki makes sure to minimize guilt tripping as much as possible. He then continues. "It would have been better if you started pulling back immediately upon seeing the vehicle able to tank a missile on the front armor like that. For the infantry squad, you guys need to stay closer to the BMP. Again, it is an armored vehicle, but given the prolific use of anti-tank platforms, I don't need to stress myself the importance of protecting your own mobile firebase, yes?"
The squad agreed with the commander's words, without arguing being thrown back at him. They know that they kind of fucked up big time with that precarious play already.
Once the discussion on one of the soloing heavy mechanized unit is done, Araki moves to the main fighting force that takes the brunt of the losses in Aso. "Lieutenant Margelov, I applauded you for your courageous hold on the lynchpin of the battlefield. If it weren't for you keeping Otto von Krieger from seizing complete control of Aso, our defeat would have come considerably sooner. But…" Araki pauses, confusing the senior lieutenant.
"But what? I did what I was told to do. What would you do different if you were me, then?" The lieutenant argued.
Araki swiftly countered. "For me, I would have called for a retreat right when we were able to destroy enemy BMP. Any fighting after that would be needless, plus I think that the more boots we are able to keep in the game, the better visibility we would have for our vehicles to do their work."
"But you didn't call for a retreat, captain Yamamoto. How were we supposed to know what to do next? Shouldn't you be a one to make the call? I thought that is supposed to a responsibility the commander needs to fulfill."
"Here's the thing, lieutenant Margelov." Araki softens his voice as not to make himself an oppressive figure. "I wasn't told that you destroyed elements of the mechanized force until I have arrived into town, to which I bare witnessed to a meat grinder."
"Uh, well… I didn't have time because I was busy holding the Krauts off. I'm not an armchair officer, captain. And I think you aren't, too."
Then Araki stops talking, leaving an awkward pause in the air. He raises his index finger above the others, like an idea suddenly jumps at him. "Aha, now you get it, lieutenant Margelov!"
"G-Get what, captain?"
"The embedded fault that we have for our command chain, lieutenant. That is what I have finally deduced after the practice match." Araki then puts his hand back down, as people start to become interested in what Araki has to say. "I think we all understand that no plan survives first contact, and adaptability is a large factor in deciding the outcome of a battle. And we of Krasnaya Zvezda usually put this responsibility of changing strategies on the fly to the commander. Here's the problem though… Like what lieutenant Margelov has told earlier, he was not in a safe position to report back to me the current situation that they faced during the battle, so I wasn't able to issue a retreat order to our motorized platoon. But, instead of having to wait for me, the platoon leader could simply just pull back at my behalf."
"So you are saying we should have acted on our own?" Lieutenant Suzuki stood up.
"Yes, that's what I'm trying to get to you, though the earlier fight between the two schools' BMPs also showed that just going off doing your own thing is not good, either. There is a fine balance that we have to achieve here, and I feel like we rely too much on the commander to be effective even when communication is broken down. It's a top-loaded command chain that taxing for those involved in the leadership role, especially for those who bear the rank of captain like me."
"If you have managed to figure all this out now, what kind of suggestion do you have then, captain Araki? How to do we change our way of operating as a whole?" A sergeant stood up.
Araki just stands there, letting the lack of sound envelops the assembly hall to give himself some time to think it over before stating anything. Then, he speaks. "Basically, I want us to be able to act independent of the commanding element. This means making one's own initiatives or changing the objective to fits best the squad's abilities. Flexibility and ingenuity is what we can rely on when discipline fails us."
"But what if those fail us too?" A student made their voice heard.
"Then we have two choices: to continue as an independent unit, or discipline yourself and act according to the initial directives of your respective platoons. Again, this requires flexibility, as the battlefield situation changes all the time, meaning there are no permanent solution to end all solutions. All answers to a battlefield problem are ad hoc, and should be considered carefully alongside firepower, attrition, terrain, and general risk." It is when Araki gets to this point that the crowd feels a little lightheaded.
"Agh, that's way too many things to consider."
"No wonder he's our commander."
"How can he even think we can process this? We're just footsoldiers, not tacticians."
Araki clears his throat to silent the crowd, then speaks. "But…" He pauses again to make sense of himself again. "To be able to have meaningful contributions to tactical discussions, both before, during and after the match, all of you have to possess a rudimentary understanding of warfare. You don't have to learn everything bits of it, but just enough to know what to do when I, your platoon leader, or your squad leader aren't present. I don't need you to have an omniscient view of the battle, I just need you to be able to make decisions without being paralyzed when… shit hits the fan. To that, I would like for everyone to become more confident in their ability to make plays without constant supervision from me, of which I would like to congratulate the heavy mechanized squad and associated platoon that engaged the German BMP on Shin-Aso Ohashi bridge. Though you came out defeated during the skirmish, the fact that you were able to become involved with the team and lieutenant Suzuki trusting you in your judgement could prove to be a boon in the future. Don't think too much about the results, it just means you need to learn and experience more."
The mentioned squad all collective displayed happiness at the praise, but they also feel the need to improve their judgement more. Lieutenant Suzuki also huffs in endearment of the men he leads.
"Regardless, all of us definitely need to approach this new direction with cautious steps. However, there is definitely something I can say that will help." Araki said something that caught the attention of the people in the hall again. "If you ever feel like the situation is too much for you to handle, do not be afraid to discuss it with your fellow men, regardless of rank. They may have ideas you haven't thought of; some bold approaches you were too stuck in your way to figure out in a timely; or maybe just a shoulder to rely on. Да, товарищи? (Yes, comrades?)" He curls his lips up and looks at his own squad members. They, along with everyone else, enthusiastically nod at the encouraging sentence.
Having got everything out of his system, Araki bows. "For now, that's all I have. You are free to return to your usual routines." Then, he straightens his posture and raises his fist up in air, maintaining eye contact with all that are in the auditorium. "За Красную Звезду! (For Krasnaya Zvezda!)"
"За Красную Звезду! (For Krasnaya Zvezda!)" The crowd loudly answered back the rallying cry.
And just mere days later, they are now at Tokyo, capital of Japan - the city where skyscrapers are the norm, not the exception, the land for hustlers of all kinds, even from the feudal times; and finally, the largest megacity in the entire globe, where all events, international and national are held. It is here where the annual national tournament drawing for both the Sensha-do and Hohei-do League are held, though they are organized in different locations inside the city. Nonetheless, the presence of both participators of the sport can be strongly felt, either by the larger than normal amount of students who are dressed in various militaristic uniforms, the ominous shadow casted by some aircraft parking by Tokyo Bay, or simply by the atmosphere of the city feeling more like canned sardines than of the usual.
And here Araki is, along with his two trusty lieutenants and their respective squad members, now standing at the entrance, gasping at the amount of people present in the building. You can hardly fit yourself through the crowd, and that is without getting some flak from bystanders. Thankfully, the JHF staff are nice enough to allocate different sections of the hall to a school, so that the blob of people doesn't just become one big mess needing to be sorted out.
Coming onto his rows of seats while observing his surrounding, Araki can see that the people around him are roughly around his age, though most are older than him. They all dressed in their school uniform designed after their represented nations' honor guard uniforms. However, there are two groups that are so similar in their clothing that Araki can mistake them as being of the same school. He gestures his hand towards them while asking lieutenant Suzuki.
"Hey uh, lieutenant Suzuki."
"Yes, captain? You need something?" Sentoku quickly answers his call.
"You see those guys over there?" Araki pointed his hand towards the group of students in navy blue suits.
"Oh, those guys? You don't know?"
"No?" Araki shakes his head as he finds his way to the seats.
"They're students of Soudainakyoukoku Academy. You may not have been aware, but they won last year." The lieutenant's face suddenly tenses up.
"Huh, and what?" Araki is not getting why he looks at them with such a serious face.
"That was their 4th win last year. A new record never set before in Hohei-do's history, and I think they won't be just stopping at number 4."
"Ah, I see." Araki nods, now probed up to hear more from the senior officer.
"Also, they have had great records, and are some of the most consistent schools in terms of performance in the tournament. Basically, these guys will be the ones you expect to be in the finals, and if not, at least they will always appear in the semi-finals. Also, they are supported by the Hasemoto family." Lieutenant Suzuki was about to speak more when Alexander cut in, wanting to have a piece of exposition too.
"And the Hasemotos are considered to be one of the two powerhouses of Hohei-do, alongside the Nishizumis we have already met before, captain." The foreign lieutenant raises his index finger up, acting like an intellectual. "The Hasemotos are actually Japanese-Americans who emigrated back to their homeland after decades living and serving in the US Army. It is said that the reason the academy has such an offputtingly Japanese name is because the first head drill sergeant that was responsible for training the men, of which for all schools were the respective countries' officers, was a Hasemoto himself. As the Hasemotos played an important part in the actually maddening feats completed by the 442nd Infantry Regiment of the US Army during World War Two, it was surefire that the family would have become involved in Hohei-do. And of course, there is the Hasemoto style that helps the American school basically dominate the competition, at least in the early years after our school's fall from grace." Lieutenant Margelov inhales through the nose in a downtrodden manner.
"…That was rude, lieutenant Margelov." Sentoku wasn't too happy with the interruption.
"Come on, at least tell me if I am right or not!" Alexander playfully snaps back at him with an eye roll, to which Sentoku can only sigh in defeat.
"You were, lieutenant Margelov." The senior said, just not having any of Alexander's shenanigans. "Anyhow, our seats are right ahead. We should make ourselves comfortable, yeah?"
"Yeah." Alexander just shrugs.
When Araki finally gets to sit after quite a while walking around Tokyo finding the convention, his phone suddenly beeps, reporting a message received. It's from one of the Nishizumi herself.
Nishizumi Nanako: Hey, is that you in the green uniform there in the front?
Me: Uh… Yeah? That's me. It's our school's uniform.
Nishizumi Nanako: Huh… Alright, I'm… actually I'm right behind you.
"Heh?" Araki reads the message with surprise, immediately turning back. What clashes his eyes was a feminine figure that emanates an unyielding energy. She dresses herself in the German's Heer honor guard uniform with the signature grey color palette on the suit, displaying the oppressive atmosphere that every Nishizumi is told to known for. And yet, the pencil skirt accompanying the dress keeps the fact that this is a woman you are looking at. An odd contrast of messages, you could say.
However, her face immediately eases up upon witnessing the boy, her eyebrows sloped upwards towards a point on her temple. "Guten Tag, kapitän." She warmly welcomes.
Seeing that Nanako decides to greet him in a foreign language, Araki plays along. "Здравстуйте, капитан." Then, they both smirk at each other like it's an inside joke only they understand. That, unfortunately, catches some unwanted attentions from both schools' students.
"What are they up to again this time?"
"Rumor has it Nanako actually fell for him."
"Fell for him? With that lame as heck buzz cut, I doubt that's actually the case."
"Still in denial huh, mister?"
"Of course not! I'm way over the captain already. She's just way out of my league."
"Yeah, and that's because she's way above your league."
"Oh come on! Really!?"
"My my, captain Yamamoto is already planning on getting the best girl already?"
"Man, he's plain lucky. That girl is part of the Nishizumi, you know. Imagine all the brag you can do if they are your girlfriend."
"I don't think he was even planning for that in the first place. Plus, I don't feel like they are that close."
"This is why you don't have any girls, because if they do, you probably wouldn't notice the sign."
"Perhaps. Wouldn't be an unfair assumption, honestly."
That got Araki to turn away from Nanako, looking up at the stage again.
"Eh, you guys really look like a great couple." Kyoko adds in, throwing a dangerously playful sight onto the captain. "I would love it if you were to get together."
"Yeah, that's right captain. I'll be there as your groomsman if you ask me to." Alexander assisted Kyoko in her mental assault.
It is official. Araki is now backed to a corner by the dangerous individuals above, along the discussion about the nature of his relationship with Otto von Krieger's captain only makes him wish he can dig straight through the earth's crust to Chile to escape from the talk.
Noticing that Araki's body language indicates he really wants to punch the ground repeatedly right now, Sentoku, being the serious senior he is, makes some loud coughing noises to silence the discussers, to which proves to be very effective.
Araki exhales in relief and gratitude as the talk subsides, being saved by the protective third-year. "Thanks." He quietly mutters to the lieutenant.
The lieutenant answers back with the appropriate volume. "No problem."
Suddenly, something hits Araki as he readies his mind to focus on the spokesman that is stepping onto the stage. "Wait, are my eyes deceiving me, or are the Soudainakyoukoku men who are here are way more than representatives of other school?"
Lieutenant Suzuki immediately returns to his job as a guide for the captain again. "Oh, forgot to mention this, captain. Those men you see there? They are actually from two different schools. You know Soudainakyoukoku already, yes?"
Araki nods. "Yes. But what about the other one?"
Sentoku gestures towards the students who wears white officer caps, contrasting the supposed Soudainakyoukoku's black ones. "They're from Inu no Akuma Preparatory School. It was established in 2001 due to problematic internal affairs in Soudainakyoukoku. I heard it was due to doctrinal disagreements and cultural differences, though some attributed the insurrection that happened at the time, called the Leatherneck Separatists Movement, to low supplies of edible crayons served during lunchtime."
"I don't think the latter theory is anything but just misinformation, lieutenant Suzuki."
"I thought it would be nice for you to know, regardless. Notwithstanding the insurrection, Soudainakyoukoku was nice enough to give them a farewell gift."
"In what way?"
"General funding, at least for the first 3 years. Also it is known that not all the aircraft carriers that sail around the Japanese sea are of the Sensha-do League's school."
"You're implying that there is one sole Hohei-do League school that operates an aircraft carrier?"
"And they live on it, just like any students from the Sensha-do League. A decommissioned, late Cold War carrier is retrofitted with buildings, facilities and miscellaneous stuff to turn the ship into a habitable place to live in. A small, floating civilization like ships of Sensha-do. Because of that, they also have a lot of applications every year, for this is one of the only few opportunities for boys to live on the sea like the Sensha-do girls."
"Anyone else I should be aware of? I mean, I've heard of Albert Frederick's Preparatory School. They're British-themed and uh... they fight like Brits, I guess."
"And they are crazy good at it." Lieutenant Margelov jumped into the conversation, his face also tenses up at the mere mention. "Efficient usages of munitions, lack of an automatic rifleman role on a squad level. Not to mention their BMPs and BTRs are absolute unit in their own right too, though they are pretty sluggish compared to an average BMP. For now, though, I don't think we should be too concerned. Let's just ease our mind and focus on the drawing."
"What about Kościuszko? Don't forget we lost our chances to enter the quarter-finals because of them. I didn't expect the battle to be easy one, since it is a dark horse of the League, but…" It is here that the mood of Krasnaya Zvezda's members' plummets straight to the ground
"Yeah." Alexander can't help but to feel the same.
"Krasnaya Zvezda's commander, please come to the stage and draw your number." The spokesman on the stage called, all of a sudden.
"Ah right…" Lieutenant said to himself as he pinched his temply, though everyone could hear it. "Schools that didn't make it through the round of sixteen last year has to draw the year after, forgot that's a thing too."
Alexander nudges Araki's shoulder. "Come on, captain. Haul ass! They won't wait for long!"
"A-Alright!" Araki quickly stands up and walks up to stage, witnessing a projector that displays the result of the game mode organized for match number 1 being Recovery and the pairings that would happen for this year. "So the first match will happen a week from now." Araki thinks to himself.
Match number 2 is between Kościuszko High School and St. Edward High School.
Match number 3 is between Inu no Akuma Preparatory School and Tercio High School.
Match number 4 is of Soudainakyoukoku Academy and High School of the People.
Match number 6 puts Otto von Krieger Co-ed College against Nambusaka Academy.
And finally, match number 8 is a pairing of Kangaroo Savanna Academy and Legionnares's University High.
The only schools that haven't gotten matched are Krasnaya Zvezda High School themselves, Albert Frederick's Preparatory School, Monte Carlo High School, Gwangmu Academy, Lapland High School and Suleiman Academy.
When he arrives at the drawing box, he doesn't bother to look at the available pair. He knows that just peeking at it would make his heart jump out of his chest praying for a decent draw. So… he closes his eyes and just randomly snatches a leaflet from the box. It reads number 1.
"Krasnaya Zvezda High School, number 1."
The crowd immediately inhale through their teeth. groan with their throat or yelp in terror seeing the drawing result, to which causes great confusion to Araki as he looks back. Even his two lieutenants displayed the opposite of pleasure and relief, one of them going so far as to make a cross with his hand and shaking his hand. Another group of student wearing dark olive green uniforms yelp contrast the mood that Krasnaya Zvezda is currently having. He then looks to the match that has the corresponding number.
For match number 1, Krasnaya Zvezda faces against Suleiman Academy. Game mode is Recovery.
Araki looks back and forth, again and again, not understanding the unexpectedly defeatist reaction that the people have in the conference hall. But sooner or later, he will understand, for he will have to face against the wrath of the Turks without the presence of his beloved BTRs and BMPs.
