Nishizumi Residence - months after the 62nd Tournament

"You have your flight scheduled?"

"Yes, I did everything necessary."

"What time is the flight?"

"In four hours, I'm confident I can be there on time."

"Well, I don't know if we'll ever meet again for now. I'll be off to Germany next year, and given Ooarai doesn't do Sensha-do anymore, I don't think we'll see each other until we've completed our respective educations."

"Don't worry, Onee-chan, I'm sure we'll meet again..."

"Yeah. It saddens me to think we'll have to separate so early, because of something like that tournament finals happening."

"It's okay, at least this won't be permanent, I hope."

A brief silence encapsulated the two sisters, before Maho let out an exhale that contained a degree of distress, placing her hand on her head, obscuring her eyes.

"For goodness' sake, Miho, I should've stood up for you against Mother, and against the Kuromorimine students against you! I didn't want to see you like this."

"And suffer with me? Onee-chan, I can't allow that! I'd never allow that!"

"But-"

"It's best if it isn't the both of us."

"I'd rather be with you than be alone! I can't do all the work I can do without you!"

"Onee-san, my days are over here. I can't do Sensha-do anymore, it's ruined me!"

"That's not true-"

"Onee-san, if you're hurt, I'm hurt. I know you don't want me to be hurt, so please."

"I... can't, Miho, please."

"My decision is final, Onee-chan, I have to leave!"

"You're just leaving me alone to deal with all the stresses of running a hodgepodge of-"

"Is it any better if I'm suffering with you?"

"Yes, because I don't have to be the only one suffering, at least someone else is there to share my pain!"

"Onee-chan... I..."

"Sorry, Miho, I just... can't let you go."

"You have to. It's better if there's one member of the family getting the happiness she needs..."

"...than for the whole family to be sad, you've said that many times."

"Mhm."

"Alright, alright. As much as it pains me to lose you, Miho, as long as you're free from this depressing place."

"I know, Onee-chan."

"So this is goodbye for now?"

"Mhm. I hope Ooarai will be better, I'm sure it will be better."

"Well then, see you, Miho."

"Goodbye, Onee-chan."

Maho watched as Miho began to walk with her suitcase away from the doorway of the Nishizumi residence. Her mother was going to wake up soon, and she didn't want her to see what was going on. However, she had to do one final thing, something she knew she may never do again for the next few decades.

"Miho, before you go."

Miho stopped and turned to find her sister inviting her to an embrace. Miho didn't hesitate, running to her dear sister's arms in one last chance for an embrace. Both held each other tightly, taking in every last moment of what could be their last encounter in a long time. They refused to separate, as both loved each other dearly. It seemed like a millennia had passed by the time the two finally parted, rivers of tears streaming down their faces.

"Farewell, Miho, until we meet again!"

"I'll miss you, Onee-chan!"

Waving longingly at her sister, who returned the favor, Maho watched as Miho boarded a bus headed for Kumamoto Airport at the nearby bus station. At the same moment the bus door closed, Shiho opened the door behind Maho.

"Maho, why so early?"

"Taking in the fresh air, Okaa-san."

"Uh-huh. What else?"

Letting out a sigh, Maho gave a brief explanation, secretly wiping away a tear.

"Wishing Miho well."

"Hmph. At least we won't have that walking roadblock with us to potentially ruin another victory."

"Yes, Okaa-san..."

"Sentimental?"

"No, Okaa-san, I'm just still a bit tired from all the stress of the tournament."

"I hope that is the case regarding you. I have much to deal with myself."

"Like... what, Okaa-san?"

"No questions. Now, get ready, school begins soon."

"Yes, Okaa-san."

As Shiho returned inside, Maho stayed for a while longer, hoping that the Bible she had sneaked into Miho's case wouldn't end up in the dumpster if she found out it was there. Returning to her room, she quickly began to pen a letter to one of the last people she expected to write to in her life.

Ooarai Girls' Academy

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE TO SHUT DOWN THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM?! WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO OUR GUTS?!"

"We've worked tooth and nail to master the sport, now you're throwing it all away?"

"How will we ever become professional volleyball players?! I wanna be in the Olympics!"

"President, you've gotta reverse this- I..."

"Ladies, as much as I hate this, our budget sucks at the moment."

"No matter what we do, nothing seems to work. Raising and lowering fees, closing down electives, selling whatever, it's all failed."

"I'm afraid we cannot save you this time. I'm sorry, Volleyball Club."

"Y-Yuzu! Anzu, Momo, you gotta stop this!"

"Like I said, our budget sucks right now. We can't do much regarding keeping us afloat."

"Plus, the school carrier system is the most effective education system here in Japan. Everybody hates 'ground-based' schools."

"I hope you ladies understand our predicament, and we'll hopefully get our funds back up soon."

"But for now, I'm afraid we must wish the Volleyball Club goodbye..."

"NO! YOU CAN'T-"

"Face it, Taeko, we don't have a choice. Let's get out of here, we can still do volleyball on our own."

"Noriko, don't tell-"

"We can't do anything, Akebi."

"Don't be such a defeatist..."

As the members of the now-disbanded Volleyball Club left the Student Council office, now bickering over each other over the devastating news, Anzu's phone began to ring wildly. Picking it up and pressing the receiver to her ear, her blood boiled as she heard the voice of Renta Tsuji, Head of the School Carrier Department, speaking on the other end.

"Hello, Ooarai Student Council President Anzu Kadotani speaking."

"Ah, if it isn't the broke school. How are things over there?"

"Skip the formalities, Renta. What do you want."

"Alright, as you wish.

You're closing down unl-"

"WHAT?! YOU WOULDN'T-"

"Calm down, calm down. There's a caveat to this."

"Tell us! Now!"

"You know the upcoming Sensha-do tournament, right?"

"What about it."

"Come on, you're smarter than this!"

"Ugh... How far do we have to go in the tournament."

"Heh. I'm glad you asked.

Win the whole thing, or bye-bye! Alright, that's all!"

"WAIT! DON'T YOU-"

The call hung up, leaving an infuriated Anzu, who slammed the receiver back in its holster, and two nervous subordinates, shaking in fear as silence returned to the room, albeit temporarily. Momo nervously inquired as to what the exchange was about.

"Prez... what on earth was that all about?"

"I don't want to know..."

Letting out a sigh, Anzu regained her composure by chewing on a dried potato, and spit out the details plain and simple.

"We're closing down unless we win the next Sensha-do Tournament."

For a second, there was silence as the two other members processed the information. Momo's mind had processed it faster, and she went ballistic.

"WHAT?! WE'RE CLOSING?!"

"Momo-chan, calm down, there's no need to panic-"

"THERE'S EVERY SINGLE REASON TO PANIC RIGHT NOW! WE'RE ALL SCREWED!"

"We still have a chance in the-"

"NO, WE DON'T! KUROMORIMINE OR ANY OTHER MAJOR SCHOOL WILL EASILY SWEEP US APART!"

"Come on, Momo, be optimistic!"

"NO! WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE HALF OUR TANKS ARE ON THIS VESSEL! HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO STAND UP WITH, WHAT, FOUR TANKS AGAINST A SCHOOL LIKE SAUNDERS?!"

"Ever heard of David and Goliath?"

"Yeah! But in this case we're as good as horsemeat! It's hopeless, I'll never get to university!"

As Momo began to cry, forcing Yuzu to once again play the role of nanny, Anzu silently began to weigh her options. Either participate in the tournament, get the once-proud and prestigious school absolutely humiliated with completely amateur and inexperienced tank crews going up against hardened professionals and make MEXT shut down the school, or, just let MEXT shut down the school and save a humiliation in the tournament. One option would provide a chance, albeit extremely slim, the other would be a simple admission of defeat, and the once-prestigious Ooarai Girls' Academy would go out not with a bang, but with a whimper. It seemed that either option would get them closed.

Then, something clicked in her mind.

"Miho! MIHO! THAT'S IT!"

Momo stopped her wailing as soon as she heard Anzu's optimistic cry.

"PREZ? WHAT'S THE OPTIMISM ABOUT?!"

"MIHO, MOMO! DON'T YOU GET IT?! DON'T YOU REMEMBER?!"

"Miho- OHHHH!"

"WE'RE GETTING NONE OTHER THAN MIHO NISHIZUMI HERSELF IN OUR SCHOOL!"

"That means! We have a better chance!"

"HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN! OF COURSE!"

"Alright, once classes start, we'd better hope we get a big number of applicants."

"Then, once we see Miho after the big assembly..."

"Force her to join! Kyah! It's brilliant!"

"What if she refuses, though?"

"Well, Yuzu, she won't have a choice."

Continuation

As the graduation ceremony concluded, Jouko emerged from the assembly hall clutching her yearly Honor Roll, with the expected level of "With Highest Honors" due to her academic performance during the year. Rumi emerged with her graduation diploma, her graduation cap missing due to being lost in the tossing of the caps for the symbolic end of the year. Jouko's friends had also gotten into the Honor Roll, out of all of them, Lofstrom got the lowest level, and barely, with Hannes coming at second for the lowest grades out of the crew.

Ever since the end of the tournament, Continuation had been getting more used to Jouko as time passed and the next tournament drew nearer. Everyone was getting familiar with her, and enjoying her, and she them. Overall, things were looking up, and Rumi was proud to see the progress done so far. Now, it was time to pass the torch to someone else as she departed to continue her career in All-Stars.

"It seems this is farewell, Jouko."

"T'was an honor serving under you, Commander."

"Are you sure you don't want the position? I mean, Lili and Touko have opted out due to all of us acknowledging your obvious talent. You're the clear candidate for our next commander."

"I'm good, I want to give others a chance. Plus, I don't feel too comfortable yet, so I'm sure Mika will do fine."

"I trust her, in that case."

Behind Jouko, the rest of the Sturmi crew were bickering about their grades.

"Hey, Lofstrom! No 'with Higher Honors'?"

"Oh, shut up, Hannes, as if you got it as well!"

"I'd say I should be the only one talking here... since I have the 'honors' do to so! Hmhm!"

"FRISELL! YOU~"

Exchanging a chuckle, Rumi and Jouko continued the conversation.

"Heh, anyways, Rumi, good luck in All-Stars. I'm not sure if I'll be joining you when the time comes, but for now, I'll just have to stick with Continuation."

"That's fine. I'm sure you'll be of great service to them."

"Thanks. Though... I do miss my family back in Finland. Homesickness has been setting in ever since I got here."

"It happens to all of us. Well, I'd better be going, I have to attend a wedding in a few hours!"

"Alright, see ya, and congrats, Rumi!"

"Thanks!"

As Rumi left, Jouko began to ponder the future. She had declined to be Commander in favor of Mika, given she still had insecurities with her leadership and style of commanding. While she appeared to be a firm and competent commander, further than that even, she still had insecurities regarding her decisions. Had it been really a good idea to charge straight into that Tiger II during the practice match with Kuromorimine? It had taken her too long to kill the Firefly during the Saunders match, and in a few months would come the 63rd Tournament, another chance for Continuation to get that Semifinals placement.

Then the rulebook came to mind. She still hadn't scanned, printed, and distributed it to each Sensha-do commander and participant in Continuation. If she wanted to start getting some real improvements for the team, it would be best she began to get weaving on the matter. Rumi was gone, and Mika was going to take her place. If Jouko wouldn't be Commander, at least she would serve as one of the main pillars of support to her newest acquaintance and newly-made superior in Sensha-do, and gradually learn more on how it was to be a Commander, so that she, too, would take the reins of the team once the time came.

Ooarai Station

The train ground to a halt as its cars stopped alongside the platform of Ooarai Station. As the train came to a complete stop, the doors of the cars opened, allowing its hundreds of occupants to disembark to their destination. Among these occupants was Miho Nishizumi, disgraced daughter of Shiho Nishizumi, and an outcast student of Kuromorimine, now searching for a new school to call home after the traumatic experience and controversy of the last Sensha-do tournament. During the ride, her mind returned to the beating from Erika, the stern tone of her mother who admonished her for her actions, and the regretted indifference of her older sister. Alongside these thoughts, came the pain of those experiences.

Stepping onto the platform once she saw the train doors open, Miho navigated her way through the crowds and business and great clutter of the train station, passing through security before ending up at the exit, where the taxis and buses were waiting to pick up their next passengers. Preparing her necessary money, Miho boarded a bus headed for Ooarai Girls' Academy's school carrier, which was docked in port at the moment. As she looked out the window at the passing buildings of the town, she couldn't help but notice how different the atmosphere seemed to be from Kuromorimine. It was more cheery, light, and whimsical compared to the dark, brooding atmosphere at Kuromorimine.

Arriving at the school carrier itself, it was indeed massive, but not as big as Kuromorimine's. In fact, it was much smaller in size, owing to its status as a more minor school than the others, closer to the level of schools like Maginot or Koala Forest. The gangplank was lowered, meaning people could board the ship. Arriving at the foot of the gangplank, Miho was greeted by a girl wearing what she presumed to be an Ooarai uniform, with a black armband on her left arm emblazoned with the words "PUBLIC MORALS COMMITTEE." Her hair resembled that of a helmet, and she appeared to be a first year. She was accompanied by two other similar-looking girls. A stern look was on their faces, making Miho's worries return.

"You're our new student, eh?"

"Um...y-yes..."

"Alright! First off, welcome! Second off..."

The lead girl, Midoriko Sono, grabbed a booklet out of her pocket. Before Miho could get a chance to read it, the girl continued.

"This is the student handbook. The school rules are all in here, so please give it a read.

Every morning, we catch students who come late. The morals inspection happens once a week.

For an offense, you write a letter of reflection. For serious offenses, you get sent to detention."

Miho received the handbook, and was instructed by Midoriko to follow her and the other girls of the Public Morals Committee. Doing so, Miho's worries had returned. It was like Kuromorimine all over again with how these girls were behaving and treating her. Was it truly a bad idea to have left Kuromorimine for a school like this? But, she had done so to avoid another Sensha-do incident from happening to her, so it was better off being in a school like Kuromorimine minus the risks and trauma that Sensha-do would bring.

Passing through the large doors of the carrier, Miho began her new life at Ooarai. A life that, if living to her expectations, would be peaceful and idyllic, the opposite of what it was like in Kuromorimine.

Jouko's room

"How much wind is there?"

"Not the slightest breeze, seems like I'll be shooting straight at the targets instead of aiming this way and that."

"Hah, would you look at that! Looks like you're staying up all night watching us, huh?"

"Heh. Well, good luck to the both of you. Keep in mind what I've been telling you."

"Oh, don't you worry! I'll show you what's what! Come on, Antero!"

Cheers could be heard as Aarne and Antero ran out to the shooting range with their rifles, waving enthusiastically. They both had 5 shots each in their magazines, meaning if they missed the first shot, they still had 4 more attempts. Both had agreed not to use scopes, but iron sights, on Jouko's encouragement. It was Aarne who would be up shooting first, and after that, Antero. After making his way to his position, Aarne laid on his belly and readied his rifle to shoot.

Aarne spent several seconds taking aim, peering through the small notch that was the iron sight.

No wind in the air, no disturbances, shoot straight, and it should hit. Only 100 meters away, not hard at all.

A tug on the trigger sent the bullet straight into the plate, smashing it to a thousand pieces. Antero saw the same success in his turn to shoot, his plate receiving the same treatment, an expected result given the easy first targets.

Next up was the 200-meter shot. A bit harder, but still easy. Again, both contestants hit their shots. Jouko could hear her parents' phone picking up chatter from other people in the crowd next to them. "Maybe this contest should be about how many shards they can produce with those shots," one man could be heard saying to the left.

At 400 meters, then 600 meters, both continued to hit their shots first try, but they had to begin angling their rifles ever slightly more upward each time. Finally, it was time for the kilometer-long shot, the final target. If it was a draw, then the shot would be repeated until a winner was determined. Aarne went first, and fired.

The bullet zipped through the air... and missed the target by mere inches to the right.

Without a moment to spare, Aarne reloaded a second bullet and aimed ever so slightly more left, and fired. Another miss, this time to the left. Another bullet was shot at the target, but again it was a miss. He was starting to get anxious, he had only two shots left. After reloading another round, he took several more seconds to aim. He couldn't afford to mess up anymore. A fourth crack sent the bullet flying through the air. This time, it nicked the plate, knocking it off its pedestal. It was counted as a hit.

As Aarne walked back to applause from the crowd, Antero was up next. He had to hit the target in less shots than Aarne to win. Taking very careful aim, he made sure the target was dead center in the sights despite its tiny size. Once he was certain it was to hit, he pulled the trigger. The bullet soared through the air, but missed the target. Reloading quickly, Antero took aim for another shot and fired.

From the distant puff of white that was the bullet's impacting the snow, he had aimed a bit too far up. Aiming more downwards, he fired again. Another miss, too downward. Another bullet was rammed into the barrel of the rifle, and after several seconds of taking aim, took another shot. This was it, if he missed, his chances of winning this round were toast. There was a tense few seconds as the bullet made its way to the plate. Shutting his eyes, Antero braced for the announcement.

"Hit, Antero wins the End-of-the-Year Shooting Competition!"

Jouko quickly turned down her volume as the crowd went wild, while in a rare episode, Antero belted out a scream of triumph that easily belted out the noise, in order to avoid waking up her sleeping classmates next door, though she did celebrate physically, throwing her arms into the air and jumping around a bit, albeit reserved. Antero was going crazy in the video, jumping this way and that and simply being the most excited kid you could see, contrary to his normal quiet personality.

As Aarne and Antero approached the camera, the former was seen rubbing the latter's head in celebration. In the end, this was a moment worthy of joy, not saltiness or bitterness against the opponent.

As Jouko managed to calm herself down, she whispered,

"So, what would you say went wrong?"

Aarne of course was the first to respond. "Not enough practice, I did practice a lot for the first few weeks, but then all I did was just watch people in other shooting competitions online, didn't go out to shoot as much as I should've."

Antero agreed as well. "I feel that with the necessary practice, I would've been able to hit that final shot with one bullet. I'll be sure to practice more next time."

"Well, congratulations, it was great watching you from Japan! I-"

Before Jouko could utter another word, Aarne cut her off.

"How's Sensha-do going over there? Any knockouts yet?"

"Oh, I participated in my first tournament a few weeks ago. We managed to get to the quarterfinals before we sadly got knocked out. I spent too much time fighting an opponent-"

"Don't say more, we already know how you've been doing. Apparently you're one of the rising stars there, everyone was impressed by your tankery skills."

Antero continued, "Though I do agree you spent too much time fighting that tank, be sure to focus more on your team."

"By the way, you saw what happened in the Finals?"

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about it, really."

"Of course. That's most likely a first in the sport's history. Not all sports are safe, after all..."

"I can agree."

"Well, we'd better get going. Your parents prepared a HUGE lunch for us! There's even pizza, believe it or not!"

"Now I'm jealous."

"HAH! Just keep doing what you're doing there, I'll be sure to bring some for your return party in a couple years."

"If you aren't dead by then."

"What-"

"Okay, bye!"

Jouko quickly ended the call, prompting Aarne to redial to no avail. Finally, he just left a message.

Really?

Jouko giggled, responding by clarifying it was a joke, to which Aarne responded that he understood. After exchanging good nights, Jouko laid back on her bed and contemplated the events of the shooting tournament.

It seems Antero was lucky to have won, although both of them look like they practiced enough to hit the closer targets, they seem to not have practiced enough to hit that final shot first try. It looks like I'll be practicing with my crew more often as we wait for the next tournament. We already practice often, but only at most 5 times a week.

The next day

"Hannes, Löfström, Frisell, you want to go practice?"

"But.. why? I thought you said we got enough practice a few days ago, and we usually only do this 5 times a week, and we already did 5 practice sessions this week. Are you sure we should do more practice? I feel like we're already doing good so far, I don't see what's the use for more practice."

"Well, Frisell, I was watching my friends in a shooting match last night, and they couldn't hit a kilometer-long shot first try. They both said they had insufficient practice beforehand, so if we're gonna make a better showing next time, we're gonna have to practice hard. Now, let's go get some improvement for ourselves, shall we?"

"Sure!"

"In that case... why not?"

"I'm up for more muscle stretching."

Submitting their Sensha-do coupons for the day to their teachers, the four hopped into the Sturmi, and quickly got to work honing their skills. They spent the entire day practicing, save for a brief lunch break.

Hannes was coming up with new techniques as she got used to the steering levers. Using the palm of her hand to change gears as fast as possible while her left did the driving before both hands rejoined to continue, Hannes was trying to make the process of changing gears as faster as she could while still maintaining efficiency. She was also working on speed management and use of the brakes in order to be prepared for sudden developments in a battle, all in addition to the usual drift and maneuvering practices from before.

Löfström practiced with her reload. She was attempting several techniques, judging each on their efficiency. She attempted the under-the-arm technique, which didn't work given the shells were pointing upward, the orthodox technique of using both hands, which Löfström took a disliking to, and finally, the one-arm technique, which due to Löfström's strength and endless practice with loading shells, proved to be the most efficient. She could just one-arm a shell and slam it straight in the chamber as the other hand slammed the hatch shut. Her reload time decreased to three seconds as a result.

Frisell and Jouko needed little explanation, since Frisell was merely practicing her written-down phrases to be as clear and quick as she could make them, while Jouko continued to practice shooting on the move and at further targets, something she was growing skilled at. At the end of practice, they had gotten some experience in their new ventures, and it would require more hours of practice to perfect those ventures.

It was now a few weeks before the start of the 63rd Tournament. Months had passed since the 62nd, and with Mika now in charge, seeing Jouko's example, she had organized more frequent and longer training sessions. It was after one practice match that Mika announced that they had been approached by some other schools for final practice matches before the tournament came around.

The two candidates were Chihatan Academy, a school everyone treated as a joke due to their extreme adherence to simply charging at the enemy, and subsequently getting their entire tank force annihilated, and the much stronger Pravda Girls' Academy, the champions of the 62nd Tournament and a school with which Continuation had a rivalry dating back to their respective foundations. Everyone was itching for a victory after so many losses, and sought to battle Chihatan, but Jouko was the one to turn it all around.

"Look, I know we all want a victory since we've had more losses than wins. But, if we're going to face Chihatan, we're not going to learn as well as we could've if we went against Pravda. The harder we work, the better our chances. Do you think your muscles will get any bigger by lifting three-pound weights all the time, every exercise?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Exactly, we lift weights that are not easy to lift when we want to grow our muscles! If we fight Chihatan, sure, it'll lift our spirits, but it won't make us stronger! If we fight Pravda, we'll get that true experience of fighting a tougher opponent, and with that experience, we can build on it so we can learn, and improve! That's why I'm in favor of the match against Pravda, and I hope you'll be in the same camp I'm in."

There was silence at first, before everyone began to voice their agreements to fight a match against Pravda. Jouko had a good point, it was better to stretch the muscles with heavy weights instead of wearing them out with the same lighter weight, thinking that would stretch it. With everyone in Jouko's camp, it was decided that Pravda would be the school to fight for the last practice match before the tournament's beginning.

With everything scheduled and set up, everyone prepared for their upcoming mock battle, excited for a chance to beat what everybody at the school called the "unbeatable adversary", since they had fought dozens of matches both in and off-tournament, losing every single one. Now, with Jouko on their side, everyone was eager that this would finally be the one where they would defeat Pravda.

Practice was on everyone's minds over the next few days, training, coming up with new tactics, and discussing the upcoming match. During the practice sessions, Mika was teaching and helping everyone to adopt a more guerrilla-style approach instead of the more conventional methods under Rumi, prioritizing mobility, secrecy, stealth, and invisibility, which fitted Jouko's style more than Rumi. Several times, Mika had reminded everyone of this in debriefings, saying, in her usual cryptic style,

"The wind is sudden and unpredictable, striking at unexpected and inconsistent intervals, from the lowly gusts to the all-powerful typhoon."

It took much practice to get used to, but with Mika's guidance and Jouko's help, the team managed to adjust in time for the practice match against Pravda. It was one of the most anticipated matches in Continuation's history, and everyone was very eager to gain that long-sought victory. No matter how many tanks Pravda would be fielding, they were resolved to ensure that their determination would win out in the end, no matter the cost.

Ooarai

"Don't be so selfish!"

"That's right, she said she doesn't want to do it, and now, you're trying to force her?"

My goodness, why does one's friends have to be so loyal... come on, Miho, speak up and accept! We need you!

"Miho's not going to do Sensha-do!"

"Please give up on Nishizumi-san!"

Urgh, these two are just... Just hit 'em with the threat, Anzu, that'll give her enough pressure.

"Perhaps I'll make it so you won't be able to stay at this school much longer?"

Please, Miho, I know what's going on but for the sake of this school...

"I can't believe you're threatening us."

"The President is always serious."

That's the spirit, Momo!

"I think you should apologize before it's too late. How about it? Please?"

Yes, yes, more pressure, Yuzu! Come on, Nishizumi! Submit!

But still the main subject's two defenders remained persistent.

"That's not fair!"

"You're abusing your power."

"As the Student Council, we are given that power."

Come on... please...

Miho had been standing in-between her two friends during the entire encounter, tightly gripping their hands, completely silent, shivering in fear, listening on as they incessantly continued to vigorously defend her before the most powerful high schoolers on the carrier. Staring at Miho's face while it all went down, Anzu could judge that there was a lot of pressure mounting up in her. From the worried and nervous expression to the slight sink in her posture from the fear that was building up on her, Anzu could detect that her target was reaching a breaking point. Her eyes were then closed tightly, as if reminiscing the possibilities, the memories, the risks, and the necessities of what she would choose.

Anzu was starting to grasp one of the arms of her office chair tighter than before, the stress of the moment coming close to making her lose her composure in front of everyone. Her anxiety was building up to higher levels, and her patience was running out. Her heart was starting to beat at a much faster rate, and her stomach was now performing large somersaults at an equally fast pace, her sweat building up across her brow, her back, and the tiny drops pouring out of the many pores all over her body. She was only a few steps away from hyperventilating, and coming extremely close, her slight breathing increasing in speed and intensity. Both Anzu and Miho were reaching their breaking points, if this went on-

"I'll~!"

In an instant, the room fell silent. Hana and Saori ceased their passionate defense, Momo and Yuzu stopped their bickering against them, and all eyes turned to Miho. Anzu's breath left her. This was it. The next few words from Miho's mouth would make or break the school.

"I'll do Sensha-do!"

Thank. The. Heavens.

As Hana and Saori expressed their incredulousness, Anzu breathed the biggest sigh of relief in her whole life, and in her two subordinates, she could feel equal relief. Ooarai had a chance of survival, but now, the question lingered: how big of that chance did it have now?

Those thoughts didn't cross anyone's mind at that moment, however. As soon as the footsteps of the trio faded after leaving the room, the celebrations could begin. Momo collapsed, bawling her eyes out in relief as Yuzu, also crying tears of joy, nursed her. Teary-eyed Anzu, meanwhile, sank onto her chair, and stuffed her mouth full of dry potatoes and many a glass of water. They had won over one of Sensha-do's best. Now, to cultivate her to dominate the best schools in the nation.

Sitting alone in her room, Miho was down in the dumps once again. Initially appearing to live to Miho's expectations, having recently made two new close friends in Hana, the calm, sweet ikebana practitioner, Saori, the chatterbox who couldn't stop seeking to get a boyfriend, and most recently Yukari, the know-it-all about tanks, Ooarai had now smacked her with the dreaded announcement that Sensha-do would reopen. Shortly after that assembly had taken place, Anzu had given to her what seemed to be an ultimatum. Either she would join the Sensha-do club, or be evicted, whatever she meant by "you won't be here for long" or whatever it was she said.

As much as she didn't want to join the club, she couldn't leave Ooarai either. It was the school she had made new friends with, and seemed to her a breath of fresh air from the choking Kuromorimine atmosphere. Now, she was forced to join the very sport that made her leave Kuromorimine for Ooarai. Fate, it seemed, was playing a joke on her, and she didn't like it one bit. Not knowing what to do, she opened her suitcase to find anything that could give her comfort. As usual, there were the Boko dolls, but in the midst of that, was a book. To her indignation, it was that same book that had lied to her.

"You again."

Before she could grab it to rip it apart with her bare hands, however, Miho noticed a note in one of the pages. Grabbing it and unfolding it, she found out that the Bible had been snuck in by Maho, who gave her reasons in the letter.

Dearest sister, I hope you're alright.

You may be wondering about, and angry that this Bible ended up in your suitcase, but hear me out before you rip it apart.

I saw how bad of a condition it was when I entered your room while you were away one day, and decided to read it. After reading through it, I can understand your motives for treating it so. But given that you've been telling me how highly you expect your experience in Ooarai to be, I'd say the Beatitudes-as it's called here-are true after all, so that was the reason why I placed it in your case.

Hopefully you're experiencing some blessings over there, I'd suggest you read the whole book. Sure, it may not seem to be telling you the truth right now, but some promises are fulfilled much later than sooner, there's a bunch of examples with that. You can't expect everything to be sunshine and rainbows, after all.

Don't forget: Patience is key. Endurance is a pillar of the Nishizumi Style. Determination will get you far.

Miss you, Miho.

Your beloved sister - Maho

P.S. - Read Romans 8:28, something just kept pushing me to that verse for some reason

Miho's anger abated as she finished reading the letter. Maho had a point in waiting for promises to be fulfilled, a point that was further reinforced as she read Romans 8:28, which told her of how all things would work out for good-for those who followed Jesus when the text was put in context. It was foolish of her to assume that the Bible was lying after what happened during the Finals. Perhaps she should trust in the Bible, maybe it knew best. After all, it was very influential and many people had experienced blessing from reading it, well, if the stories she heard from them were to be believed. Could there also be blessings in disguise to be found in this book?

But would it truly mean what it said this time? She had reason to doubt given the last time she trusted in it, about "greater love" and that promise of blessing. Almost likely dying to Erika came as a result of that. Could it really be trusted after what happened? Miho, however, like her sister, was very kind-hearted. The only difference they had was their ages and the fact Maho had to keep a personality similar to Shiho's. Perhaps a second chance was needed, for there was still the chance that one could atone for his or her mistakes, like the story of Manasseh, the idolater king who changed his ways after his imprisonment, and made his country a great nation.

"Miporin! It's time for practice!"

"I'll be there!"

Miho put the most cheerful voice she could muster, and after taking a long gaze at the Bible, found herself straightening it up and fixing the creases she caused from throwing it, feeling some sort of regret over the action, with her repairing giving her a strange sense of peace and comfort. Using the spare clear tape she had at her disposal, she got to work on patching up the tears and rips on the pages, both large and small, managing to patch a dozen of them before Saori came back to remind her due to her tardiness.

"Miporin! The instructor can be here any time now!"

"Hold on, I'm coming!"

Quickly gathering all her needs, Miho placed the Bible and tape on her bedside table to continue working on after practice, and, feeling some sense of comfort in her progress, went to the parking lot of the school building where the instructor was to arrive.

Shimada Residence

"Okaa-san, a letter from Maho-san!"

"Maho? What the daughter of our sworn enemy wants makes me wonder..."

Alice excitedly handed her mother the letter and ran off to grab the letter opener. Once the envelope had been opened, Chiyo unfolded the letter itself, and began to silently read it out. Her face warped between her normal placidity, to a raised eyebrow, even both, or squinting as if she needed to confirm if what she had just read was true.

Shimada-san,

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I just want to let you know about the Bible that ended up in our home a few days ago, and what's become of it.

From what sister told me, Okaa-san got it from you, then the night after your package arrived the book was in the trash bin. Miho sneakily picked it up and began to read it in secret. After the incident, however, she was visibly changed, more reclusive and ashamed of herself, and when I went into her room, I found the Bible, well, in a sorry state, to say the least. It had been trashed.

I decided to leave it as it was in its state, but keep it to see what I could do with it. In the meantime, I decided to try reading it, and I'll say that when I came across this section called "The Beatitudes", it did fit well with Miho's high expectations for Ooarai, so I snuck it into her briefcase shortly before she left. I hope she hasn't, you know, trashed it again if she found it. I put a note in that Bible to be more sure that doesn't happen.

I hope she's happy there, and that this Bible will give her the peace she wants. I haven't read everything, but there's just something to it that I can't really explain in words.

Anyways, sorry if I'm sounding informal here but I have school really shortly. Okaa-san will get mad if I'm late, so I'll just slam this in the mailbox and let the delivery guys do their thing. I don't know if we'll talk again, but depending on what happens next I may send an update soon.

Best wishes, Maho Nishizumi

P.S. Greet Alice for me, hope to fight her soon

As Chiyo finished reading, she turned to find Alice behind her shoulder, reading it as well. Smiling, she gently booped her daughter's nose, prompting a giggle from both of them. Turning back to the letter, Chiyo was surprised to see how what was supposed to be a form of disposal ended up having a little butterfly effect. Alice, meanwhile, wanted to know what the whole thing was about, which obliged Chiyo to a brief explanation of what happened. Alice, intrigued, asked to try a read at this Bible, which reminded Chiyo.

"Alice, would you mind a quick outing to the book store? I may have forgotten something..."

"Of course, Okaa-san! I love to go on outings with you!"

"Hmhm, well, we shan't take long to tarry here, shall we?"

"Of course not, I'll get ready now, Okaa-san!"

Watching Alice rush to her room to change, Chiyo decided to switch on the television for some last-minute news to watch. After the usual politics, showbiz, and other irrelevant topics, Sensha-do finally appeared, but it wouldn't be the usual "who's who" or "what's what" or anything of the sort. There were announcements of some practice matches, like Chihatan vs. Bonple or BC Freedom vs. Koala Forest, or even big-name ones like Saunders going up against Maginot, but the two matches that peaked Chiyo's interest involved the same points of interest as the year before:

First was Continuation against Pravda, a decades-long rivalry to see a match played between the two involved once again. Normally, Continuation had lost to overwhelming firepower and the state of being flanked and annihilated every time they fought conventionally, which was 80% of their matches. The matches where they were more unconventional were closer, yet was unpreferred due to the risks involved in getting lost and potentially harming yourself if you fell off an unexpected cliff or crashed at high speed into a heavy obstacle, or perhaps even have friendly fire. But now, they had a crew who had been born in the forests and knew them well. No doubt Continuation would provide a much better fight, and perhaps win this time.

The other was Ooarai vs. St. Gloriana, a match everyone expected St. Gloriana would win. Ooarai had just reopened their Sensha-do team after 25 years of it being shut down, fielding a staggering five tanks, the rest still in the process of being found, their crews consisting of absolute beginners. Their opponents were St. Gloriana, led by their new commander, Darjeeling, after Earl Grey had graduated and joined All-Stars. St. Gloriana had decades of experience, and were frequent runner-ups in tournaments. However, Ooarai had a little advantage in the fact they were commanded by Miho Nishizumi, the younger daughter of the mistress of Chiyo's rival style. It would be an interesting match to watch, no doubt.

Just as the reports on the practice matches ended, Alice rushed out of her room, bounding to her mother in her outdoor clothes, ready to go shopping with mom.

"Okaa-san! I'm ready!"

"Well, in that case, we'd better get going!"

Turning off the television and putting on the necessary footwear, Chiyo grabbed her handbag and walked to the garage, where the two mounted their privately-owned Chaffee, acquired by Chiyo's great-grandparents shortly after the Korean War and maintained to perfection over the years, and headed for the local bookstore, both to search for some books for Alice to read, and to get a Bible to satisfy a mother's curiosity.

Ooarai

After many minutes of work each day, the repairs had been complete. The damage was, for the most part, done away with. The crumpled pages were readable again, and the ripped pages were put back together as best as possible, and the words where the tears were located could sort of be made out. Ever since finishing repairs the day after the first practice match, Miho had begun rereading the Book of Matthew, intending to go further with the rest of what was called the New Testament, past the Four Gospels and onto Acts and the Pauline letters. It took a day to finish Matthew, but she quickly noticed how right after she had begun work on repairing the Bible, on the first practice match of Sensha-do in 25 years for Ooarai, Miho's tank, the Panzer IV, and crew had won against the others.

Despite a rocky start with nearly falling off a bridge, they had managed to get Mako, a highly intelligent, yet hypotense and sleepy student, to become their tank's driver after Hana had been knocked unconscious. Within two seconds she had gotten the gist of driving, and soon the tank was in position to go on a killing spree and knock out all opponents. One could argue they were facing absolute beginners, but they themselves were absolute beginners, save for Miho. Somehow, they had won against all, deeply impressing the instructor, a JGSDF Captain named Ami Chono who was also a high-ranking member of the Federation and an apprentice of Shiho. Once she had gotten back, she gazed at the Bible, feeling that it had given her that success.

"You know, maybe you aren't so bad after all. I was probably mistaken about you, but now there's St. Gloriana up next..."

Now, a new challenge was coming for Ooarai. A few days after the first practice match, Anzu had surprisingly announced a practice match would take place against St. Gloriana, one of the strongest schools in Sensha-do and a frequent placer on the runner-up position in every tournament, not to mention previous winners. You could say that it wouldn't even be a match, it would be more of a massacre. A cluster of newbies going up against hardened veterans? That was a humiliation waiting to happen, and everybody in the team knew it.

"...and I'll likely have to dance..."

What was worse was that Anzu also announced a penalty if they lost the match. Should they lose, Miho would have to put on an anglerfish costume, which was a skin-tight, pink, downright embarrassing set of clothing that had a large fin sticking out of the rear end area, and dance the Anglerfish Dance while being paraded across the streets, in full public display for everyone to gawk and point and laugh at her sorry state. Talk about adding more salt to the wound, but it could also provide some motivation to drive her to pull off an otherwise impossible victory.

"...but for the sake of Ooarai I have to."

They needed the experience, so they could at least stand some sort of a chance in the tournament, even if their chances of winning that, or even just getting to the Semifinals alone was next to zero. At the same time, Miho didn't want to dance it, obviously it would be completely embarrassing. And knowing her new friends, they'd happily join her out of solidarity. In Saori's case, it rob her of the chance to get married at any point, since the dance would be etched into the internet sphere for decades to come due to some curious phone-wielders uploading the embarrassing videos online. Hana and Yukari were ready to do it out of support, while Mako didn't care much whether she had to do it or not, owing to her nihilistic personality.

Tomorrow would be the practice match, and for today, it would be the final training session before that match. Driving, shooting, discipline, and coordination would be the order of the day, although it was much easier said than done. Preparing herself for school, Miho read a few more verses from Matthew, each verse coming ever closer to the culmination of thousands of years of prophecy in the Bible, before putting the restored Bible on the nightstand and rushing off for another day of school.

Pravda - Katyusha's quarters

"Hmph. Continuation challenges us again... when will they ever learn?"

"They are stubborn, Tovarisch Katyusha, you must admire their dedication."

"Dedication or stupidity you decide. And address me in Japanese, not with that Russian!"

"My sincerest apologies, Comrade Katyusha."

"Good. Now, as for this... development in Ooarai..."

Pressing the receiver to her ear and pushing a button on the telephone's keypad, Katyusha bellowed into the mic to summon two of her newest tankers.

"COMRADE NINA! COMRADE ALINA! REPORT TO MY OFFICE, NOW!"

After a few minutes of waiting, which gradually got on Katyusha's nerves as the seconds passed, two first-year students burst through the door, one of whom was wearing a large ushanka on her head, named Nina, while the other student, a taller, bareheaded one named Alina accompanied her. Standing in front of Katyusha, they snapped a salute and stood at attention, obviously appearing nervous at what their commander could want of them so suddenly.

"Ease up."

Both first-years relaxed.

"Now, you two, it appears your first match will come sooner than later."

Nina and Alina exchanged nervous looks. The school year had begun just a month before and they were already getting into a match with another school.

"So, I trust you have prepared yourselves sufficiently?"

"Yes, Comrade! We are well-acquainted with our KV-2!"

"Good! I love to see progress. I hope your first performance will not be disappointing.

After all, you command the biggest cannon in our arsenal."

"Comrade, we promise to not disappoint!"

"Very well then, I have a special target for you to attack."

The two first-years leaned forward as Katyusha slid a picture of a Sturmi in front of them.

"If you see this tank, destroy it at any cost."

Both girls froze in fear, knowing what crew that tank contained. Nina was about to speak out, opening her mouth, but a quick tap from Alina silenced her, knowing that questioning the commander meant death not for just Nina, but the both of them, depending on Katyusha's mood.

"We assure you this tank will be no match for us, Comrade Katyusha! It stands no match against our cannon!"

"And we will make sure that its crew will never step out of that Sturmi again!"

"That's the spirit, comrades! Now go, both of you, prepare for practice. We'll make sure that Continuation filth won't give themselves a victory."

As Nina and Alina left, their walking being somewhat wobbly, Katyusha turned to Nonna, whispering a secret order to her.

"I doubt they'll succeed, they're just little nincompoops manning the worst tank ever made. Knowing you, and your IS-2, you may just be the right girl for the job."

Taking a few moments to process the information, Nonna readily nodded and confidently affirmed her duty.

"I won't fail you, Comrade."

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but between last upload and this upload school was getting in the way of things. The main reason for this was the fact that there is a big concert coming up for our school, and our classes had been suspended to allow for as much practice at school as possible. That doesn't mean we don't get to go home scot-free from work. Every day, the teachers made us set assignments so we could keep in pace with our academic projections, meaning my free time upon coming home was restricted due to homework.

The quality of this chapter I'm sure will be inconsistent, since it was being written over the course of several days and my mindset was different each time. However, I hope to pick up the pace again as a little something called Christmas break begins after this week. The concert is December 14, and after that a party, and Christmas break begins. But, don't expect any progress for a couple days some time starting next week, because we'll be sailing on a two-day boat ride back to Manila to finalize some documents, then get settled in our hotel. After that, work resumes.

Next time: Continuation fights against Pravda High School, seeking some revenge for decades of constant defeat. Jouko is determined to contribute to a victory, and maybe this time, history will be different.