Chapter 2. Introduction of Procured Equipment

Hohei-do, a sport thought to be a long lost relative to the girly Sensha-do, is actually quite young. While the origins of Sensha-do can be traced back to the feudal era under a modified version of Kyujutsu called 'Yumi no michi' that had members of the two renown clans Nishizumi and Shimada participating, Hohei-do started off as 'survival games' in the 1970s. The men of Japan enjoyed the games as a way to test their marksmanship as well as to put their studies on infantry tactics of the past and the present into use. But sooner or later, it leaked out of Japan, first through the UK through an airsoft firearms company named LS, then the US, and Germany, and France, and Italy. Before us Japanese even knew it, it has spread out of our little island nation and soared beyond the sea.

Seeing an opportunity to train the country's future soldiers and recognizing the popularity of such sport, Japan Self-Defense Forces pleaded MEXT for those 'survival games' to be formalized as a mandatory elective, just like how Sensha-do was in the 1950s. However, the idea met great resistances from the directors, particularly due to the troubles that entails regarding the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the US and Japan. They said that the US wouldn't be too happy with them actively finding roundabout ways to train personnel, and they could even consider that an act of escalation.

But, one certain director at the time named Tadamichi Koga argued: "If we only let the JSDF trained our students, sure. But what if we invite military advisors from other nations? The US surely wouldn't think of it as such. Actually, I'm fairly certain they would be very happy with sending their military advisors here to train with their doctrine. And, if we let other nations that are not NATO members, we won't strain our relationships with them too. That includes the Chinese and the Russian."

"But… wouldn't that just turn our nations into a battleground for other nations to test their warfare advancements? I think it could harm our image of a peaceful, stable country." A female director argued.

"You're saying as if Sensha-do didn't exist. If we didn't want to be viewed as a nation forever rooted to warfare, you wouldn't even allow Sensha-do, especially when it was after the fiasco that was World War Two, would you? And yet, it seemed to have the opposite effect, helping our female students in their journey of self-improvement, and attracted international attention. By my observation, they also appreciated what we have done with Sensha-do, and thus, I wager that the same positive reaction would also occur for this new sport, dedicated to infantry warfare." Koga countered, effectively silencing any critics of his ideas. They all thought he brought up fair points, but something was fishy with how enthusiastic he was with the ideas. Maybe it has something to do with his surname.

"Anyway, let's vote if we agree to greenlight it, then we discuss on the matter of the names and the equipment's period limit." One of the directors suggested. "If anyone says yes, please raise your hand."

The result was that three quarters of the board said yes, while a few didn't raise their hand, though they didn't seem to be disappointed with the result either.

"Alright, I think we have all come to an agreement here. So… Is there any ideas on the name?" The same director continued.

"We can keep the name as it."

"No, it wouldn't have a ring to it."

"How about 'airsoft'? That's a popular international name it has."

"No, I think it should have a Japanese name. Also, I think we are all forgetting something here."

"What do you mean we are forgetting something?"

"Well… tanks and infantry units are supposed to be supporting each other, yes?"

"Sure, but we don't have the tech to make that happen with guaranteed safety. Imagine what would happen if a boy were to be injured…"

"A boy? You think this sport should be for boys only?"

"Not necessarily, but I think the physically demanding nature of it should make it a male-dominant sport, at least. But I can see the girls participating as crewmen of specialized armored vehicles, say APCs and IFVs."

"Hm… That can work. It can also help us to diversify our demographic too."

"But we don't have the necessary funding to organize that."

"Which means this will be a boy only sport for the first few years, but I foresee we able to procure those vehicles later on with support from militaries around the world."

"I reckon that takes 5 years, at least."

"That's enough, actually. 5 years and the funding we have saved over the course of the years should suffice."

"What about the kinds of projectiles we use? Of course we can't use real brass. They are dangerous for a reason."

"But I don't think BB bullets and airsoft work. The intensity would be significantly downgraded, and run and gun tactics would become widespread as the optimal way to play."

"Oh, what about this? I heard rumors that the US Army have some kind of MILES system. I mean, we already used them prolifically in Sensha-do to calculate tank damage. Why not use them in the foot soldier side of thing?"

"Foot soldier, foot soldier, foot soldier… Ah, I got it! How about we call it Hohei-do? I think it fits our criteria we set ourselves with."

"What?" The room suddenly went silent.

"You know… We call the sport that has tanks on it Sensha-do, because it is 'the way of the tanks'. Why not use that same naming scheme and call it Hohei-do, because it is 'the way of the foot soldiers'."

"Wow… That's quite ingenious actually."

"I agree."

"I do, also."

"Me, too."

"Huh… I guess I am in with this also."

And before they knew it, the whole room agreed with the idea.

"So, that's another one off the list. Now for the time period…"

"I think we already know which time period we are taking."

"Which one?"

"Personally, as the head of the history department, I can say that I have decent knowledge of the history of warfare, and for me… the modern era offers the most exhilarating kind of infantry."

"So we are not limiting ourselves to World War Two?"

"No, that would be a disservice. In my opinion, infantry tactics only evolve from World War Two onward, especially with the creation of new classes of weapons."

"And those are?"

"Assault rifles, battle rifles, and designated marksman rifles. To me, the average infantryman received considerably more firepower on a squad level from World War Two onward. That, I can say for certain."

"Huh… I see your point."

"Honestly, you really buy me into it."

"I agree to."

"I think we all know where this is going, yes?"

Everyone also agrees to this. And not before long, MEXT announces their infantile, yet promising combat sport worldwide. There were initial skepticisms and worries about it at first, especially regarding the US's reception to the news. The Cold War ended not too long ago, after all. But atlas, the overwhelmingly positive reception from the international community helped cemented the sport even more. Still, the armored vehicles that we all know and love today wouldn't arrive until the 5th National Hohei-do Tournament, alongside a new cartridge forever replacing the US sponsored MILES's blanks.

If you didn't know already, 5 years into the formation of Hohei-do, there were criticisms of the MILES system being used. It is said that participants could cheat if they had fast hands to turn off the alarm and the blank rounds don't produce the desired effect to simulate real combat. So, as any sport organization with love to their sport would do, the Japan Hohei-do Federation – formed after the agreement to greenlight Hohei-do as a mandatory elective – discussed on the matter. No, we didn't switch to real brass, safety was our highest priority, especially for such a competitive sport. So, we looked for a replacement.

That was when the JHF learned of a certain company called Jolly Lads, based in the UK. Humbly started out as two guys in a shed trying to make non-lethal bullets, the founders of the company agreed with the advisors' word on what is wrong with Hohei-do, and wanted to spice things up also. Soon enough, even with the skeptics worrying at first, the cartridge became popular, replacing BB bullets and airsoft guns entirely in serious airsoft games outings. They also received military contracts from the British Armed Forces to produce those bullets for training purposes, then the NATO countries followed suit. Even the former Warsaw Pact nations and other neutral regimes took great interest in the work and wanted to purchase them too. And just like that, Jolly Lads go to be one of the more successful military hardware company, even if they only sell non-lethal brass.

Jolly Lads' bullets are thought to be non-lethal because they are able to fragment into tiny pieces of metal upon hitting the skin, though they are capable to incapacitating and even rendering unconsciousness. However, even in the worst case scenario, the test showed that a person would only sustain some heavy bruising and sharp pains in the place hit by the bullet upon waking. It is guaranteed by the company that people getting hit will recover from unconsciousness in the span of a day at most, though a full recovery varies from person to person.

This technology is also used for fragmentations, which is used for products like hand grenades, GL frag rounds, fragmentation warheads, and HE frag rounds for both autocannons and cannons alike. With their extensive usage across the globe, it was only natural that the JHF had been partners with them ever since…

And that marks the end of the brief history of Hohei-do. If you want to learn more about the sport's history, feel free to go to the JHF's websites for further information. For now, we wish you to have a good time playing, though we are certain you will not regret it. Good luck out there, soldiers!

And thus, the displayed movie on the big screen in the auditorium comes to a close, credit rolling by as the drill sergeant of Krasnaya Zvezda step upon the stage. He taps the mic a few times making sure it's working properly. He clears his throat to catch the attention of the first year members, who are the only people the auditorium today. "So… does any of you have any questions on the film?"

Silence shrouded the place, making the drill sergeant unnerved that he might be wasting the members' time. He was about to turn to the side and step down until an European boy raised his hand, prompting him to return to the mic. "I have one, sir."

"Ah…" The third year student quickly went back to the stand. "What do you want to ask about?"

"I was wondering if the Jolly Lads' bullets are truly non-lethal or not. Has there been any incidents related to them, sir?"

"Oh, about that huh? Quite some time since I've heard of that…" He muttered loudly to the mic, then he shrugged. "Fair enough. I can see why you would be skeptical. It really does sound quite outlandish, especially with how realistic the cartridges are, both in appearance and performance. But, I can assure that Jolly Lads do not lie to their customers, for they would have been brought to court everywhere if they did."

"I have heard of incidents on all kinds of injuries in Hohei-do, but it seems to be on par with other sports. Maybe he's not lying."

"I don't think so. Perhaps this is a blood sport where we actually die, without the outsider ever actually knowing they died. Hell, maybe some kind of super-secret group is involved in this."

"Tch, you and your conspiracy theories… No wonder you didn't have a girlfriend yet."

"Oh shut it!"

"It looks like everyone here is not convinced, yes?" The drill sergeant smiles, then he shakes his head. "It's only fair, really. But… seeing is believing, so I think a live demonstration should be in place." He then turns away from the stand, his hand on the ear saying something, maybe a request, before he turns back again.

Another member of the club, not of the first years, walks up to the stage with a pistol in his hand. He gives the pistol to the drill sergeant and just stands right there, like he is waiting for something to happen. The drill sergeant takes the item and pulls the mag out. A hint of yellow brass can be seen on the top of the mag. "It's loaded, one-hundred percent." Araki thought to himself as he observed.

The drill sergeant cocks the gun a few times, checking to see if there's anything stuck in the chamber, before stepping down from the stage. "Like I said, seeing is believing, so I'm going to give this to you recruits before I do anything." Then, everyone starts taking turns inspecting said weapon with the drill sergeant encouraging them to cock the gun and hold it in the hand to get a feel for it. When it's Araki's turn, he can instantly tell that the pistol is a MP-443 Grach – the most recent pistol issued to frontline troops of the Russian Ground Force. The pistol in his hand has real weight to it, with slight lateral moments felt when he moves it up and down. Sliding his index finger through the entire gun, a metallic smell envelops it, proving that the gun is not just any simple airsoft or BB bullet gun. Pressing the mag release and taking the mag out, he sees the bullets looking as real as the round this pistol loaded – 9mm Parabellum. It kind of impresses him how far the JHF goes on ensuring realism in equipment procuring, though that can be attributed to the nations actually supplying real firearms for the sport. Once the inspection period is done, the drill sergeant takes the gun back to his hand and makes his way to the stand another time. "So, given the expression of you here… I can tell you are surprised to see that this pistol isn't just any replica, but the real deal... Oh, mentioning about the equipment, I forgot to tell this too." The officer pauses, then continues. "All the equipment we, as well as other schools, procure are from the origin country themselves. The Jolly Lads cartridges seem to have great compatibility, requiring no adjustments at all to the weapons using them. They can be properly cycled as the chamber pressure remains unchanged. This also means recoil felt when firing is the exact same, too. Basically, what live rounds can do, Jolly Lads' rounds can do too, except in lethality of course!"

Then, the sergeant continues. "With all that out of the way, let me give you a clear demonstration." And before the recruits know it, he pulls out the pistol with his right hand and shoots three times at the guy, with him falling down to the ground. Everyone was shocked and scared, especially as seconds past, and the boy doesn't seem to be playing dead at all. The people are worried sick, but it doesn't take long for some to notice how blood doesn't spill out from the lifeless body. "Ah, it has some months since I get to smell burnt gunpowder. Still addicting as always, I see." He mumbled to himself.

Still, Andrey can't bear to see someone in such conditions and immediately leaves his seat, running straight for the person who was shot at. Someone else shouts at the drill sergeant. "Sir, why did you do that? You know you can seriously hurt, heck, kill someone with that thing, you know?"

The person in question snapped a threatening look at him, instantly silencing any further criticisms. He then shakes his head and sighs, as if he understands how they feel. However, the demonstration has to be done.

After checking pulses, breathing, and points of contact the rain of bullets supposed made in the head and chest, Andrey comes to a conclusion, his voice akin to a medical professional. "He's still alive, just unconscious."

"What?"

"I said, he's still alive, just unconscious." Andrey repeated, this time louder.

Everyone is in disbelief at what the Caucasian boy just said, prompting the sergeant on stage to reaffirm again. "You heard him. He isn't dead, just unconscious." Then he comes to Andrey and whispers to him. "Hey, thanks for that. You really helped me there, kid."

"N-No problem. I just think that's what I should do, first and foremost." Andrey looks away, getting awkward at the compliment.

"Anyway… Can you please bring him to the seat? I don't think I can continue the session seeing him like that? Oh and… don't bring him to the nurses' office, I still need him here for another demonstration."

"Ah, uh… Well…"

"You good with that? Okay, thanks for the help." The drill sergeant then returns to the stand, as Andrey pulls the heavy body with all his strength, putting the poor guy into the front row's seat as properly as he can. "Okay… So as you can see, the cartridges Jolly Lads produce work just as advertised, and thus there is no need to be worried about. Still… It hurts like hell, so I advise you try not to be shot at. I can't tell you how it hurts, but you will know it when you have one slammed to your body… With all that out of the way, I think it's only right to introduce myself. My name is Onoda Sojiro, third year at Krasnaya Zvezda, and sergeant in the club. I will be your drill instructor for a month starting from now. I hope we get along during our time together." The instructor bows, of which the students in the auditorium also do the same as to respect their caretaker in the upcoming. "Also, know that I may be harsh on all of you at time, but understand that I want you to be as prepared as possible, going into battle. You may have to work yourself to beyond your limits at times, but… I think you already have this in mind joining this club, correct?"

Everyone in the room nods, though Kanata gulps at the grueling job ahead of it. Still, it wasn't as if he didn't know how hard soldiers had to train to do what he witnessed, playing video games, how painful the process of becoming more than just a gamer interested in modern military topics, but he feels that the final result would likely please him more than anything he has done in game.

"Now people, give me 10 running laps around the firing range, you hear me!?" The drill sergeant shouts, moving towards the door going outside the auditorium in a running motion.

"Так точно! (Yes, sir!)" All boys and girls answered minus constantly day-dreaming Hikaru and the unusually withdrawn Rudolfo, following the drill sergeant outside the room, and onto the firing range.

Eventually, the running column comes to a stop as 10 laps have been completed by everyone, though everyone's legs are aching, with sweats dripping down everywhere, wetting the green camo combat uniform they wear, as if they just take a shower or swam somewhere. Some stand up, taking steady breaths to slow down the heartrate, while others like Kanata, Hikaru and Ringo straight up have their face planted to the ground due to exhaustion. They are definitely not as athletic as other students. The scene got out a sad chuckle from the instructor. "Yep, they still have a long way ahead." He mumbled.

"Aaaaaagh, I can't believe I sign up for this." Kanata complained, causing a bit of a giggle in the group.

"Well…" Hikaru has to breath another one to even talk properly. "Ostrovsky didn't say this is any easy, mister Takeba."

"Haaaaah, I want some apple pie after this!" Ringo continued, with her stomach audibly growling, causing a laughing fit among the crowd.

"This will be one hell of a ride, won't it?" The drill sergeant mumbled again, humoring the scene.

It didn't last long, however, as the recruits quickly got their bearings back again and stand uptight, hands close to the body. This also prompts the officer to get back to training matters again. "Okay, so that's 10 laps around the shooting range and uh… that was better than expected, though my expectation would be as low as the average temperature in the Russian Far East. Basically, you did good… but you can do better than that. Anyway…" The drill instructor slowly makes his way to the tables placed in front of the firing booth, though Araki notes that he didn't see it when he first got out here to make laps. "Maybe some of the upperclassmen got them out."

Upon closer inspections on the table, he can see various combat gears scattered across the individual tables, with name plates on each table placed closest to the first years. They have various names written on it. 'Rifleman', 'Squad Leader', 'Medic', 'Automatic Rifleman', 'Machine Gunner', 'Marksman', 'Grenadier', 'Anti-tank', 'Combat Engineer', 'Crewman' and 'Lead Crewman', they listed. "It could be designated roles, perhaps?" Araki thought over it for a moment.

Once the senior member came close to the table, he picks up a gun. Obviously way bigger than the MP-443 Grach he holstered, with a signature silhouette that everyone knows and loves from action movies and video games, though the laminated wood handguard, stock are replaced by slick black furniture that serve the same functions, with the magazine attached to it containing the same shade of black as the rest of the weapon. "This is what most of you will be carrying while out on the front - the AK-74M." The officer said, holding said weapon up, being a bit sentimental about it. "It's a good weapon, rarely ever jams. You can bury it in dirt, sand, mud… whatever you can get in it and it will still fire just fine, but you should treat it with care regardless. Also…" He picks up an optic from the 'Rifleman' table. "This is the optic you will be bringing with – the 1P78 Kashtan scope. It has a 2.8x magnification, with the center of the scope zeroing at 400m, and it is Russian equivalent to the American ACOG. You can keep this in your backpack, or…" He mounted the optic using the AK-74M's side rail. "You can keep it on the AK. Either way is okay, since it can take quite a beating. Doesn't lose zeroing with how sturdy the side rail is, too." Then, he puts down the rifled mounted with the optic and picks up various gear on the table, showing the recruits how it looks like. "Here are the grenades. This one I'm holding here is the frag grenade." He said as he brings up his left hand, holding a RGD-5 grenade. "And this one is the smoke grenade." Then he switches hand and brings up a RDG-2 grenade. "The frag grenade is for clearing out entrenched enemies, say a room, a bunker or a trench from close range. The smoke grenade is for creating temporary concealment, like when you need to cover your advance through open ground, or you need to retreat without getting shot at." Then he takes a little pouch with green camo on it. "And this is your IFAK – Individual First Aid Kit, of which every soldiers are issued with. Best case scenario, you won't have to use it. But if you need to treat certain injuries like cuts, rashes and maybe you need some painkillers for all the shots you have taken, it should help you." Then the officer takes the large backpack from the table. "And this… is the ammo pack. As riflemen, it is your job to carry necessary supplies for all other members of the squad. This hefty bag carries tons of ammunitions, two dozen or so grenades, some anti-tank munitions and other miscellaneous stuff. Thus, it is crucial to always have a rifleman or two in the squad." After that, he puts the backpack to its rightful place on the 'Rifleman' table.

The instructor makes his way to the 'Squad Leader' table and continues his lecture, placing the pistol he has onto the table. "Now to the Squad Leader kit! As you can see, there is little to no difference between a rifleman and a squad leader, but there are two key notes you have to make. Number one…" He holds out the RDG-2 grenades from the table. "This kit is issued two extra colored smoke grenades, one purple and one orange. You can use these for concealments, or for visual communications with and without the assistance of radio." Then he places his hand on the backpack with an antenna sticking out. "In place of the supplies in this bag is a lightweight, man-portable radio. This is how you are able to communicate between squads. Platoon leaders and commanders in infantry units also use them to talk between platoons. Of course, every infantryman is issued a headset to communicate in their own squad. Of course, you also get a pistol as a backup sidearm. It's for when things get hairy and you can't get your rifle up in time."

He moves on to the 'Medic' section. "For this table, you can see the lack of frag grenades. Of course, the medic is very capable in combat, but the priority should always be one's own survival, for the utility in medical treatment is only present if the member is still alive. Also…" He slaps onto the backpack on the table. "This bad boy here stores hundreds or so IFAKs worth of medical supplies, and…" He pulls out a pen-shaped object. "The kit is the only one to contain these epinephrine autoinjectors, or 'epipens' as we like to call it. This little guy is capable of getting someone up from an unconscious state, though they have to have this flag popped from their backpacks." He then raises up a white, triangular flag with a black cross on it. "If you see this, you are clear to use it on them, but remember to let them get their bearings together, which should take roughly 30 seconds at most. Here, let me show you."

The officer walks up to the unconscious body that he just shot earlier and pushes the epipen into the body's thigh. Suddenly, the lifeless body wakes up, full of life again, though the face he displayed is akin to a fight-or-flight reponse.

"Hey, you finally wake up." The instructor talks to the boy. "Sorry for doing that in the auditorium, by the way. Must have hurt like hell."

The boy, upon seeing the drill sergeant, relaxed his muscle and looked at him. "No worries. We've already agreed on this the day before, yes? Although…" The boy grunts as he touches his temple. "Good shot in there, you know? Thought you were getting rusty with the sidearm."

"Well, I wasn't called the 'Solovetsky Slinger' for naught. Anyhow, go get yourself treated in the nurse's office in the barrack. I'll go continue my assignment."

"Okay." The boy stands up with some struggle, but he makes steady steps to the barracks in the west. "До свидания, товарищ! (Goodbye, comrade!)"

"See you later!" Then the sergeant presses on with the row of tables.

"So these are your main sources of suppressive fire." He stops between the 'Automatic Rifleman' and the 'Machine Gunner' kits. "This big guy – the PKP Pecheneg - packs one hell of a punch, but is cumbersome to handle." He grabs at the carry handle of the PKP Pecheneg. "While this one here – the RPK-74M sacrifices some firepower for better maneuverability." He picks up said weapon from the other table. "Both of these kits are issued with 1P78 scopes, but for the automatic rifleman role, you are given the same frag and smoke grenades as riflemen do, whereas the machine gunner gets a pistol in place of the frag grenades."

"Next up is the 'Marksman' kit." He walks up to the table with the name plate written the same name on it. "It's like the 'Machine Gunner' kit, but instead of lugging around a heavy duty general purpose machine gun…" He picks up the SVDM on the table. "You will be using this designated marksman rifle – the SVDM. Outfitted with the variable 6-10x zoom 1P88 optic that can adjust zeroes from 100-1000m, anyone with this weapon can engage from long range with comfort, though this kit is only issued to ones who can maximize its effectiveness."

"Now… This is the good stuff that I guess all of you like to see – explosions." The officer makes an exploding gesture with his hand, causing some giggles for how funny it is. But with his hand raise up like a stop sign, the first years immediately suppress their gags.

"So, these are the 'boom boom' duo, as I like to call them – the 'Grenadier' and the 'Anti-tank'. Both are capable of great destructions, though they are very specialized. The grenadier is great at dealing with infantry via grenade rounds, while the anti-tank is all about eliminating vehicle targets, especially armored ones like armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles." He then moves to the grenadier table, picking up an AK-74M with a GP-34 attached under the barrel. "Instead of carrying hand grenades, you will instead be issued with 40mm grenade rounds, and more grenades overall compared to your riflemen. However, this isn't the only thing you can be given."

He then picks up a large steel tube, that looks to be an RPG-7, but the warhead looks way too small to be used for anti-tank purposes. "You can sacrifice your under-barrel grenade launchers on your AK for this. Meet mister RPG-7V2, but with the 40mm OG-7V fragmentation warhead. You can only carry 5 of these warheads with the rifleman carrying 7 more, but they pack quite a punch against infantry and are very good for engaging from 100m outward. They also have a lower minimum arming range at 5m compared to the GP-34's 10m." Putting down the RPG-7 on the 'Grenadier' table, he moves to the 'Anti-tank' section and picks up the same rocket launcher there. "This also proves to be a nice segue to this kit too. With the same rocket launcher, but this kit has the 93mm PG-7VL high explosive anti-tank warhead instead, capable of dealing damage, immobilizing and even eliminating armored elements of the battlefield. You can carry 2 of them, with your rifleman carrying 4 more in their backpacks if needed. However, this is not just your only option." The officer puts down the infamous rocket launcher and picks up what seems to be just a green tube. He holds it in an odd way, with his right hand on the upper side of the tube. "This is the RPG-26, a disposable rocket launcher loaded with a 72.5mm high explosive anti-tank warhead. It's more powerful than its older cousin, and can even instantly wipe out an armored vehicle if you hit them in certain spots, but you can only carry one of them. The rifleman also can only carry one in each of their backpacks, but given its higher capabilities, the low amount of it being fielded at a time can be justified. Remember that you only have limited chances with this thing, so make your shot counts, copy?"

"Yes sir!" The crowded shouted back.

"Good. Now, onto the final three…" He moves to the right, as the final kits approach. He first stops at the 'Combat Engineer' table. "For the 'Combat Engineer' kit, you won't be issued grenades and optic as the role primarily operates either behind frontlines or in tandem with vehicle crews. But, in place of them are 3 TM-62 anti-tank mines, and a backpack full of tools necessary for field engineering." He takes the backpack from the table and pulls out a lot of things. "There's the entrenching tool, which is helpful for hiding those anti-tank mines. The wire cutter, to cut barbed wires of course. There is also a repair kit to use on vehicles. Oh, seems like they are issued 2 spare tanks of gasoline too!" As the instructor pulls out a big, red gas can. He puts them all back in their place before moving to the crewman kits, picking up the weapons from the two table. "And these… are the 'Crewman' kits. They are issued with these tiny AK brothers – the AKS-74U. It fires the same cartridge as its bigger brother, but because of its compact design, it is classified as a personal defense weapon. Now, there is a reason why these tables have different name plates." He picks up an RDG-2 grenade from the 'Lead Crewman' table. "The differences between these two kits is that one… lead crewmen are issued colored smokes for communication, while crewmen aren't. Two, lead crewmen in a crew have the same role as squad leaders in an infantry squad, so they have access to the inter-squad channel on the comms too. Also, crewmen are not issued radios for their specialized role to always be hanging around the vehicle, which would always have a radio on it. Due to this, lead crewmen are also responsible for conducting light reconnaissance for the vehicle crew, too. Additionally, all crewmen are given tools needed to conduct repair in the field if needed. And finally…" The sergeant takes a breath before finishing up the kit familiarization part of training. "Lead crewmen are the ones commanding the vehicles and operating the radio embedded in those assets, so that their squadmates can focus on their job as gunner and driver respectively." And he sighs. "That should do it. If any of you have questions relating to the intricacies, I'll be providing them over the course of the training period. Now, give me 30 pushups, 30 jumping jacks and 8 laps around the firing range."

"Aaaaawwwww, come on!"

"Now that's just brutal!"

"Is he planning to kill us? How the hell can anyone handle all that!?"

"What were you saying there, rookies!?" The officer shouted at the crowd. "You disagreeing!?"

That effectively shuts down any dissidents from doing anything against the wishes of the drill instructor.

"No!? Хорошо! (Good!) Now do as I told and let's get this over with. Loud and clear, rookies!?"

"Loud and clear, sir!" And everyone complies, though with a little bit bitterness from the way the officer suddenly treated them.

"…I can't believe we somehow survive that." Araki, for the first time in the session, spoke out loud, his face planting on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah… He wasn't kidding when he said he was going to push us beyond our limits." Kyoko responded, her face also planted on the ground.

"Limits are meant to be broken after all." Hikaru quoted, kneeling on the ground.

"I don't care how many limits I have broken

You can say that literally the entire group minus Rudolfo barely standing up, after miraculously completing the drill, falls down to their knees and their faces like a field of plowed wheats. That definitely humors up the overseeing officer, but he immediately snaps back to his serious demeanor. "Alright, on your feet, soldiers. We still have some more to go through."

He makes his way to the rows of vehicles of all shapes and sizes, giving each of them a brief introduction. "This is our utility truck – the KamAZ 5350. This thing can carry lots of people and supplies, but it has no armament. I think its role in logistic should be self-explanatory." He puts his hand on the big, green camo truck before moving on to the smaller jeeps. "These are the GAZ Tigr-M jeeps that we just procured since last year. As you can see, there are two variants. One is the normal jeep, quite light, can ferry a good amount of supplies, but serve the same role as the truck. The other, however, is a Tigr-M with a 12.7mm Kord machine gun mounted on top. It can serve as a small fire support base, and the gun can do great damage to trucks, jeeps, even up-armored ones and infantry of course. Now, into the good stuff…" He walks to the two behemoths of the vehicle line up. "These two, I like to think as the main workhorses of our schools. The one on my right…" The instructor touches the front wheel. "Is the BTR-82A. A BTR-80A that retains its 2A72 30mm autocannon, but is retrofitted with some quality of life improvements. It's light, it's speedy, it can take small arms fire and shrapnel, but beware of anti-tank munitions and autocannons. It's amphibious too, so feel free to get it wet. It will swim just fine. This one, on the other hand…" He moves to the other armored vehicle. "Is the more heavily armed unit of our vehicle line up – the BMP-3M. This vehicle here has 2 cannons, one is the 2A72 30mm autocannon, and the other, coaxial one is the 2A70 100m cannon that can launch either unguided fragmentation rounds or anti-tank guided missiles. It's more heavily armed, has better armor, and can carry more infantry than the BTR-82A, but it is slower on roads and is more cramped, making it harder to dismount. Still, given the average height of a Japanese, I think we can all fit in quite nicely."

Looking back at the recruits, he can start to see mix reactions. Some are very interested, especially the female members, but others are already making yawns here and there. "I guess I should start wrapping this up." The officer thought.

"Okay, people. I think we can all see that daylight is running out, yes?"

"Да. (Yes.)" Everyone answered at different intervals, indicating their fatigue.

"Alright… Let's make our way to the western barracks. I'll be briefing you on the game modes, then we are going to dismiss for the day. Is that good, everyone?"

"Так точно! (Yes sir!)"

"Okay, okay. Looks like we have come to an agreement. Now, haul ass, soldiers!"

And the group of recruits, along with the drill instructor, make way to the western part of the club's ground.

Thankfully, the drill sergeant spared them another round of physical training, but the walk to the barracks definitely took a while. Nonetheless, this is the first time ever since they got into the auditorium that they get to sit down again. With the recruits finally sitting in their place, the officer then takes the projector from the front left corner of the room, places it on the middle table and pulls down the screen.

"So, there are various formats and game modes that the JHF organized. You may not be aware of them before, but I'll make sure that by the end of today, you will know all of them. Let's start off with the small scale formats." Sojiro uses a remote to switch to the slide that reads 'Hohei-do game modes'. He keeps switching, giving the recruits time to read stuff on the screen, before stopping at each game mode, explaining it simply. "First is Skirmish. 40v40, symmetrical game mode, goal is to eliminate the opposing force basically. Any questions?"

"Sir, I once read that Hohei-do matches have a 12-hour limit. Is that correct?"

"Yes. That's quite observant of you there, private."

"So then… what happens if there are two still remained once the timer elapsed in Skirmish?"

"Well… it depends on the game mode. Having a draw in symmetrical ones will have both team disqualified immediately."

That surely shakes up the whole barrack.

"Wait, why?"

"They said it's to encourage aggression, thus making Hohei-do more exciting overall. I mean… I can see why they did it so."

"What about the other ones? The asymmetrical game mode?"

"Well, I'll get to that later. For now, let's continue. Next up is Recovery. 50v50, symmetrical game mode. Goal is either to recover more items designated on the map, or to wipe out the enemy of course. Speaking of 50, this is also the number of soldiers needed during a match for the League to allow a machine gunner's participation. Basically, one machine gunner every 50 people or so. Another thing..." He presses on the remote, showing a map used for the game mode. "General spots for assets needed to recover are marked in a circle, but the exact spot in that circle is unknown, so remember to check everything. To recover an asset, simply bring it back to the starting point." He pointed at the starting mark.

"Next up is the mid-scale formats." Sojiro presses the remote again, switching up the projected image. "This one is Convoy. 80v80, symmetrical game mode. Each team is given 2 specially marked logistic trucks that have supplies much more than needed for even the most explosive kinds of matches. Goal is to bring one of your trucks to the finish line, or to destroy all enemy logistic trucks." He points at markers on the map. "These markers are for the starting points and ending points that both teams have, and are made public upon the game mode roulette's announcement."

"Game mode roulette, sir?" A girl raised his hand.

Sojiro nodded. "Yes, game mode roulette. While in Sensha-do, only one game mode called Flag Battle is organized, so teams only have to participate in one big national drawing for the tournament. In the Hohei-do League, however, once we have done our own national drawing, a game mode roulette is scheduled to happen one week before the official battle. The roulette is hosted on their sites, and is completely random on game modes and maps. The day the battle happens is predetermined from the get go, with gaps between matches already calculated for asymmetrical battles that have to happen over many days. Yes, I did not stutter. This is also why Hohei-clubs have amount of members in the hundreds, for there would be time we need to quickly replace men." And he continues with the slide. "This one is Sabotage. 100v100, asymmetrical game mode. In asymmetrical game modes, a team is designated as OPFOR and the other BLUFOR. OPFOR is attacker, BLUFOR is defender. For this one, there are points of interests around the map that are marked accurately. They are also marked with a small, blue flag planted beside it. It can be a vehicle, an artillery battery, or weapon caches. As OPFOR, your combat engineers will be given Hohei-do grade C4 charges. They aren't explosive, but this is your only mean of destroying them. A 30s timer is set upon activation, and BLUFOR can defuse it, though the process is not instant. Never have seen anyone able to disable it in less than 5 seconds, so better not let that charge ever come close to them. Once the timer elapsed, a red flare will be shot out from the C4 charge, and the flag will change from blue to red, indicating a successful sabotage attempt. As BLUFOR, it is imperative to fend off the OPFOR from completing their goals, of course. The round will end if all points of interest have their flags marked red, either teams are wiped out completely, or the 12-hour limit is reached. Once that happens, teams are to cease fire. After that, they switch their roles and repeat all that again. Goal is to have more points of interest destroyed than the opposing team. If BLUFOR is wiped out during a round, all points of interest on the map will be flagged red and considered sabotaged."

"What if a draw happens, sir?"

"Then the JHF will organize an extra round of Skirmish to decide the final victor. If that also ends in a draw, both teams are disqualified, just like what I said. This is universally applied to all present and future asymmetrical game modes."

The officer gets to the last of the game modes. "And finally, there is the large scale formats. These are often the grandest of the Hohei-do matches, and are usually reserves for semi-finals and finals."

"Then what about the other formats, sir?"

"Small scale formats are to be organized during rounds of 16, and quarter-finals. Mid-scale formats can happen from rounds of 16 to semi-finals. Any other questions?"

"Нет. (No.)"

"Хорошо. Тогда мы продолжим. (Good. Then we continue.)" He switches the slide. "First mode is Breakthrough. 150v150, asymmetrical game mode. Similar to sabotage, but OPFOR goal is to capture a flag that is located closer to BLUFOR's starting position and hold it for 90 continuous minutes. To capture a flag, you have to pull down the enemy flag, before pulling up yours. The game ends when either team is wiped, OPFOR completed their objective, or the 12-hour limit is up. Then everyone is swapped, of course. Goal is to win more rounds as OPFOR. Should be easily understood, yes?"

The recruits nod back.

"Then let us get to the final one then – Advance and Secure. 200v200, symmetrical game mode. There will be 5 flags, and you have to capture from nearest to furthest from your starting position. To capture a neutral flag…" He switches to the image with the flag. "Simply pull yours up. To capture a hostile flag, you got to do the same thing you need to do with the flag in Breakthrough mode. Goal is to, of course, wipe the enemy team or to hold more flags than the opposing force when the 12-hour limit is up. This is usually considered to be the flagship slugfest of the League, so… get ready to be tested to your absolute limit. And uh… Oh, forgot to mention about the asset limit per team. For Skirmish, teams can field a maximum of 10 soft skinned vehicles, which are trucks and jeeps, up-armored or not. For Recovery, it's 13 of them. For Convoy, it's the amount, plus 2 armored vehicles, which are APCs and IFVs like what we have out there. For Sabotage, it's 3 armored vehicles and 14 soft skinned ones. For Breakthrough, you can safely that you will be seeing at a maximum of 5 armored assets and 20 soft skinned vehicles. And last but not least, for Advance and Secure, it's 7 and 26, respectively for the two group of assets."

"Aah… I don't think my brain can handle anymore." Kyoko commented, her head spinning as she tried stuffing all that dump of information into her head. Usually she is pretty good at it, but this is just too much to handle.

"Yeah, me too. I want to eat something, actually." Ringo shared her sentiment.

"Yeah. You want some ice cream today?" Kyoko invited.

"Maybe some smoothies would be better." Ringo shook her head.

"Mister Yamamoto, what about you?" Kyoko then turned to her now familiar classmate.

"Me? Well… Some cool drink would be nice. You think apple juice today?"

"Oh, you and your apple juice…" Ringo rolled her eyes.

Observing the various talks happening in the barrack, Sojiro can say for certain that it is time to call it a day. "I guess that was a lot to stuff you kids, but it's necessary. Sorry for the physical training earlier, but you will have to do some more of those rough work to improve. Anyhow, that's it for today. Club is dismissed." And he walks out of the barrack, joining the other third-year who is also doing their end-of-day drill.

The first years, being let off by the sergeant, move out to the school gate, spreading into small pockets of people.

"…So last night, you started playing Company of Heroes again, huh?" Kyoko absent-mindedly asked, her eyes focusing on the sunset.

"Yeah. Took me a while to get used to the controls, but I got around it again after yesterday." Araki answered, sipping his orange juice pack that he had to begrudgingly accept from Ringo because she didn't pay attention to the vending machine. The taste was more sour than he would have liked, but he had to make due. "My dad introduced it to me when I was a kid in elementary, and we used to play it every Sunday when it was his day off. After we have completed a round, we then pulled out the DVDs and watched some war movies until mom called us for kitchen."

"Well… War movies is lovely to watch, especially as a history nutjob, don't you think?" Kyoko intercepted

"Yeah…" Araki nodded slightly

"Yeah… My favorite one is Saving Private Ryan. What's yours?"

"Uhm… It's kind of hard to pick one, since I think each movie has its own charm and purposes that the creator wanted to perpetrate, but if I have to choose one… Maybe Blokpost. It's quite a simple movie. Low budget, but left quite an impression on the Russian soldier's viewpoint of the First Chechen War."

"Blokpost… Never heard of it."

"Russian movies are not popular outside of Russia, but they are great works of art, I must say. It sucks that the US had such a monopoly on media…"

"Perhaps… Anyway, how did your dad got it anyway?"

"Ah… He had to make trips to Russia from time to time. Usually he had some DVDs, some kielbasa and some Russian books as souvenirs, though I never really bothered much with the books. That's how I was taught Russian by the way… Kind of."

"Ooh… So where is your dad now? Is he at home?"

"No… He's in St. Petersburg finishing up his doctorate for Chemistry right now, and he have been staying for many years. He promised that when I turned 15 this year, he would come back and stay in Japan though." Araki then sips the orange juice.

"Huh… What about your mother?"

"She's just like any mother, really. Apparent she took great interest reading those cookbooks he sent from Russia, and I must say… her kompot is something magical."

"Here you go with the kompot again." Ringo interjects, eating her taiyaki.

"Until you have tried it, you don't have the right to judge… Anyway, we met before, yes?" Araki finally took a look at the girl, feeling déjà vu.

"You're Yamamoto Araki. I remember, you're the one who's pretty fluent in Russian, yeah?"

"Don't mention it. Still has a long way to go. Who are you then?"

"Me? I'm Fukushima Ringo. I like cooking and eating, though I enjoy the cooking part more, hehe!"

"Ah… You're my classmate! Forgive if I was ignorant, I just… didn't care much on the introduction part that day." Araki held his hand on his temple.

"No, it's fine. I hope we can be friends, together with Kyoko here."

"Yes… Wait, you're already with her that fast!?"

"Well yeah, we just click, you see." Kyoko stepped in.

"Come on, don't hide the fact we both like to eat SPAM sushi!"

"Liar! I don't like SPAM! SPAM is terrible, so terrible in fact I heard US soldiers in World War Two sold it all to actually get fresh ingredients in Japan."

"Then why did you gulp down all that sushi I made during lunch today?"

"Well… I thought it was salmon!"

"Sorry to tell you, miss Fujihara but that was SPAM that I put in there."

"Wh-What?"

"Hey, I heard SPAM is also pretty good seared up with a pan. Is that true?" Araki asked

"Yes!" Ringo put out a thumbs-up. "Just remember to pair it with something bland. It's quite salty by itself."

"Hm, interesting…"

"Hey, that was just a freak accident. I do not like SPAM!" Kyoko makes a cross with her arms. "I would rather eat bell peppers than SPAM!"

"Too late now, miss Fujihara." Ringo smiled deviously. "Welcome to the SPAM cult, my friend."

"Nooooooooooo! I refuse to be one!"

"Oh you girls…" Araki rolled his eyes at the bickering continues.

But, he certainly enjoyed the bickering show the two put out during the walk back home.