Blazepanzer here and I'd like to thank The Cybernetic Unicorn, josephistewart4884 and yoshikaandlucy99999998 for the favs and follows, and I hope that you enjoy the new chapter!
With that being said, enjoy! Note that Blazepanzer does not own Girls und Panzer!
Haruna emerged from the trees, spotting her target as the girl had just hung up her cellphone. "You're Miho, aren't you?" she asked sternly.
"How'd you..."
"Public television," Haruna shrugged. "So, why Ooarai?"
"Why are you asking?" Miho stared at her in uncertainty.
"Well, to be blunt with you, the student council is going to try and recruit you into some Sensado team they are founding," she began.
"Wait, I thought this school didn't have Sensado!" Miho gasped, staring at her in confusion. "You've got to help me!" she gasped.
"Wish I could, but I've got twelve other girls to look out for, I can't risk the wrath of the student council. All I'm going to say is that they are going to try and recruit you, and that they might not take no for an answer."
"They won't say no. I'm a Nishizumi after all," Miho whispered, clutching her skirt.
"Call Shiho if they try to force it. Tell her what happened, and..."
"No! Mother won't help me," Miho hissed.
"Well then, get yourself a good support network and either resist or make the best of it. Either way, don't you dare off yourself, you have a chance to make this work in your favor," Haruna suggested.
"But if I don't abide by the Nishizmui style, mother will disown me," Miho whispered quietly.
"If she's going to disown you for not adopting a sport style, then she's not worthy of being called a mother, let alone yours," Haruna shrugged.
"How can you say that!" Miho gaped at her.
"My mother was a drunk, paint huffing, pill pushing, cigarette smoking jerk, so it's actually easy for me to say," Haruna shrugged. "Even got caught spraying me in the face with aerosol spray paint, so yeah."
"How are you still alive then?" Miho asked.
"New body?" Haruna shrugged.
"Reincarnation?" Miho asked, a doubtful expression forming on her face.
"Those don't exist. You only live twice," Haruna noted flatly, unimpressed.
"You must be lying," Miho hissed.
"Come tell me that when the Student counsel tries to force you into the Sensado team," Haruna began to walk of, but glanced back at Miho. "If it comes down to it and you do get disowned, find me, I can help," she added. "And you didn't hear it from me, about the plan to recruit you."
With that, she walked off, letting the Nishizimi to her thoughts. No need to antagonize her any more until she gets it, she thought in bemusement.
She stopped in a ramen shop and wolfed down a simple dish containing the noddles, a bit of ham, and a water, dropping the 450 Yen on the table before walking out, setting out to explore. There wasn't anything she really needed to do at the moment, so she headed back to the sheds after an hour to see what was going on.
"Where'd you run off to," Lumi asked once she returned, eyeing her curiously.
"I was being a birb," Haruna shrugged.
"You warned Miho, didn't you,"Lumi challenged.
"Like a birb warning her chicks,"Haruna noted.
"Nice...how'd she take it?" Lumi rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Worse than you took to Hanoashi," Haruna snorted.
"Hey! We just didn't know anything about her is all," Lumi protested hotly.
"Not all girls are going to..."
"Don't even finish that," Lumi hissed.
"Fair enough," Haruna shrugged.
"So, you two roaming together?" Lumi asked.
"I figured we three could room together, at least until we pick up a fourth..."
"This is ridiculous!" a girl hissed.
Glancing at the outside, she was surprised to get a brunet being lead toward their building. "I'm going to see what's going on," Haruna glanced at Lumi, before heading out to see a good look at the Japanese girl. She was wearing a yellow sleeveless cover jacket with a pink tee-shirt underneath and short shorts, as well as a ribbon in her hair. Her hands were latched behind her back in handcuffs.
"Haruna, right?" the officer asked.
"Um, yes," Haruna gazed between the two.
"This young lady either got drunk or drugged two nights ago, and we're not sure which. Her landlord kicked her out, and if she doesn't get in here we're going to have to take her to jail for a month or so.
"If we accept her, she stays unless she commits another crime," Haruna noted. "Can you behave yourself?" she asked, turning to the girl.
The brunet let out a quiet nod.
"Good, she was disowned by the way, so she'll need some support. Her parents withdrew her money as well," the officer nodded, before undoing the cuffs of the girl and shoving her forward. "If she gives you any issues, let us know."
"You'll be working as a maid alongside Hanoashi," Haruna determined, before half dragging the girl into the building, glancing at Lumi. "Have someone keep an eye on her at all times," she growled.
"We really taking someone else in?" Lumi glanced at her. "Fine, I'm rooming with Hanoashi, you can room with your sister."
"Sister?" Haruna glanced between her and the girl.
"Yeah, she looks like you," Lumi smirked.
"Ah, alright then...wait...you sure? I thought you didn't trust Blaze," Haruna gaped.
"I'm giving you the dangerous one, since you can take care of yourself. And I meant what I said about the Irish newbie.
"Um...do I really have to work as a maid," the girl asked quietly.
"Would you rather work as a convict?" Haruna gawked sarcastically.
"No ma'am," the girl glazed down in shame.
"Woah woah woah, wait a second, convict?" Lumi glared at the two.
"You're going to swear something to me and mean every word, alright newbie?" Haruna ignored Lumi.
"Yes ma'am," she whispered, gazing at her.
"I, your name, do solemnly swear," Haruma began...
"I, Taeko Kondou, do solemnly swear,"
"That I will not use any drugs or drink any alcohol for the rest of my life, so Maus help me."
So Taeko's her name, kinda cute albeit her first name is my last name..." Haruna thought, before nodding. "And I mean the rest of your life Taeko," she added.
"But I didn't..." Taeko began, before gazing down. "I was drugged, I think..."
"That's not my concern, my worries is that at best I'm wasting my time with you, and at worst that you'll be dragging the rest of the team down. As such, you are not to be left alone at any time, and if you are, I'll want to know the reason why, understood?" Haruna guessed.
"I understand," Taeko glanced down, saddened.
Just then Hanoashi and Mei walked in. "Who's this?" Hanoashi asked, glancing over at Taeko.
"Your fellow maid," Haruna mused.
"Roommate?" Hanoashi glanced up hopefully.
"Think twice, she's a druggy," Lumi
"I think that we need to draw lots to decide our roommates," Haruna decided.
"Alright, fine with me," Mei noted as she walked up, giving the newcomer a thorough lookdown, or as Mei refereed to it, a good sniff.
More and more girls came over, and they began to consent excitedly to this change. Sure, they enjoyed their former roommates, but the idea of learning to adapt to the others was alluring to them, not to mention that with the exception of Haykio and Lucy, they had been roommates since they graduated from the BT series to the T-50 tanks.
The last one to come up was Lui, and for the first time Haruna realized that she couldn't identify who the girl looked like as far as matching an alternate character was concern. She had light brown hair which she wore usually in dual flowing ponytail, which landed just below her knees. She also had matching light brown eyes, and pale skin.
"Right, we'll draw straws and they'll be a single marked straw. When you draw it, you'll wait over by the sleeping bags until the next person draws it. That will be your new roommate. Also...for a while, we'll be locking up Taeko's room for a bit, so you'll have to adjust for that.
"That's false imprisonment," Taeko muttered.
"Better than prison," Lumi shouted. Taeko just glanced down and let out a small mummer of reluctant consent.
Zamir drew the first name, and the Ami Aoboa look alike moved toward the beds, nervously twitching her brown hair. Maya drew the next name, and the two entered a quiet yet excited conversation.
"Gonna miss her," Mei mused quietly.
"Lucy, your up!" Haruna smirked, as Harmony drew the next straw, and the two sat down together, giving each other tentative glances. Lucy can be a bit of a shy one sometimes, Haruna mused.
Hanoashi drew the next straw, and everyone dropped their discussion and eyed her like pray. Noticing this, she shuffled self consciously. Geeze, this is embarrassing, Haruna muttered, not liking the attention they were giving her, or rather the kind of attention.
As it turns out the one girl not giving her that attention, Haykio, was drawn, and she walked over and stood next to Hanoashi glaring at the other girls as if to say that she is under my protection.
Lumi was next, and she gave a slight sad glance over to Haruna, but they nodded to each other. As good friends they were, it was probably better that they separated a bit during this new chapter of their lives. However, Taeko's name was drawn, and Lumi began to glow red as she realized that she'd be rooming with a potential druggie.
"Um...I can substitute if you want me to," Hanoashi offered.
"Oh thank Maus!" Lumi sighed loudly, looking like she was about to kiss Hanoashi's feet.
"You'll be locked in a room together, you sure you're alright with that?" Haruna asked.
Hanoashi nodded, and the swap was about to be allowed, until Mei stood up. "Sorry, but I think that Lumi and Taeko should draw again," she announced. "It's not fair that Hanoashi gets to pick her partner like that," she added.
"That's fair," Haruna noted. "But if it lands on Taeko again, then Lumi will room with Taeko," she stipulated.
"Fine," Lumi hissed, as they stepped forward to draw straws and it landed on Lui. "Thank Maus," Lumi hissed as she walked over, looking upset even though she didn't have to stick with Taeko.
As Taeko drew the straw, Haruna stared around. "This draw is final, no redraws," she affirmed as Taeko stood away form the group. Nisan drew the next line, and she stood next to Taeko, and to Haruna's surprise gave her a quiet smile.
Mikiko was next, and was paired with Mei, which meant that Haruna was paired with Ainami, not that she minded it too much. Sure, she could be a bit difficult, but still, it was what it was.
"Alright, from now own you will share rooms together, and for the time being you'll keep your sleeping bags together. Right now though, I need someone to prepare a room for..."
"I say we trust her," Nisan spoke up.
"Are you sure?" Haruna urged. "We don't want her causing any trouble..."
"She already swore an oath and has been disowned. Let's give her a chance," Nisan affirmed. "If she messes up, you can pin the blame on me." she added.
Walking up to Taeko, she patted her on she shoulder and leaned in. "Nisan is putting her future on the line for you, so don't screw this up," Haruna whispered sternly, before standing back and nodding to Nisan. "She's in your hands then, take her to the store on ninth street and get her a maid uniform, Hanoashi can help teach her once Mei teaches her how to cook the rice. As for everyone else, head out with your roommates, have a bit of fun, and be responsible," she added.
With that, she paused a moment. "Before you go, Taeko, a word with you," she asked. The brunet girl walked up, her amber eyes gazing at her in trepidation.
"Were you really drugged?" she asked quietly.
Taeko gazed down. "Honestly, I don't recall. I...I wish I did though."
"What do you remember?" Haruna asked.
"Last thing I recall is eating something and then feeling funny. Next thing I know is that I woke up in a the Ooarai ship clinic, my mother shouting with an officer who was trying to get her and father to not outright disown me. Seeing my wrists cuffed to be bed...my parents disowning me...it was too much."
"Here's the thing Taeko," Haruna began. "Aside from you and Hanoashi, all of us were transported from a parallel universe. The only reason why we're being given citizenship is because we've agreed to help Ooarai out with the Sensado team and that we brought over three T-50's with us. We had just finished up the maintenance work when we were transported into this world, which is why we still have our uniforms on," she explained.
"Can I help? With the Sensado team I mean?" Taeko asked.
"Sorry, I wish you could, but you have a drug offense on your record. Unless you can get that rescinded, they won't let you on any teams," Haruna sighed.
"I guess that's true," Taeko sighed regretfully. "Do...you really not trust me enough that you feel like you have to lock me up though?" she asked quietly.
"Lumi didn't trust Hanoashi and she has a clean record. You don't" Haruna noted. "But like I said, Nisan has stuck her neck out for you, so don't screw it up. Oh, and are you aware of any anime characters we look like?" she added.
"I...I think Lumi looks like Leaf Green from Pokemon and Ainami looks like Lura croft, but that's it," Taeko shrugged.
"Reason why I ask is because apparently people are drawing conclusions between us and the other anime characters. Try not to let it bother you if it comes up, alright?"
"Alright then," Taeko promised.
"Are you running from something, Taeko?" Haruna asked quietly.
"Like what?" Taeko asked, her amber eyes growing fearful.
"Come with me," Haruna growled.
As she went into the furthest room, she turned around, gaping at Taeko shaking like a leaf. "Social narcissism?" she asked.
"What's that?" Taeko gasped.
"Your parent were...describe them to me," Haruna prompted.
"Well...they were...pushy," Taeko whispered quietly. "All they did was press me to be an over-achiever and into the sports thing. Wouldn't even allow me to grow my hair out or wear dresses," she admitted.
"Forced into the tom boy schick then," Haruna noted. "So what drove you over the edge?"
"I didn't go over the..."
"Taeko, I want to help you, but I need to know that I can trust you first," Haruna prompted.
"You were going to lock me in a room, how does that build trust?" Taeko challenged quietly.
"Don't forget that I brought you in. I could have said no, or left it up to the group, which let's face it probably would have said no," Haruna reminded her.
Sighing, Taeko gazed down. "Will you listen to me first?" she whispered.
"Go ahead," Haruna nodded.
"Well...going back to the tom boy thing, my parents wanted a boy," Taeko continued. "At first it was just forcing me into sports and stuff, but when I was twelve, my father suddenly started to treat me differently. If I did anything wrong, he'd strip me down to my undies and tie me up in the basement for an hour, all the while he'd whisper that I did something really really messed up. He...didn't do that icky stuff to me, but even so...I never fully understood what he meant by that."
"Wait right here," Haruna began, rushing out and tapping Lumi on the shoulder. "A bit of help?" she whispered, dragging her into the back room. Taeko shrank in fear, but Lumi simply gazed at her, first in annoyance, but that quickly turned into sympathy as she saw the shaking girl. "Taeko, something happened, didn't it?" she asked quickly.
Taeko nervously repeated the story, glancing at the two girls in fear. "So, that's what happened," she finished.
"Maus Damn" Lumi hissed. "Taeko...I'm so sorry I..." the brown haired girl gazed down. "I...was tied up and...touched nearly to death by some other girls, so I get nervous around newcomers, especially with those of a troubled past. If there's anyway I can help..."
"You did lie to us, but I'll over-look it considering the circumstances. Still, I want nothing but the truth from you henceforth," Hamura decided.
"Thank you...just...give me a chance," Taeko whispered.
"We will, but you're still serving as the maid," Haruna informed. "You need to keep busy, and we can't keep putting it off until you find that one job that'll give you a chance" she added.
"There will be pay, it won't be much, but it will cover your lunches and other private necessities," Lumi promised.
"I'll do my best, but I don't really know about cooking and I barely get by on laundry." Taeko leaned against the wall, letting out a deep sigh. "All I've really been good at was Baseball and then Basketball late in middle school."
"Hanoashi should be able to teach you most of the stuff, and the cooking is just rice in the evenings and pancakes in the mornings," Lumi promised.
"We each put in money for that, but everyone buys their own lunches," Haruna noted.
"I'm guessing that I need to put in the money as well," Taeko shuddered. "But all my money was recalled or confiscated,"
"We'll cover you, don't worry," Haruna offered.
At that time Hanoashi steeped in. "May I go with...oh, are you busy?"
"Perhaps you ought to go with Taeko and Nisan?" Haruna offered.
"I was going to ask. I have some money I can spare for Taeko's uniform and after that I'd like to pool the rest of my money with the others," Hanoashi affirmed.
"Sorry, we cannot ask you to do that. We did however pool some our money for the basics and if you want you can add your share to that pool," Haruna countered.
"May I add in some for Taeko as well?" Hanoashi asked.
"Yes, you may. Also, we're going to pool a bit for Taeko to buy herself to buy some lunches. And no you may not cover the entirety of this pool but you can add your share to it," Haruna countered.
"I understand, I just wish I could help out more," Hanoashi sighed.
Aside from what we pool for shared necessities, the money you have or earn is yours. Just remember your lunches and personal needs and we'll be fine," Haruna noted.
"Besides, you helped out with breakfast, that's a good start," Lumi added with a smile.
"Alright, well if that's all then I'll take Nisan and Taeko to that store with me," Hanoashi offered.
"You'll be in good hands, then," Haruna smiled as she watched them go, then turned to Lumi. "What do you think?" she asked quietly.
"I feel guilty for doubting them, they're both good girls trying to handle a bad situation," Lumi sighed. "At least she wasn't outright..."
She was still tied up by her father, even if she wasn't...you know...," Haruna sighed disparagingly.
"Heh, yeah I'd like to stop thinking bout that please," Lumi shuddered.
"Fair point," Haruna shrugged. "Let's protect Taeko from any more accusations."
"Baseless accusations, Lumi warned sternly.
"Good enough, she still has to prove her loyalty. If I had known the full situation...I'd have never threatened to lock her..."
"You had a potential drunk or drug abuser entering our myst, you had every right to be cautious," Lumi grabbed her by the arm. "And we trust you Blake."
"I'm not Blake anymore, remember," Haruna whispered, before smiling and warping her arm around Lumi. "Still, thank you," she added gently.
Dinner came around and while Mei still helped out with the cooking, the new maids did the serving. Hanoashi had on a short sleeved maid outfit while Taeko had on a three fourths sleeve maid outfit, and had removed the ribbon from her hair.
"Thank you Blaze," Haruna smiled as she was handed her share of the rice, and ate quickly. Meals were usually silent affairs among the group, viewing their food something as the way a tank crew would view refueling their tanks. Yeah, it was necessary, but it wasn't something you took your time with. Not to mention that you did not want to be eating while under fire and thus had to eat quickly and infrequently during a match.
The two maids caught on quickly and ate their fill, Hanoashi only wanting one where as Taeko went back for seconds, albeit only once she filled the others going for seconds first. They learn fast, she realized with a quiet smile.
Now as they cleaned up, they set about cleaning the shed, while she walked throughout the rooms, trying to decide on which of the rooms she wanted. Given that they eight rooms, all big enough for up to three people if they had to press it.
They probably used these to teach the different roles, she realized. One for the five tank position, one for the mechanics, one for the logistics team, and the eight room would be...maybe a teacher's lounge. Then we have the main room. We might need to condense ourselves further, considering...
She rushed in, the girls staring at her in shock. "I think that we might have to adjust our sleeping situation," she announced.
"Why is that?" Mei asked quietly.
"Well, this is going to be our classroom, right? We need something large enough for all of the materials and such, and if we're going to do that then we need to use some of the other rooms as well.
"A storage room and a diner?" Hanoashi suggested.
"Exactly," Haruna mused.
"Let's do the straws again," Lumi suggested.
"But I like my roommate," Taeko whispered quietly.
"You get used to these things Taeko," Nisan smiled at her. "And even if we're not team mates, we'll be close so to speak," she added.
"Actually, I'm thinking of keeping that one, we'd be one short anyways and right now Taeko needs familiarity more than anything," Haruna noted.
"Thank you...that sounds nice," Taeko whispered quietly yet gratefully.
"Right, we'll do the straw thing again, but Taeko and Nisan will be exempt," Haruna noted.
Haykio, Zamer, and May got room one. Lumi, Lui, and Hanoashi got room two. Lucy, Mei, and Harmony got room three. Haruna, Mikiko and Aiynami got room four, and of course Taeko and Nisan got room five. That left them with one more spot and three rooms which they could convert for their needs.
"Maybe we ought to convert one into a media room?" Mei suggested.
"To store media and maybe a couch or something," Mikiko suggested.
"I think that we can store our books in the main classroom," Haruna muttered. "We'll need the textbooks anyway," she added. "Plus, what other media can we afford?"
"I have a DVD player and a PlayStation one in temporary storage, you could have that," Hanoashi suggested.
"You sure?" Lumi asked, her eyes glowing in anticipation.
"I suppose we could use some movies," Haruna mused. "No games though," she added, glaring at Lumi. "Some of us might get too addicted."
"Oh come on, I'm not that bad!" Lumi shouted.
"I'll fetch the tv and the dvd player. I don't have a lot of dvds though, but I can buy us a few," Hanoashi offered.
"We tend to only watch slice of life anime, sports, and documentations," Haruna noted. "We'll be keeping that rule here," she added.
"Thank Maus, I don't do well with scary movies," Hanoashi shuddered.
"Same," Taeko raised her hand.
"Good. Mei, Taeko, go with her and fetch the tv and dvds. We'll find a shelf to store the dvds in as well as make a schedule for watching them." Haruna ordered. "Meanwhile, everyone else is to prepare for the night, make sure you wash up, as we might be getting into our work in the next few days."
Shortly after the three left, Pozomi entered the room. "You need anything?" she asked gently.
"Two extra sleeping bags, and some plastic boards for the windows, other than that we're good," Haruna smiled.
"I'll fetch the bags for you then, and the boards are being taking care of. According to our tracking numbers they are supposed to be arriving in the morning," Pozomi.
"Good, we can prepare our rooms tomorrow, we'll need five space heaters, and three small heaters for the rooms."
"I'll add that to the list," Pozomi wrote down. "Anything else?"
"That's all we need for the moment. Once we begin class we might need a form of desks, doesn't have to be fancy though, and something to sit on."
"Would mini tables and cushions work?" Pozomi asked.
"Yes, that'd work fine. We have enough selves, but we'll need the required text books as well when the time comes," Haruna brought up.
"Very well then, is...the food enough for you? We can bring in some new varieties if you need," Pozomi offered.
"No thank you, we've enough money for our regular breakfast and dinner, and to cover our independent lunches for a while. Once we start earning our keep, we can mostly support ourselves, and pay for the electric bill even."
"Alright, but if you need anything, call us. That reminds me, Anzu's about to start making the calls about your girl's employment, and we're about ready to give you girls your citizens card and papers." Pozomi noted.
"I'm promised the elderly lady at the nearby convenience store that I'd work for her, so if you could pass that on to Anzu I'd appreciate it."
"Consider it done,"Pozomi smiled.
"That's good. Oh, and if you could, try to find some of us employers who will pay by the week for the first month, that's help us," Haruna added.
"Anzu's insistent on finding you employers who pay by the week, so you don't have to worry bout that,"Pozomi smiled. "Well, if that's all, then I'll be on my way," she added.
Heading to the back room, Haruna cleared off the desk and gingerly sat in the chair, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"Comfortable my queen?" Lumi teased gently.
"Very much, thank you," Haruna rolled her eyes.
"Tired?" Lumi sympathized as she leaned against the wall.
"In your dreams," Haruna laughed.
"It's no longer a competition, Haruna," Lumi gazed at her in sympathy. "You can take a rest now."
"Meh, once the work is done, would be nice to go back to loading or driving," she relented.
"Sorry, but I think that we're sticking to our current roles," Lumi walked over, causing Haruna to sigh in relief as her friend began to massage her back and shoulders. "No seriously, we all want you to be our leader, there's nothing to gain from a competition if you will. Miho will be the team commander and Hanoashi will either be vice or deputy commander if we have more than ten tanks."
"That's if it's required and we get more then ten tanks," Haruna reminded her. "Still, I'd rather just stay in charge of operations here and let Hanoashi take the lead as Vice commander if we don't need a deputy commander."
After a bit she heard a small commotion in the rooms and entering in she saw two men, one of them had a more slender geekyness to him, thin build, but a sharp looking mind. The other was...buff if you will.
"May we help you with something?" Haruna asked warily.
"My name is Nova Katoni, and this is Tryker Katoni, we were wondering if our sister Hanoashi Katoni was here," they wondered.
Haruna let out a small nod. "She didn't mention siblings," she began gently.
"We just moved back to Japan," Tryker noted softly, gazing at her curiously.
"We want to visit her and make sure she's alright, especially since our father died," Nova admitted.
Right then, Hanoashi entered, carrying her tv. Glancing at the two boys, she sat it down, and ran up and hugged them. "Nova, Tryker, it's been to long!" she cried happily.
"You look...like a maid," Nova remarked slowly.
"It's my job now, well,mine and Taeko's," Hanoashi smiled as she pulled back and made a playful twirl. "So, what do you think?" she asked.
"I hope you're paying her," Nova glanced at Haruna with accusation in his eyes.
"Calm down brother, it's not like that," Hanoashi protested, glaring at him in disapproval.
"We'll be giving both of them some of our paychecks," Haruna promised. "Enough to cover their lunches and personal effects. We each pool our money for breakfast and dinner, though." She added.
"I guess that'll do," Nova relented, before turning his attention towards Taeko, who was gazing at him curiously. Please don't start miss, you're in enough trouble as it is!
"Um...miss..."
Haruna turned to see that Tryker had walked over to her. "May...I know your name?" he asked.
"It's Haruna," she whispered softly, gazing at him intently.
"It's a pretty name," Tryker smiled.
"Thanks...I guess," Haruna smiled in return, not too sure if she liked being flirted with like this.
"Give her some space brother," Nova called over.
Thanks, Haruna shot him a grateful glance, although she wasn't too sure if she wanted that or not. What she did know what that she was going to have a child at some point in her life come fire or high water, but marriage was something she was debating so to speak.
Thankfully, Tryker pulled back, but Haruna noticed that he kept giving her glances. You know, why the Maus not, she decided after a bit, and decided to play along. If she snagged him, she could use him for practice or indulge in it if she grew to like him. If he abandoned her, she'd get a kick out off watching Lumi kick his scrawny little ass.
Thus began a rather immature game of a guy and a girl sneaking glances at each other, much to the bemusement of the other girls. Haruna knew this, and their bemusement brought her a sense of satisfaction.
Occasionally they'd meet, he'd blush and glance away. I'm starting to like this game, Haruna smirked inwardly. After about a half hour of this, she walked over and tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to one of the back rooms and then proceeded to walk in herself. He apparently got the message and followed.
"First, age?" she asked.
"Seventeen," Tryker mumbled, glancing away shyly.
"You'd better be," Haruna growled playfully. Honestly she didn't care if there was much of an age difference as long as it didn't land either of them in handcuffs so to speak. Thankfully the age of consent was nearly the same as her previous universe and not quite as rigid as her first universe. "You serious bout this?" she asked.
He gazed down. "Sorry if I came up as creepy," he mumbled.
"Meh, some might have thought it as that. You see though, I'm growing somewhat adventurous over the idea of a relationship, so I'll agree to a few dates and phone conversations and we'll see where this goes, deal?" Haruna extended her hand.
"I won't let you down Haruna," he promised accepting her handshake, but his determination turned to shock as she didn't let go.
"I want to hold it for a while," Haruna smirked. "It's...calming," she added dreamily.
He didn't complain as he let out a small quiet smile. But before they could do anything else, Nova and Hanoashi came in. "Oh you two," Hanoashi shook her head in exasperation.
"What, I want it too," Haruna huffed, letting his hand go in disappointment.
"Nova want's to know if he can date Taeko, apparently they like each other as well," Hanoashi asked.
"As long as you accompany them and it doesn't land you in handcuffs," Haruna shrugged. "And your blessings for me to date Tryker," she added with a smirk.
"Meh, knock yourselves out," Hanoashi shrugged. "Guess all three of us have boyfriends now eh?"
"Oh, right, you mention Yukaro before," Haruna remembered.
"As much as I hate to break this up, we've got to go to the mainland. Come visit us when you make port and we'll make it a date," Nova promised.
"You and Taeko can use my cell phone if you want to speak with my brothers," Hanoashi offered.
"I'll take you up on that, although I think that eventually we ought to get each room a phone in time," Haruna noted, gazing down the hall.
"The windows are out," Nova growled sternly. "I don't want my sister to catch a cold."
Haruna glared at him for a moment before closing her eyes and letting out a tired sigh. "We're trying Nova, but we have to wait on Ooarai for our materials, and they are...very busy." she admitted softly. "Replacement windows are coming in, supposedly tomorrow, but until then this is the best we can do."
"This looks like some sort of class room set-up," Tryker mused, gently grasping her hand.
"Bro..." Nova eyed him cautiously.
"He can hold my hand if he wants, I actually like it," Haruna eyed him evenly.
"Your funereal," Nova rolled his eyes.
"You really ought to close them when you do that," Hanoashi prodded him, her green eyes emanating a playful disposition.
"I'll have to mark that she's rolling her eyes every time she closes them," Haruna mused.
"Oi!" Hanoashi hissed. "I don't do it every-time I close them!"
"But you are right, this was the old Sensado classrooms," Haruna admitted. "The student council is allowing us to use it as our quarters though."
"Any particular reason why?" Tryker asked.
"The truth is that we come from a different universe, and we agreed to help out the Sensado team in return for citizenship," Haruna admitted gently.
"Cool, what was it like?" Tryker asked.
"We didn't have School ships, and the names of the Sensado supporting schools are mostly different, but other than that and the currency being different, it's nearly the same. Except we don't bow and we got rid of the Emperor after the war." Haruna shrugged.
"Handshaking does sound better than bowing in some ways," Hanoashi shrugged. "Still, surprised that you got rid of the emperor like that though."
"Well, when the entire island of Hokaido was nuked into oblivion, your leaders don't tend to survive." Haruna shrugged.
"They had that many nukes?" Hanoashi gasped.
Haruna shrugged. "We never really got them to go boom like in your world, instead small radioactive chaff was dropped from a special made, basically salting the earth," she explained. "Cost the US a lot though, the idiots who dropped, ordered, and invented the things were hung for crimes against humanity, and the US had to pay for every yen's worth of damage to our land."
"Odd. The one's who dropped the nukes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were viewed as heroes in our universe, at least in America," Hanoashi mused thoughtfully.
"Oh, we ought to warn them about Rikona," Tryker mused.
"Who?" Haruna asked.
"Our beloved cousin," Hanoashi sighed. "The only one we're close too, but...well...she likes bondage so if she asks..."
"I wouldn't mind," a quiet voice entered the room.
"Taeko..." Haruna mused slowly.
"What...I've been tied up before, honestly I got used to it," she sighed.
"You didn't tell me he did that to you," Nova growled.
"I didn't get around to that by the time we noticed that Haruna and Tryker had went off on their own," Taeko huffed playfully.
"Try not to fall back into old habits Taeko," Haruna sighed, before nudging Tryker. "Introduce us," she whispered.
"Huh?" Tryker whispered back.
"I'm curious," she whispered back, glancing at Nova and Hanoashi as they got into a brief conversation with Taeko trying to dissuade her from letting Rikona experiment on her.
"Didn't know you were like that," Tryker gazed at her. "You sure?"
"I'm curious," Haruna mused. "But also...if I like it then I'm going to expect it from time to time once we get close enough."
"If you insist," Tryker sighed unenthusiastic.
"Platoon! Attention!"
"Better go see what's got Lumi out of shape," Haruna chuckled as she broke off her hand holding session and exited the hallway, chuckling at her team's antics. Never a dull moment.