Chapter 2

"Oh, mein gott."

We've gone a few streets, and what Miho Nishizumi would've called a "panzer high" is wearing off. It's stiff and hot in a tank, and the smell of gunpowder is everywhere. Everything's clean, but the air still felt dusty. And most of all, crouching in a turret beneath the cupola is not good for your spine. My back is getting sore already.

"Kommandant! I think I see an air shed!" Gabriel called out. Great. Hope he can continue being so cheerful after a few days.

"Go there," I said, waking up a bit from the dull travel, "it should be their tank garage."

"Hey, I think I picked something up through the radio." Hank said suddenly.

He turned a few knobs, flipped some switches, and the soft, slightly shocked voice of a girl – I can't tell who yet, but sounds like it's Anglerfish Team – came through.

"Umm, hello? Unrecorgnized tank? Can you hear me?"

"Lion copies. What is the situation?" I spoke before anyone could say anything.

What they didn't notice, however, was that I undid the safe on my MP-41…

…

Miho Nishizumi was experiencing the shock of her life.

It was a normal target practice session. Her tank was just moving back when their engine was drowned out by a louder, deeper growl. And then, as they rounded the corner, they saw it.

A Panzer VII Lowe heavy tank, completely alive and functioning, roaring through the gates of the training grounds.

"That … is not one of our tanks." Mako muttered.

Snapping out of her shock, Miho started to send out orders.

"All teams, proceed to the gate, RIGHT NOW. Saori, try connecting to them."

"Hai." Saori went to turning the knobs on the Panzer IV's radio.

"Umm, hello? Unrecorgnized tank? Can you hear me?"

"Lion copies." The voice of a teenage boy came through the radio. "What is the situation?"

After that, a faint "click" came, and then, silence. Stunned silence.

Miho felt something else was wrong. She turned, and her suspicions were confirmed: Yukari was paling.

"Yukari-san? What's wrong?"

"Th-that clicking sound." Yukari Akimaya stammered, "I recorgnize it. It's the sound of the safe on an MP series submachine being opened. Judging from their tank, it should be an MP 38-40 or MP-41. These boys … they're armed."

That is not good.

Miho looked through the commander's hatch at the super-heavy tank.

"Saori," she said, "gimme the mic."

Holding the radio's microphone, she took a deep breath.

"Umm…boys? Can you come out of your tank … please? We can talk."

"Kommandir," Hank said.

Great. Less than half an hour and I've got 3 different languages in my tank.

"They want to meet us. Off the tank."

"Say yes, but tell them to be careful." I was surprised at how I'm speaking like a true soldier now, "everyone, open the safe on your weapons. We're going out for a walk."

And with one swift move, I rammed the hatch with my elbow, forcing it open as I leapt off my seat, out into the sunlight. My boots landed against the roof of the turret with a clang, and before the sound had died, I drew my MP-41, slid the bolt back, and locked one of the girls in the centre of the front sight, ready to fire. (How did I get so good at this all of a sudden? I don't know. I think the manuals have the ability of raising our physical stats) Gabriel followed suit, lifting his FG-42 as he shot out of the chassis. The unmistakeable barrel of John's MG-42 came next, and finally, Hank's Stg 45 and Lucas's Gew 43.

A terribly delicate silence loomed. A few seconds passed.

"Alert cancelled." I said, "Off the tank."

…

"This is NOT what I expected." Miho thought to herself.

When the hatch opened, she was expecting some ordinary boys to just clamber out of their tank, with at most 1 gun. She did not expect four Wehrmacht soldiers and one Fallanschrimjaeger to leap out in a James Bond fashion, all sporting heavy firearms. She also did not expect them to take aim at them like it was actual war, either. The worse part is the thing strapped to the back of the big, rather buff boy. Miho wasn't one of the reki-jo, but she knew the long barrel and face shield. A Panzerschreck 88mm AT rocket launcher. The presence of that meant that these teenagers are likely more dangerous than they thought.

Fortunately, after a few moments, they seemed to figure that her team isn't the threat. They lowered their weapons, and slid off the tank, standing in a neat row.

Moving her legs, which felt like lead due to fear and anxiety, she took a few steps toward the first soldier, who stood at the front of the row. He was the shortest of all, but still loomed taller than her, with some black hair sticking out beneath his helmet. His expression was cold, intimidating even, and carried a deadly aura with it. His irises were the most unique: one was white like snow, the other blue as the sea. In a way, he resembled what would happen if Maho, Katyusha and Nonna were compacted into the form of a single boy.

Maho…

"Panzertruppen Kommandant."

She looked up, startled.

"Miho Nishizumi?"

"Y – yes?"

"Panzer VII Lowe commander, Louis." He slung the MP-41 over his shoulder and extended a gloved hand, "at yours."

Before she could react, though, a car pulled up next to them. Miho recorgnized it as the principal's car. The side door opened, and out came the principal.

"WHAT is going on?!" he demaded, "what's with the rumbling?! And where did THAT come from?" he pointed at the Lowe.

"That," the boy facing him said defiantly, before Miho could think, "is the Lowe, currently property of me & my crew."

Surprisingly, the principal sneered. "Ah, but since it appeared on the Oarai Academy ship, it is, then, the evident property of Oarai Girls' Academy, not that of some jerk boys who like dress-ups! Now, get lost or I'll have the cops arrest you all."

Only the training she had at Kuromorimine enabled Miho to see what happened next:

In less than a second, the boy who referred to himself as Louis spun on his heels and sprinted toward the principal. One hand shot out like lightning and gripped the man by his neck, slamming him against the side of the car. The glass on the vehicle shattered, and Miho swore she saw the entire frame sway. But it was what the boy did next that stunned everyone.

"WHO THE F**K DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! AND WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL US?!" he roared, "WELL, TELL YOU WHAT, SON OF A BITCH, WE'RE SOLDIERS! LIVING, WALKING, FIGHTING SOLDIERS!" he pulled his MP-41 into his other hand and shoved the barrel beneath the man''s nose, "WHEN YOU'RE READING FAIRY TALES, WE'RE CRAWLING IN THE WAIST DEEP MUD OF TRENCHES, LEARNING TO OPERATE AUTOCANNONS AND MACHINE GUNS! WHEN YOU'RE SNORING IN AIRCONDITIONED CAGES, WE'RE GOING ON HIKES THROUGH DESERTS AND TUNDRAS! WE'RE SOLDIERS, WHO'VE ENDURED THE MOST GRUELING, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY! SO DON'T YOU, A LAMENTED, GREASY, FEEBLE WIMP, GO ORDERING US AROUND! AND DON'T, EVER, CALL US DRESS-UPS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?" he shook the man like an empty sack.

"Louis!" Miho yelled finally, "stop it!"

He turned, and for a split second, his expression was so dominated by rage, all the tankers (who have now fully assembled) shivered in fear. Then, he took a deep breath, and put the submachine gun away. He pushed the principal (now gagging and choking) against the car.

"Ever dare speak to us or the Oarai Panzertruppen with disrespect, or try to take our tank," he said, tapping the principal on the head with a Luger P08, "and I'll do you the way the Gestapo did Jews. You understand?"

The principal gulped. He stumbled back into his car, and a few seconds later, the vehicle sped off, leaving us staring at the teenage boy who nearly strangled the principal.

…

I was still seething with rage when John came up behind me.

"Commandant," he said, apparently unfazed, "shall I go fetch our tents? The sun is setting."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

I turned toward Hana Isuzu. Somehow, she didn't bat an eye during my episode.

"We can't sleep in the dorms, obviously. And the tank isn't really comfortable. So we'll use our field operations set."

"Well, the dorm isn't that populated." Anzu Katadoni said suddenly, "there are some large rooms no one uses on the 5th floor."

I looked at my teammates. They nodded at me.

"Danke, then." I turned back toward Miho, "so, can we join the team? Commandant Nishizumi?"

At first, her expression made me worried she'll say "no". Then, hesitantly, she extended a hand, gripping mine.

"Well … I guess you can after all."

I didn't hide my smile this time. Then I looked back at my comrades. They got the message.

They snapped to attention, slung their arms, and raised their arms in a salute.

"SIEG HEIL!"