Chapter 8. Hussars, Canucks, and Side Shenanigans
"…My goodness, look at that truck there! It seems like all the remnants of the Jandarma platoon is completely wiped out just by some pesky mines placed by one of Krasnaya's combat engineer earlier. And somehow, Krasnaya Zvezda's command has escaped, though barely, from the death grips of Suleiman's most elite infantry unit. What a miracle, don't you think?" An enthusiastic male commentator noted the very happenstance clearly shown by the drone, as a Turkish truck was mined and popped its white flag, alongside the numerous white flags attached to the Turkish infantrymen. Then, the drone pans out, before refocusing on the Russian convoy that is driving away from the site.
"You can say that, but Krasnaya Zvezda has given us a great performance in today's match. A bum rush straight out of the starting position and towards the oncoming Suleiman convoy, before rushing back to a defense line that their fellow men have set up for them to pull. All of that, though, acted as a distraction for some units parked in a hidden lot to get behind the Turkish Land Force's representative." A female commentator added. "Don't even get me started on the gunfight that happened at the onsen. The fact that it was a fight between some of Suleiman's finest men and the unfortunate souls of Krasnaya that happened to stumble upon them would mean it be a swift engagement, with the Russian infiltrators completely gone after an intense battle against them."
"But that wasn't what actually happened, was it?" The male commentator asked.
"Indeed." The woman nodded. "It was intense, yes, but we can clearly see that Krasnaya Zvezda managed to make it out in one piece, even if we could clearly see how urgent they were as they got moving towards the truck to retreat back to friendly lines."
"We shouldn't forget about their rearguard. The collections of skirmishes and ambushes that Krasnaya has done to stop the impending beast from completely demolishing them is also a spectacle to watch, with explosions, bullets and words being thrown back and forth. And there is also the great sacrifice from one of the Tigrs stopping the Turks dead in their pursuing tracks with the mounted machine gun., guaranteeing a safe retreat for Krasnaya Zvezda's forces and setting up for their eventual victory against them as they slowly wear down Suleiman."
"Anyway I see, this is a well-deserved win for Krasnaya Zvezda, and a complete turnaround from their last year's performance."
"Turnaround, yes." The man nodded, but then pushed the brakes for her. "But that is quite a low bar you have set for them, isn't it? Don't forget that Krasnaya Zvezda was once a school that was able to go neck and neck with Soudainakyoukoku, one of the best schools in the entire Hohei-do League. Of course, they fell off, but you know what I mean!"
"Correct! And I hope that Krasnaya Zvezda will be able to return itself to its former glory, and perhaps even winning its first ever Victory Flag."
"Even winning its first ever Victory Flag?"
"What? You don't know that Krasnaya Zvezda has never achieved 1st place in any Hohei-do tournament?"
"I… I truly do not." The man laughed awkwardly. "But by the sound of it, you want the tournament this year to have some kind of upset, yes?"
"It has been 4 years in the row that Soudainakyoukoku has won, after all. Even then, you can say that Soudainakyoukoku winning the tournament again for the 5th time could be an upset too. No school has ever set a record like that, not even the American-themed school themselves."
"Yes, you can say so." The man then returns to the matter at hand. "But let's leave the predictions and fortune telling for later, alright? The red flare is already shining its red light upon the skies, after all."
"Yes." The woman takes a deep breath. "Regardless, Krasnaya Zvezda High School has managed to get into the quarter-finals for the time being, beating out Suleiman Academy in the gamemode Recovery. The match we witnessed consisted of great show of tactics, skills and decisive thinking from both team. However, it looks to be that Krasnaya Zvezda would be better of the two today. Anyhow, we thank you for your undying support of Hohei-do, and we hope that you enjoy your time watching because just like every year before, it is going to be one hell of a ride."
"You and your silly jokes…" The man shooked his head slowly, before the program cut to showing the results of the match, with some key highlights noting the great highs.
As the end screen of the match keeps on playing, the boy that is watching the TV decides to grab his remote and turn it off, before throwing it back to the couch. He wears a khaki uniform not to dissimilar to Bonple High School, though he lacks the typically overbearing one side cape that the girls have. Looking through the window and taking a white stick out of his mouth, which is revealed to be just a lolipop, his mind wonders about the Russians that he has witnessed today. "Man, Krasnaya Zvezda's commander change seems to at least have a good enough impact if they are able to bounce back this fast. And the way they fought today… It is definitely a far cry from the fumbling, rigid armed forces that we had to face last year. If the Russians were able to operate with some cohesion whilst their commander was too busy looking to escape enemy encirclement…"
He then smirks. "It looks like the Russians finally got a little bit of a shakeup with that new commander of theirs. That first year definitely has something good in store." The boy clenches his fist with excitement. "I can't wait to see what you got for me, captain Yamamoto Araki."
The boy turns back and plays some heavy metal, bobbing to the beats as he checks upon the map again. The map displays Tomakomai - a city in the Hokkaido prefecture, which is where St. Edward's High School is located at. He, being the captain of the Hohei-do club for his school, has already looked into it and formulated some tactics beforehand. St. Edward.
"But, to see you in the quarter-finals, I have to get over the hurdle that is St. Edward, don't I?" He thought, before putting the lollipop back into his mouth and munches on it slowly. "Now, if it is as per usual, St. Edward puts the same importance on fire superiority, but as they lack the usual armaments that a BWP has, they have to rely on close encounters, great infantry-vehicle coordination and mobility, which plays into their flagship BWP that is the LAV III."
The boy puts his index finger to the starting point of his school, written as Kościuszko High School, and drags it along the paved roads in the city towards his delivery location. He then does the same to St. Edward's High School starting and ending points respectively. "Engagement is bound to happen as we sweep the town, and the same goes to the Canadians. It seems like we can't avoid them entirely… Not that I would, anyway. A race to the finish is just too risky, so it's best if we are able to get intel on the logistic trucks and destroy them. We'll be fighting in an urban environment, but there is a highway up north, completely separate from the fighting. Maybe I can use my hussars there. But what if… Then we just make a convoy…. Nonono, a convoy is dangerous. If the leading vehicles were to be stopped by gunfire or anti-tank munitions, we would be playing into the Canadian's advantage of fire superiority. If so… our only choice would be to let the 2 BWPs roam along the highway with infantry in it, while the motorized units sweep the city. If I go on with that plan, however, I need to keep close tabs with the Rosomaks and vice versa, or we would lose our hussars. And there is also the situation of when our Rosomaks meets the LAVs too…"
The door suddenly rumbles as someone knocks onto the door. "Hello? Are you here, captain Hasegawa?"
Since the music was rather loud, and captain Hasegawa is too deep in his mind, he doesn't hear the greetings. The knocker doesn't give up, though, and continues the knocking. "Captain Hasegawa! Can I come in? I want to speak about some stuff!"
The knocking becomes more incessant over time as the captain tries to focus on sorting out the tactics before they have to move up north of the country to play. Eventually, he has to break his line of thought and opens the door, letting the guest to come into the room.
"Huh, listening to heavy metal, captain?" The guest looks at the CD player.
Captain Hasegawa quickly runs towards the player and turns it off, knowing he needs to spare the guest's eardrum for now. "What? You got anything against that?"
"Well…" The guest stuttered, before recomposing himself. "It's nothing, except the fact that you're a God fearing Catholic, and yet you're listening to these musics."
"What? I like it, that's all. And no, I don't think heavy metal is unholy or a product of Satan. Pretty sure it's just a made up stuff by some stupid Christian zealots, because I don't see the Bible mentioning how heavy metal is something to avoid, or anything like that. As long as I don't play it in churches, or when I am doing my studies, I think I'm clear on that part."
"Whatever." The boy rolls his eyes at the captain's explanation. "So… captain Hasegawa, you're working on the tactics for our upcoming match, I see?"
"I already worked it out once I received the official announcement on the game mode and the battleground we will be playing on, lieutenant Nagasaki. I'm just reviewing some stuff, that's all." The captain acts like the tactical matter is rather simple.
"Yeah. It's not like you're the commander for naught… So, what have you been doing in your room for the past few minutes?"
"I just watched the match between Krasnaya Zvezda and Suleiman, that's all. Looks like if we win against the Canadians, we'll face them against in the quarter-final."
"And I bet you're feeling excited to beat them back to where they came from?"
"Heh…" Captain Hasegawa huffs. "You sure know me well, lieutenant Nagasaki."
"Look, there is a reason I am the upperclassman. I know a feisty guy like you when I see it."
"Kurwa, of course…" The captain gets annoyed as to play along. "You and your senior ass attitude… Oh, forgot to ask you! Anything from lieutenant Uzumaki?"
"No, captain. The Canadians won't be throwing at us anything unusual for this match. You are free to do as you please with your hussars, sir."
"Nice." Captain Hasegawa grins, then remarks. "If there is one thing I pity the Bonple girls for, is that they are too limited with their equipment. They have the mind, yes, but they don't have the metal to pull it off."
"Makes Hohei-do all the more competitive, don't you think?" Lieutenant Nagasaki smiles, feeling an odd sense of proudness at the sport he is participating being way more balanced than Sensha-do would even dream to be.
"Maybe. Still, I don't think we have time to praise the JHF, lieutenant Nagasaki." Captain Hasegawa indirectly judged the words the lieutenant uttered.
"Yes, I aware." The lieutenant nodded, knowing it is time to get back on track.
"So, how's the drill going?" The captain snaps a look at his second in command.
"As you can see…" The lieutenant gets close to the captain and whispers some stuff. The captain nods with satisfaction at the things he is hearing.
"Dobry, dobry… (Good, good…)" The captain exclaims, before walking himself to the opened window, inhaling some of the fresh air of Tsuruga. "Since the next match will only let us command less than half of a company, we can only bring 2 to 3 platoon leaders. Of course, I'll be there to oversee the hussars, so I can't handle them all."
"And?" The lieutenants acted curiously, though he knew of the invite from the commander of Kościuszko
"And… You know already, don't you?" Captain Hasegawa takes note of the odd curiousity.
"Yeah. And I'll be there, no worries." The lieutenant smirks.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!" The captain pats onto lieutenant Nagasaki's back as he walks to the door. "Remember to tell everyone that we will be packing for the train tomorrow. If there is any training they need to do, make sure they do it now, alright? I'll be going to take a walk for a bit before going back to class."
"Yes sir!" The lieutenant then salutes with only two fingers, to which the captain proudly does the same, signature Polish salute back to him.
They quickly let their hands down, with the captain being at ease a second earlier than his second in command. With that farewell gesture out of the way, they split up, doing in their own stuff in the meantime, as the captain puts on his earphones and plays on his MP3 a song from the album Polish Heavy Metal '87. He silently enjoys his music, not making any kind of head bobbing motion. His face is painted with great enjoyment all over.
С покорённых однажды небесных вершин
По ступеням, обугленным на землю сходим
Сквозь прицельные залпы наветов и лжи
Мы уходим, уходим, уходим, уходим...
Прощайте, горы, вам видней
Кем были мы в краю далёком,
Пускай не судит однобоко
Нас кабинетный грамотей.
До свидания, Афган - этот призрачный мир,
Не пристало добром вспоминать тебя вроде,
Но о чём то грустит боевой командир,
Мы уходим, уходим, уходим, уходим...
Прощайте, горы, вам видней
В чём наша боль и наша слава
Чем ты, земля Афганистана,
Искупишь слёзы матерей
Araki mouths to the song playing in his mind, enjoying himself as he looks upon the dark night and the vast sea beyond the bridge that connects Hokkaido to the main island Honshu. The moon gazes itself by the reflections of the water below, enlightening some of the bodies of water. However, the persistently encapsulating darkness remains. It is nights like these that bring Araki a sense of peace, letting his mind able to wander a bit beyond what he can see with his eyes. When he closes his eyes, he can still remember the echoes of the promises they made as the sun gradually disappeared beyond the horizon.
"I promise to face off with you once again during the tournament, as commander to commander, miss Nishizumi."
"I would also promise to face off with you once again too, mister Yamamoto. It is a pleasure to play with you."
"It is a pleasure to play with you."
"…a pleasure to play with you."
"…pleasure…with you."
The young boy smiles dearly as he remembers his lady, His mind then switches to the time they met again in Tokyo. The sight of her in Otto's grey school uniform looking as cool and distance as a woman can get, and yet… the moment they met, eye to eye, they can't help but to feel something very warm in his chest. Perhaps it is love? Nonono, it can be lust too! Unfortunately, for a boy as young as him, he couldn't distinguish this feeling that is slowly growing larger and larger week by week in the back of his mind. It's not too apparent, but it definitely makes itself known to him.
As he continues to dream his way through the trip, someone makes sudden contact with him onto the shoulder. "Hey, that's some good singing from you there. It could use a little adjustment, like say actually use your chest to sing for once. I swear, Japanese and their obsession with using the head voice…"
Turning back to the guy who made a pretty rude starter of a conversation, it is none other than our beloved, playful Russian lieutenant Alexander Margelov.
"Ah, ruining the night mood of mine again, I see." Araki throws a harsh gaze at his second in command.
"That is what I am known for, after all. Ruining everyone's moment is my specialty." Alexander quickly snaps his face into a shit-eating grin. "So… what were you thinking?"
"Oh… Just appreciating the night, that's all. I like it when it is just me and the moon, really." Araki turns back to look at the beautiful as the train cross the big ocean separating the islands.
However, the lieutenant has spotted an opening, and he is not letting it to waste. "Really, just the moon? Or maybe it's something else. Something else like… your lady."
"My lady?" Araki immediately becomes defensive and acts as if he doesn't get what lieutenant Margelov is saying. "Who?"
"You know…" Alexander moves his head around, then jitters towards the captain. "The girl that you met at Tokyo the other day…"
"Who? I've met plenty of girls at the drawing ceremony there." Araki keeps on feigning ignorance.
"You know… Those enrolled at Otto von Krieger?"
"Which one?"
"…Captain, really? Ты дурак?" The ignorance is starting to get to Alexander.
"Да." Araki casually accepts the insult. "Don't think you'll be ticking me off. I've gotten used to your antics this time, lieutenant."
"Really? Then would you mind if…I say that to dig some dirt on Otto von Krieger's commander? Do you want to hear it?" The lieutenant makes a bluff, hoping to trigger captain Yamamoto.
As if on cue, Araki clenches his hands, turning it into fists and threatens the lieutenant with a spiteful look. "If you're planning to do anything bad to her, I swear… you'll regret what you have done, lieutenant. Do whatever you may please, but if you even think of doing anything bad to her, don't even think of begging. Remember, you may a lieutenant, but I am the fucking captain of Krasnaya Zvezda, and I have the right to revoke you of your position anytime I fucking like. So, for your own wellbeing… No. She's my beloved, and you don't get to harm my beloved ones."
Even as an upperclassman to Araki, Alexander can't help but to feel a chill running down his spine. He knows the captain is not that kind of person like Katyusha, but when push comes to shove, people tend to turn into an entirely different. But then, he noticed the odd choice of word. "B-Beloved? S-So… you love her?"
Upon listening to what Alexander mutters, Araki snaps out of his anger and pauses, quickly recollecting what he said. Yes, he did say that, he literally said that just before! "Agh, really? I really have to say that? I don't even know if I actually feel so. Maybe I'm just mistaking because I am such a loner, that's all! What an idiot! Seriously, what's up with me and miss Nishizumi lately? Maybe she has a crush on me like I do on her? Well, she tends to become rather welcoming when I am around, right? No, of course not! Perhaps she is just being nice to me, like how she is to everyone! It is mentioned by her that Otto von Krieger's commanders are known to be some of most hospitable people in the entire league! Of course she would! Why the hell am I getting worked up over a girl I just met anyway? What's up with her? And what's wrong with me? Maybe I just got hit with too much lead, and I need a rest from all this Hohei-do crap." Araki's mind quickly spiraled into a rabbit hole of confusion and panic, though his expression remained tense.
"Uh…" Knowing he might have gone too far with his antics if the commander is frozen up like this, Alexander tried to cook up a decent apology. "S-Sorry for that. I-I just… got curious, that's all. And… I don't really find much about her, anyway. Her mother is quite the mistress of intelligence, so I didn't get much personal stuff on her. And uh…" He pauses unnervingly, seeing the expression of his first in command not changing a single bit. "I just… I-I really want to see you get together. I mean… A Krasnaya boy and an Otto girl? That's one hell of a pairing!"
When the word 'pairing' was uttered, Araki instinctively corrected with great assertion. "We're not a couple! We're just friends, you idiot!" But upon seeing how scared shitless the lieutenant is, he knows his tough act is getting way too out of hand, and simmers down. "Ah, sorry for that. That was definitely overboard, coming from me… I'll make to help you with whatever shenanigans you have with the student council if you needed. Just… don't take it to heart, alright? Please, forgive me for my rudeness."
The lieutenant quickly waves it off. "No, I understand. I would be pissed too if I kept being picked on for having a crush."
"I don't have a crush, lieutenant!"
"Sure, sure you don't… Anyway, I'm here to get you to sleep. It's almost midnight already, and we need to be awake tomorrow if we want to make this little expedition of ours worth it." The lieutenant rolls his eyes.
"Don't act like I'm a baby! I'm 15 already, and I'm the captain!"
"But even captains need sleep, don't you think captain Yamamoto?"
"I-" Araki raises his finger and is about to make a statement when his phone buzzes. "Hold on, someone's calling me. Can I get some privacy, lieutenant Margelov?" He pulls out the shaking phone to prove he means it.
The lieutenant, knowing he has no business in the captain's personal matter, leaves him be. "Remember to get some sleep, alright? I won't be coming to remind you another time. You said you don't like to be babysitted, yes?"
"Yeah, yeah I know…" Araki quickly waves off his second in command, to which the guy complies and gets back to his room on the train.
Once the Russian lieutenant is gone, he flips up the phone and checks to see who is calling. The time displayed on the phone says it's 23:53, and the caller's name is displayed alongside the number. He inspects it, only to smile at the sweet sight. He then answers the call. "Hello? Did you call, miss Nishizumi?"
"Y-Yes, it is me." A heartwarming, lovely voice comes out from the phone, though it carries a touch of anxiety to it also. "And I reckon I called the correct phone number?"
"Да. You know me and you like to play it straight if possible, so let's just cut to the chase, shall we?"
"Yes, mister Yamamoto." She answers, warming up Araki's heart. Her voice always carries a certain vibe to it that resonates with people and makes them feel welcomed, even if her appearance and posture generally go against that. Regardless, it has been quite some time since they have talked to each other, as they both are wrapped up in doing their usual work as commanders.
"So… I'm guessing you called because of the match 2 days ago?"
"As sharp as a bayonet, mister Yamamoto. I saw what you and your team did in that match, and I must say, the new Krasnaya Zvezda that you are building has great potential."
"Aw, thanks..."
"I still can't believe that you guys were able to work without your Schützenpanzer, but you seemed to have proven me wrong."
"Judging by your voice, you seem to be glad that you are wrong?"
"Well, yes and no. If my judgements were wrong, that would mean I need to improve further and above beyond if I want to be deserving of the Nishizumi title."
"Hm, interesting."
"Notwithstanding all that, congratulations for your first victory in your career. I hope you're able to achieve more in the future and… don't forget about our promises, okay?"
"I won't. We Krasnaya Zvezda students do not break promises. Lying is something we do not like to do, miss Nishizumi."
"Just like the Russians, huh?"
"And you're as hospitable as I expected from a German, too. I know I've already said it, but thanks for the party."
"Don't say that it's just us, your men contributed a lot too. I mean like… defying gravity with dance moves? That's a first for me."
"For us Russians, that's just another Tuesday really. But I get where you are coming. Oh and… it's quite late already. You should get some sleep, else you won't be able to fulfill that promise, too! It's a 2-way road, remember?"
"Hehe!" Nanako giggles with joy, heating up Araki's chest more. "I know. I'll work hard for it!"
"Good luck on your upcoming match against Nambusaka Academy then. I know they are quite the wall, but I believe with you commanding Otto von Krieger, nothing is out of the picture. I have great in you, captain Nishizumi."
"Same can be said for me too, captain Yamamoto."
Then, they both pause, as if they are trying to find anything else to talk about. But time keeps on marching on, as the minute clock strikes 59.
"I guess… I'll head to sleep now." Araki, again, makes first his move. "It was nice talking to you. I hope we get to meet more in the future."
"I also hope to meet you too." Nanako's voice laced with sugar comes out of the speaker. "Maybe I'll get to visit Aomori someday. After all, you get to visit Kumamoto so…"
"Don't think about it, my lady. I'll make sure to return the favor fully, I really mean it."
Nanako suddenly stops, processing what Araki just spoke. Araki, finding the silence strange, also thinks about it again. He doesn't find anything wrong with how he addressed Nanako, though.
"L-Lady? Really?" Nanako, knowing Araki's inability to understand discreet cues, spells out the problem.
"A-Ah…" Araki, now realizing the problem, suddenly feels something is choking on him. "I… I… Don't think much about it." He dismisses. "Let's not complicate it, alright? We're just friends."
"Yeah, friends…" Nanako repeated, as if to reassure both parties.
"Anyway, sweet dreams, captain!"
"Goodnight then, captain!"
Then they both end the call, as one thought lingers on their mind at the same time, not convinced at what they spoke. "But… what if we are not merely just friends? What if… No, I'm too young for that! But… perhaps… he/she was the one fated to be, all along?" The thought keeps on hanging, until the sleepiness gets to both of them, as the captivating moon shines upon the endless darkness surrounding Japan.
The overnight, island crossing trip finally comes to an end as the bright yellow sun greets them, the train slowly braking with a station right up ahead. Once the train is fully stopped at its special Hohei-do lines, the PA system makes itself known to the passenger on the train. "Attention to all passengers, we are now currently at Tomakomai Station of Tomakomai. Please check for your belongings if you had any and remember to wait until the door has been opened by your local JHF staff. We thank you for using our special JHF lines today, and we hope you enjoy your time at Tomakomai. Farewell."
It didn't take long for the JHF staff to get going and opened up the passenger doors on these admittedly old trains, though the amount of tech it is retrofitted with would be surprising for any outsider who have never once stepped foot on them. Still, Araki steps out of the train and takes a look at the surrounding area.
Tomakomai isn't much different from Aomori in terms of its urban environment, with a dominance of small urban housing throughout the area and an odd, distinct lack of skyscrapers, though given that this is one of the many cities in the Hokkaido prefecture, this should be something a Japanese like Araki would understand. The temperature is definitely a tad cooler than he is used to, but it's nothing to be fret of. It's not like they're in the Arctic circle so just some casual T-shirts and a Bermuda short with a pair of running shoes should be good enough. Even lieutenant Margelov agrees with his choice of clothing, though him wearing a Telnyashka tank top, some Adidas shoes and camo shorts definitely makes him stand out as a foreigner to this small country.
The trees around here are lush and green, so green in fact it puts him at ease seeing how the vegetation cover upon and acres of lands to the far north. He still remembers waking up early in the morning to witness some of the deer and rabbits hanging around the forested mountains and flatlands.
As he remises himself about the beauty of this new city he visited, he suddenly feels like something… no, someone is looking at him, dead into his soul. He quickly scans around the area just like how he was trained by his drill sergeant, only for his gaze to meet a girl's eyes. Oh, those deep, dark eyes that can easily confused with pearls being coated with ink, somehow still reflecting light off of it even with its color approaching black. Her long, lushest hair flowing with the wind, her yellow Boko shirt being paired with blue shorts and white sandals, her face displaying absolute awe… He also has his mouth wide open, his eyes in disbelief of what he is seeing. "I-It's… It's her… S-She's…"
"Hey, what are you looking at, cap-" The lieutenant got curious and directed his attention to roughly where Araki was looking at, only to also be shocked at the revelation.
"H-Hey! Sister, what got you standing like that? Aren't we supposed to be-" A boy, probably her brother, comes towards the girl and tries to find the reason she is frozen in her place. He quickly finds his answer to the matter following the girls. He looks a little shock, but he quickly smirks, thinking it is probably some kind of happy accident.
They all stand there for what feels to be eternity passing by, not knowing what to say. Eventually though, Araki and the shocked girl both calls out their name.
"Miss Nishizumi…"
"Mister Yamamoto…"
Then, as if their minds sync, they simultaneously walk closer to each other, asking the same question. "Y-You were on the same ride as I was all along!? H-How haven't we met each other until now?"
The dramatic way the pair act on the matter definitely catches some attention from bystanders, and a particularly nosy comes to see what's up. "Hey, what's with all the commotion here? We've just arrived here!"
"That's none of your business!" They both snapped to him.
"Stop being so nosy! Why do you even care by the way?" Araki tried to get the guy out of the way.
"And it's not like we are shouting! We're just… surprised, that's all!" Nanako reasoned, acting a lot more calm on the matter than Krasnaya Zvezda's commander.
"Uh, Nanako?" Her brother reaches her shoulder. "Shouldn't we get going already?"
Nanako quickly changes her expression, like taking off a mask to wear another one. "Oh, the Midorigaoka Observation Tower? Yes, we should be going, brother." She politely nods at his suggestion.
"O-Oh, that's where we are coming too, man." Alexander raises his hand up. "Mind if we be company?"
"A-Ah yes, that' right! The tower! It is the best place to view the battle for today, after all!" Araki's brain cells suddenly get to work again after the mental flashbang.
"S-Sure, why not? The more, the merrier!" The boy quickly agrees and grabs the Russian school pairs before heading to their destination, leaving the crowd of people on the station behind.
"See? I told you that getting so involved like that all the time is not going to help anyone, Omaru." Another boy comes to the side of the interceptor earlier.
"Whatever." Omaru gets annoyed at the criticism and counter back. "At least I didn't get involved with a Saunders girl, only for me to break away from as she cried and screamed my name for eternity after."
The guy suddenly punts Omaru's back, making him yelped and causing pain. He then stops and swings his arm around Omaru, going down and away from the terminal. "If it weren't for the fact there's people around here, I'm going to beat you so hard, you'll have a twitch. You got me, you son of a bitch?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, Takashi…" Omaru looked scared shitless, though his face quickly morphs into that of downcast.
"I swear… I shouldn't have done. I shouldn't have fucking done that! But… it is what it is, yeah?" Takashi stares at Omaru, indirectly asking for some comforting words.
"Yep." Getting what Takashi means, Omaru can only shrug as he and Takashi takes a walk to the observatory. "It is what it is, man. You can't change the past, so it's best if you leave it be."
"Yeah, perhaps…" Takashi agrees with the notion, though a part of him wanted to at least properly apologize to the eccentric, twin pigtail girl of Saunders University High, even if he had to take a tank shell to the face in return for what terrible things he did to her.
Speaking of Midorigaoka Observation Deck, it is located in one of the city's park Tomakomai Midorigaoka, which takes quite a long walk from where they had just arrived at by train. But given that it is the only tower in the entire town, most people huddle to it to get a better view of the match overall. And though the match is going to take place right inside the city today, the cars, buses and the people are still very much present. They treat as if it is just another normal Sunday, the sun lending its warmth to the ground below, the leaves taking all of it in and reflecting back various shades of green and the city taking a slower pace than usual to enjoy the sights, the smells, the sounds and the feelings of wind blowing lightly through one's face. A complete contrast to the battlegrounds that Araki has had the opportunity to venture to, being nearly devoid of any human except for the participants themselves and the overseers of the match standing by the wayside.
During the entire walk, the quartets don't trade much words, rather staying in their own little worlds to observe the life around. The way that the lieutenants of Krasnaya and Otto looking around suggest they have been here, once or twice. Their gazes look less overwhelmed of the new thing the city has to offer and more controlled, even carrying some hints of nostalgia with it. This is in great contrast to the young commanders who are very surprised to see how lively it is, even if some time later it will become a literal battlefield.
While just taking the sight around on his way to the park, he constantly feels that someone is trailing him, to which he always turns back, only to see a crowd of strangers behind his back. And yet the feeling remains. He doesn't understand why, but he also doesn't feel that he is grave danger either. Regardless, the walk continues on, a peaceful lack of sound from both the Russians and Germans party envelops the space between them, building an invisible wall and keeping them mentally away from each other for the commanders themselves to recuperate. The company of them, while not getting to the same degree of awkwardness, decide against talking also.
The 'stalker' unknowingly trails behind them, still.
Towards the far western side, at the edge of the city's limit, there stood multiple personnel dressed in the Polish Land Force's combat uniform, sitting either in utility trucks and jeeps, or loaded inside the 2 KTO Rosomaks, one of them has the commander standing beside it and ready to get in. Everyone of Kościuszko is raring to go already.
Yet, the commander doesn't report on the comms that they have arrived at their destination. He instead stands there and puts his fist on his chest, attraction attention to himself. The Japanese natives are confused on the matter, but those that have the Polish blood flowing through them, whether pure or partial, join with him and adapt the same posture. Then… they sing together, as harmonious as a church's choir, their voices soar beyond the bright blue dome above them. The first years don't understand what is going on, but the other senior students immediately get what is going on and either enjoy the hymn with zeal or join in with their own voices too, acting as throat singers because they don't know much of Polish or the hymn's lyric in particular. Regardless, the students of Kościuszko High, before was just a bunch of individuals, now are just but mere building blocks for the beautiful song they sang before going into battle.
Bogurodzica
Dziewica
Bogiem sławiena
Maryja
U Twego Syna
Gospodzina
Matko zwolena
Maryja
Zyszczy nam
Spuści nam!
Kyrie eleison!
A song, first sung by the medieval hussars of the old, are now again heard. The people that were driving on the road pass by them, while were not all Catholics, were still very much moved by the majestic. Some even thought that the almighty would emerge from above the clouds to bless them for combat, but it looked like none had appeared.
And it's not just Kościuszko that is asking for blessings either.
What is happening to Kościuszko is also happening to St. Edward, as its commander is also doing his own prayer before battle, too, though at a lesser scale and the commander is just doing it silently by himself. Some other students find it odd, of course and ask to the seniors who know more than them.
"Hey, what is captain Gagnon doing, squad leader?"
"Him? Oh, this is just the usual for us. We have some Canadians students here, with various backgrounds. Some are from the cities like of Ottawa, Vancouver. Some are from the redneck's land of Alberta and British Columbia. Some are even native Inuits. And of course, there is him… Maxime Gagnon. Sounds pretty French for a name?"
"Y-Yes, you can say so."
"Well…' The squad leader pauses as he throws a look at the commander, still doing his usual prayer. "There is one part of Canada that is full of French, though they are as similar to the European Frenchies as the Americans to the Brits. Of course, because they are somewhat French, they also practiced Christian faith, like some of the churches you might have seen once or twice. Something something Catholicism, a branch of Christianity he said."
"And… so I guess he's asking blessings from what they called… God before battle?"
"Don't we all, private? Even us Japanese do it too, though only in shrines of course, and not too much of a common occurrence." The Canadian sergeant rolled his eyes. "Just let the man do his thing. You should get used to it too."
"U-Uh, alright." The private nervously chuckles. "I guess I will have to."
"…maintenant et à l'heure de notre mort. Amen." Right as the friendly conversation ended, Maxime finishes the prayer and checks the men one more time on the comms. "Hello, hello! This is captain Maxime Gagnon, callsign Timberwolf."
"This is lieutenant Nakamura Kyoukan, callsign Coyote speaking. I hear you loud and clear, captain. Are you done with what you are doing there?"
"I'm good to go. What about the others? Are we ready to roll those Poles back inside a box and send it to their mamas?" Maxime spoke with a rough voice, already making some very morbid jokes.
"Whatever you say. Let's wrap this up, shall we?"
"As usual. Timberwolf out."
"Coyote out too."
Then the captain communicates to the referee on the comms. "We're ready."
"Tak, we're good to go." The commander on the other end spoke. "Don't disappoint me like how you did last year, Maxime. You're just nothing more than an off-branded Soudainakyoukoku anyway."
With the Polish commander touching Maxime's ego, he suddenly snaps back. "Heh, don't talk it like you know. You do not, Budziboj."
"Heh, already provoked?" Budziboj keeps up the villainous act.
"Mon tabarnak j'vais te décâlisser la yeule, câlice or mon tabarnak, m'a tu t'l'a décâlisser ta gran' yeule." Maxime already started swearing in French.
"Don't get you. Speak Japanese please, or maybe English." The half-Pole presses on with the devilish act.
"It means 'fuck you', that's it. Anyhow, good fucking luck."
"Good luck to you too. Thanks for letting me shit talk you."
"No problem…" Maxime grumbles.
As the banter finally subsides, the referees don't waste any chance and shoot the bright red flare up into the sky, beginning another match of Hohei-do before the shit talk becomes an ad hominem festival.
"Ah, thank Kami we're right on time." Nanako exclaims as she peeks right over the top of the stairs, seeing the red flare heavily contrasting the blue background. The match has started, and it is prime time to be in this observation deck.
Many like the Russo-German group have the same thought and are all currently hanging out at the tower, making some small talks here and there.
"The weather's quite nice here, don't you think?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Places your bet, people. Kościuszko or St. Edward's?"
"I'm thinking St. Edward's. With their firepower, IFV centric doctrine, they can definitely give the infantry quite some rough roundhouses today."
"Kościuszko has an answer to that though. You can say St. Edward's will dominate at the start, but you have to beware of Kościuszko's specialty being cavalry. Their Rosomaks, I heard, can take a decent amount of between. But their most important attribute is that they are fast, and that they always are looking for a weak point. Once they got all that figured out though, the Canadians are as good as toast."
"Even still, don't you think the LAVs can sort them out just fine?"
"That is in case they don't just prioritize the logistic trucks. You either bring yours to the finish line or disable theirs to win. That's like, the goal of today's game mode. Did you forget that or something?"
"Yeah, maybe… Still holding out for the Canadians though."
"Wow… There's quite a bunch here." Nanako's brother commented on the scenery. "The view is great though, no wonder."
"Yep. This is perhaps one of the few observation sites that gets you a bird's eye view, after all. You already forgot we've been here once or twice, Ryunosuke?" Alexander added in.
"Yeah, though…" Ryunosuke asked of the Russian boy. "Try not to address in first names, okay? I know you're a foreigner, but that's not how we roll around here. First name is only used for families and close friends, mister Margelov."
"I see… Извини. I just… forgot, really." Alexander scratches the back of his head.
"I know you don't mean anything bad, but remember that. Don't act like everyone's your friend." The German lieutenant forgives him, but also adds some advice.
"I don't think I can't change that though. They like it when I'm friendly, you know?" Alexander shrugs.
Seeing that response, the lieutenant only sighs. "If it floats your boat, I guess…"
As the Russian lieutenant's posture returns to neutral, the captain tugs at him and gestures at the table that has 6 chairs placed in a neat row. "Hey, there's some seats here. It has quite a nice view too."
"Maybe we can settle down here, brother?" Nanako also asks.
The lieutenants have their lips and their eyebrows curve downward, look at each other for a second before turning back to the commanders. "Sure, why not?" They both answered in unison.
The group quickly settle in their seats, stretching their legs as they have been walking for quite a while already. The lieutenants pick their seats to be right beside each other, probably to talk about some stuff, leaving the captains with 4 more seats to spare. They both want to sit right beside each other too, but knowing the reaction they have on the national drawing, they sit as furthest away from one another as possible.
Seeing this odd occurrence, Ryunosuke gets close to Alexander and whispers to him. "Hey, is something wrong with them or…"
"What? What's wrong? Did you notice anything?" Alexander looks at the other lieutenant.
"About them…" Ryunosuke gestures to the couple who is sitting 2 seats away, keeping their distance. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"Ah, that…" Alexander takes a quick glance before he whispers back. "I don't know. Last night on the train, he seemed pretty normal. I didn't hear any arguing on the phone, if I am going to be honest. And yes, I was near him and listened onto him. They got along rather well. Don't tell anyone though, especially him. I don't want to suffer his wrath."
"Keeping secrets is my forte, no worries." Ryunosuke assures. "Plus, captain Yamamoto isn't that kind of person from all the time I saw him. Is that right?"
"Yeah. Last night he got pretty pissed off, but he was quick on the apology. He even asked me to forgive for that, like damn…" Alexanders whispers with glee of his commander.
However, the distance that the lieutenants have between themselves attract some very dirty eyes coming from the commanders. They both look at the boys with great judgement.
"You don't have to make it even more obvious you have an eye on us, lieutenant Margelov. Just quit it, will you?" Araki ordered.
"Brother, I know you love me, but you don't have to treat like I am just a girl. I'm 15 already!" Nanako complained. "I'm a grown woman already!"
"Alright, alright. I won." Ryunosuke stops his antics and settles again in his seat.
As the lieutenant stop talking discussing unwanted topics, Nanako asks Araki. "Regardless… So you were on the train ride last night, mister Yamamoto?"
"Y-Yeah." Araki nods. "I am surprise neither of us saw each other, at least until we have arrived."
"Well… I did remain in my room, doing some… commander's stuff. Tactics, morale, readiness, all that."
"Yeah, I know. I also have to do that too, but I already sorted that out before going. Anything that happens after that, lieutenant Suzuki should see to it."
"You're not supervising the training, captain Yamamoto?"
"Yes, I do, just not all the time, captain Nishizumi. I got other stuff to worry about, too. Between that, planning for the upcoming matches and training with my squad still, I've got lots of food on my plate. I'm sure you also do the same with your BMP crew, да?"
"Mhm. Oh and… you have a great voice, m-mister Yamamoto." Nanako complimented.
"Huh?" Araki was initially confused on what she meant, but he quickly understood. "Ah, so you have heard…"
"Yeah… I like your voice. It's… empowering, really." Nanako then smiles at him.
"T-Thanks." Araki looks away, his cheeks appearing a hint of redness.
In return, Nanako feels hot inside her chest. She places her hand onto where her heart is, feeling the beat it ripples. It is consistent, but she can feel some of it being a bit off. She then grasps her hand and breathes.
Araki quickly glances at Otto von Krieger's commander. He sees that she has taken measures to calm herself down, likely to keep it somewhat professional between them. It wouldn't be fair not to do the same, so he huffs his throat and clears it.
"Welp, I think we should focus on today's match for now. Let's talk about them for another, captain." He suggests.
Nanako thinks about it for a second before also agreeing, her cheeks being pushed up a little, her eyes partially closed. "Yes, we should." Then she blinks, and now her face is now completely stone cold, her eyes looking upon blocks after blocks of building in the distance. "In this match, both school can be thought of as rather equal to each other, though with the past records of Kościuszko, they can be thought of as better than St. Edward's even if it is a tiny margin. Kościuszko has been very effective in their use of armored vehicles and mechanized elements as heavy cavalry units, though their infantry sections aren't anything to scoff at either, able to hold the line if needed and are very flexible in their operations."
"I think St. Edward's have the advantage of fire superiority though. Their LAVs accompanying the ground units help to bolster their capabilities, while the infantry is known to be able to contest firepower on their own even while pinned down. This is not even mentioning St. Edward's marksmen have better effective range, as they use sniper rifles instead of marksmen rifles. C14 Timberwolf, they call it." Araki adds in, also wearing the same serious face. "With greater operating range, they may be able to overpower the Poles. Of course, that is if they are not flanked by the Polish BMPs elements."
"The Schützenpanzer may able to destroy key assets, but Kościuszko's motorized units can only hold their ground for so long until St. Edward's is able to clear a pathway to the finish line. You can say they are both on walking on a tight rope with how they are rolling out now."
"Yeah, sure… But if it were us Soudainakyoukoku, we would have sent one of our Bradleys to sort out the pesky hussars before we roll the rest. Isn't that right, Takashi?" A stranger intercepted, catching the attention of everyone in the ad hoc group.
"Yeah, yeah. One of our Bradleys are worth 2 of those Rosomaks. In fact, I even think just bringing in a Stryker or two could help too. The .50 cal machine gun mounted on them can do some damage against the Polish IFVs. But still…" The man, likely named Takashi, punted the interceptor. "Excuse us for his rudeness, we happened to stumble upon you guys. We thought the analysis is interesting, so we wanted to contribute."
"H-Hey, Takashi!" Shouted the punted. "It's not just me! You joined it too!"
Takashi turns to the guy. "So? You started it!"
"B-But… why are you pinning the blame on me, Takashi!"
"Because… you are a fucking brat that needs to be humbled, Omaru. I know captain Hasemoto puts a lot of faith onto you to be the commander, but sometime you really need a good humbling."
"Y-You…" Overwhelmed with anger, Omaru can only swear at him under his lips. "Fuck you."
"Yeah." Takashi shrugs. "Say that all you want, but I'm just getting you ready for the largest asshole that is real life. Fucker is about as much of a piece of shit as a SAW, always working as intended before it jams in the worst of times."
"Yeah, yeah I guess…" Omaru sighs. "I won't do that again, I promise."
"Good." He slaps Omaru's back. "Remember that promise. You copy?"
"Copy, sir." Omaru agrees.
"Good, now… Do you guys mind us taking the seats here? Looks like you guys got the best view out of everyone here." Takashi asked for permission.
While everyone is too busy trying to craft up some decent stuff to say to them after they rudely interrupted them, Nanako is already ahead of the curve. "We don't mind. You can make yourself at home if you want to."
"Thank, but we won't. We've already been too impolite for a first impression anyway." Takashi answers, then takes a seat. Omaru quickly follows suit.
Once all are comfortably resting their legs after the long walk with silence, lieutenant Margelov breaks it. "So…what are you two up to, here?"
"Just watching the match, that's all. We do this for every match, then write up a report for the Feds. Typical intel gathering all Hohei-do schools do, right?"
"Конечно." Alexander agrees. "So uh… It is kind of odd to see you two with the casual wear today. I mean… sandals? And that ridiculous Hawaiian shirt you're wearing."
"I just like to wear. It looks silly, but that's part of my charm. Plus, this thing can attract ladies, unlike that tank top you Russkies have." Takashi then winks to the girls on another part of the deck, likely proving his debonair charm. The girls yelp and immediately swarm around him, surprising the commanders. The lieutenants didn't seem to be in much awe, however.
After signing some stuff and taking pictures with them, Takashi waves them off with some flirty words. "Sorry ladies, but I'm currently busy with other stuff right now. Hope to you girls again though! Glad to have you today!" He points both fingers at the girls and winks at them, getting quite a giggle fest. Eventually though, the girls walk away with glee, though Takashi doesnn't look so happy when he sits down. He even sighs, which is odd for a supposed gentleman who is great around woman.
"So… how's it going, Omaru? The school, the club, all that stuff." Ryunosuke spoke.
"It's quite alright. We're planning to win the tournament again this year. Though it may be hard, nothing is impossible with the brawn of Soudainakyoukoku. I believe with our obviously superior doctrine, training and equipment, it will be an easy sweep for us again. The match against Kościuszko is an example of that, so be wary, or don't! It will even be more of a walk in the park!" Omaru, of course, went on a rant about how great his academy is, to which Takashi has been so used to listening he isn't even phased. Araki can even observe a roll in his eye as he says 'superior'.
"Ah… okay." Ryunosuke also felt the same on the claim Omaru made.
"Anyhow…" The charming boy eyed the only girl in the group. He smiles at her, but the way he smiles is not flirty at all. It is earnest. "Man, I can't believe you've grown into such a lovely woman, miss Nishizumi. Your mother has definitely raised you well."
"A-Ah, yes. Thank you for your kind words, mister... Uh…" Nanako's eyes dilate as she searches for something in her head, but it comes out straight empty.
"Sorry but…" Seeing how poor Nanako is when she is not in her element, Araki steps in. "I don't know who you are, and we haven't gotten a proper introduction from you two ever since you sat here. So, do you mind if-"
"Sure." Takashi nods. "You look to be a new guy as well. The name's Yamamoto Araki, right? New commander, and first year of Krasnaya Zvezda?"
"Correct." Araki responds. "And you two?"
"I'm Kato Takashi, second year at Soudainakyoukoku Academy and second in command for captain Hasemoto. Nice to meet you, kid." He informally saluted to the Russian commander.
"And I'm Wanatabe Omaru, also a second year of Soudainakyoukoku Academy and also second in command for the captain. Glad to see you too." Omaru then invites him to a handshake, to which Arai obliges.
After he is done shaking hands, the commander of Krasnaya asks another question. "Another thing… I've heard that Soudainakyoukoku is sponsored by the Hasemoto family, yes?"
"And?" Takashi added. "What more do you want to know?
"I was wondering… who is the current commander of the school's Hohei-do club now, mister Kato?"
"That would be Hasemoto Kureitan. He's a third year, so quite a veteran, if I am being honest. Also gifted too, and is pretty the sole heir of the Hasemoto style I heard."
"The Hasemoto style?"
"Yes, the Hasemoto style. It's basically just being planning for every situation possible. Quite a pain to adapt to it, but once you get used to planning, it's honestly quite a liberating style."
"Huh…" Araki nods repeatedly as he ponders about it.
"Still, let's just focus on the match for now. I don't want to miss out on anything today, mister Kato." Ryunosuked advised.
"Alright, let's-" As Takashi turns to the window, he can already see distance tracers and explosions happening throughout the neighborhood of Tomakomai. "The party has already been started, huh." He mutters and smirks, expecting a great match to unfold before his eyes.
Down on the ground, things are getting very heated right now. The flow of civilian vehicles is starting to divert away from the heavy fighting that is happening right in the crossroad. The pedestrians all either take cover behind objects get inside buildings like an actual war just erupted in the streets. However, the expression of those pedestrians are more akin to excitement than terror. They still take cover, but once they are in what they as safe places, they peek their heads out to witness the beautiful firefight happening in such a dense urban environment.
"Katowice to Kraków, Katowice to Kraków, enemy contact at crossroad, near Shimizumya Baseball Field! We're currently-" The squad leader, who is busy reporting the situation to his platoon with his body behind defilades, got interrupted by an explosion nearby. "Currently engaging right now!"
"Kraków to Katowice, solid." The platoon leader lieutenant Nagasaki calmly responded and switches to other squad. "Plock to Katowice, where are the logis?"
"This is Plock here. Logi trucks are hidden, we don't see any Canadians nearby. Will be wary regardless, sir. Our position is Sabanai Park."
"Good. Be on standby for now. You heard what Kraków said, yes?"
"Tak jest. We'll make sure those trucks won't be out, sir."
"Thanks." The lieutenant turns to his squad. "Alright, men. Let's push down east and flank the Canadians from north. Kraków's squad can't hold for long, so let's make pace."
"We heard you, sir. We're going dismounted, then?" One of the soldiers asks.
"Yes. Remember to take it slow. Those St. Edward's guys can appear anywhere. They may not be masters of urban, but neither are we. It will not be a walk in the park, you hear me?" Katowice warns, to which all of them nod back.
"Good." He displays satisfaction to his men's discipline, before nonverbally gesturing them to move on with him to aid Kraków and outmaneuver the enemy.
Running through the grassy land, the squad establish some security as lieutenant Nagasaki receives more and more words from other squads.
"Lublin reporting, we've spotted hostile elements. Order to engage?"
"Try taking out their BWP first. That should ease the Warszawa's hussars a bit."
"Copy. Will make sure their wheels are gone, at least."
"Lublin to Poznań. Heard you were planning on taking up the BWP."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"My squad currently down south right now. It looks like the Canadians are sticking close to their armored units for now, leaving the flanks a bit open. Maybe we can close on them together and get a tag on it before pulling back."
"Great idea. We'll be moving up them. Be on standby for now, not in position yet."
"Tak."
"Kraków to Katowice, copy?" The squad leader calls out to the one contacting him earlier, but all that's left is just buzzes.
"Kraków to Katowice, report." The buzzes continue, making the lieutenant worried. "Kurwa, I hope he is just busy."
"Squad leader, I think we should keep on moving down south. The road ahead seems clear enough." One of the infantrymen told.
"Holding the south right now. Lots of gunfire still, but it seems they're too busy going ham on Kraków's squad." The gunner holding the southern flank also said.
"We can use this opportunity to cross. I already got the streets ahead covered, let's get going!" The medic suggested.
"Alright, alright, alright. We should be moving, yeah…" Katowice was quick to agree, he had been stuck with checking on the others for longer than expected anyway.
With baited breath, all start running across the open road, the medic and the auto rifleman carefully scanning every inch of the scenery, making sure nothing is out of the ordinary, because if there is, it's going to be blasted down with bullets.
Unfortunately, right as the grenadier first crossed through the middle of the road, he was brutally shot down with a hail of leads.
"Kurwa, we've got company here!"
"Where is he? Where is he?"
"Can't go on the road. Looks like the guy got shot by an MG."
"Were you doing your job, gunner!?"
"I didn't see him! I don't even know the location of the guy!"
"Clear comms, guys. Clear cooms." Lieutenant reminded with judgement, silencing everyone and giving him a bit of space to think about what just happened. "Okay… It seems that this road is being held by a gunner, that is clear. What I don't know is… Wait, do you guys think he's above us?"
"Above?"
"Well… It is the last place we would have looked, right?"
"Come on squad lead, really? The dust seems blowing off quite horizontally by me. Maybe…"
"Uh, guys?" Another one called, as various white smokes puff up, blocking their vision southeastward. "I don't think that's friendly smoke."
"Ah great, they're attacking for us now."
"Everyone, hold your ground for a bit, we may be able to surprise them, they only saw one of us, not all."
"Okay, me and the boys will be moving up now. You with the C6 keep up the good work, alright?"
"Sure thing." The machine gunner nods simply, keeping his hand steady on the 7.62 beast.
"Sergeant Gagnon, are you sure the Poles are in the park. It was just one guy." A member, likely a new recruit, ask the commander.
"Of course there has to be more. The connards travel in groups, just like we do. A lone man in a match of Hohei-do is a man already dead, you know?"
"Y-Yeah, sir. Moving up now." The new recruit quickly runs through the streets, with loud autocannon fire and tracer flying on his south.
The recruit quickly gets a foothold onto the grassy land. "Holding!" He called out, to which the other members quickly follow suit. Everyone pauses for a bit to get some of their bearing.
"Ready?" A Canadian soldier asked, still controlling his breathing as not to get too hyped up with adrenaline pumping in his blood.
"Ready!"
"Ready!"
"All good!"
"Let's fuck them up!"
"Shit, I've been ready for this since birth!"
"Well then…" Maxime makes a hand signal to start the small assault.
The Canadians start to slowly sweep through the park, take deliberate steps, holding their breath as they await the enemy at every tree. It was unnerving, hearts beating fast, hands shaking, shaky breathing.
The Poles also hold their breath, not making any sound. Their fingers are all way far off the trigger. A misfire would have been extremely disastrous.
Unlucky for Kościuzko, one of their Beryl screams, letting out a loud bang that rings throughout the atmosphere.
"Kurwa…" The one that accidentally presses the trigger curses, knowing he basically just kills them all now. The stray bullet hits one of the Canadians, causing him great pain. He quickly returns the gift with a full auto spray from his C7A2, ensuring that the initial problem is now gone.
"One Poles down. Seems like we really do have company aroun-" As he commented, he was silenced by another member of squad Katowice.
"Shit, man down!"
"Quick, nade that position before they get another shot!"
"Launching GL!"
"Agh, shit! One down!"
"Another one!"
"Fuck fuck, that's MG! He's down south!"
"Got you covered!"
"Wait wait! Somone's coming for a re- Welp, that's the life of him!"
The comms breaks out alongside a cacophony of gunfire and explosions, all done in an incredibly efficient manner. It is so efficient in fact, from the perspective of an outsider, it was like a tidal force of nature just swallowing up the Poles.
"Yeah, now's that what I'm talking about!"
"Just cleaned them up like we're janitors!"
"Bon travail boys. Keep up the good work." Maxime was busy congratulating when he receives a transmission. "Coyote here. We got one of our LAVs tracked far down south. Managed to sweep up the infantry though, but it looks like it will take quite a while to fix it up. For the other, it didn't sustain much damage, and it did its job. We also have a double squad wipe on both of the LAVs too."
"Parfait." Maxime chuckles. "Criss, I can't believe they just fall like flies. Fucking Poles and their big word…"
As the Canadians do a somewhat early celebration, 2 Rosomaks is ever so patient, waiting the Canadians to pass through before laying the shots onto the logistic trucks.
"Katowice to Warszawa, copy? Katowice to Warszawa? Kurwa…" The captain cursed as he helplessly witnessed the way the Canadians casually swept through the Polish like they are just dust blocking their ways. Now with the lieutenant gone, he has lost communication with the motorized platoon. He doesn't know many of his men is left. He doesn't even know if the trucks are in safe hands or not.
So, he clutches his hand in frustration and takes a quick look to the sky. It is still blue as always, nothing red glowing on the blue background. "Dobry, that means we still got time. Borrowed time, but still… time."
"Oi captain… You heard that, right?" A guy comes to the where the captain is standing, right in front of the majestic Rosomak. "The gunfire, the explosion… all that."
"Yes, I did. We still got time. It's likely they'll move their trucks up too for fear of us hussars hunting it down. Good thinking from the guy… but I got another plan. It might be our only chance of winning but… here's what I mean."
With the IFVs making a run for the logis down south, one of the commanders of the vehicle asked. "Hey, captain… Are you sure this will work?"
The captain pauses for a long time, the drivers of the hussars keeping their rapid pace up to meet the enemy right on time. He then states. "No… But I think this is our best, and perhaps only shot. However, I have trust on you with the BWPs, you know?"
"We are aware, captain." Another female made herself known. "We aren't called hussars for nothing remember?"
"Yeah yeah, let's not get ahead of ourselves. The first crossroad is right ahead, by the way."
"Ah, seen." The commander responded plainly, waiting until the convoy right on the edge of the crossroad. He then orders. "Okay, stop here. All infantry units, dismount."
All those riding inside the pack of steeled wolves suddenly flow out through the ramp behind the vehicles. The squad leaders are different though; they just jump down from riding the IFVs as if they are horses of medieval times, like cavalrymen getting down the brave mammals to scout out the situation.
"By the looks of it, seems like we'll be slowly creeping up, sir?" The accompanying sergeant guessed.
"Słuszny." Budziboj gestured. "Now get your arses going or there won't be bigos when we got back, copy?"
"Tak jest!" The grunts enthusiastically answered.
"Alright…" Budziboj uses his left hand and points forward, moving up at a tactical pace, to which his fellow men soon follow as the IFVs hold the area secured.
They look right and left, up and down, making sure there isn't an ambush waiting for them. Of course, if there is an ambush, they would have been already taken out when they are on the road. Still, there is never a concept of being overtly paranoid, especially in an environment such as cities as big as Tomakomai.
To their right, remnants of the previous firefight can be seen, his comrade lying with no life in them. There were resistances, yes, but the Canadians were just too quick and too pin pointed with their trigger to give the Poles a decent fighting chance.
The medics throw a mourning look to them, before one of them do a sign of the cross to honor their 'sacrifices'. As they all bunch up behind a building, Budziboj takes out his binoculars and peeks around the corner ever so slightly. Everyone else is tense, holding out to be certain they aren't flanked.
Carefully scanning the road down south, he can see a stranded LAV receiving repairs from one of the combat engineers, with the logistic trucks parked beside it, though they are placed carefully as to only expose the head and the tail respectively. There are multiple infantry contacts nearby, but because of how far he is, there is not much risk in being engaged.
Just as he concludes that though, he suddenly sees a bright light coming from the ground. His training tells him he is fucked if he doesn't take cover now, so he immediately stops the scouting, his face scared shitless.
"H-Hey, what's the matter, cap? You looked like you just pooped your pants there." The one holding the RPG-7 loaded with the HEAT warhead in hand joked.
"Y-Yeah… I saw lights reflecting off the ground and uh…"
"Sniper?"
"Sniper. Anyhow…" He brings up his hand to the left ear. "Hussars, move up slowly. We've got a stranded BWP being repaired with multiple infantry contacts defending it, including a marksman. There are also both of the logis too."
"Tak jest. I'm moving up now." A female combatant agreed.
"So do I. Let's end it here and now. The time is nigh, and it won't be long before they got our logis too." Another female agreed.
A little behind the infantry, the Rosomaks slowly creep up the street.
"I'll aim for the BWP's turret. You get the wheels. Sound good?"
"Going with it."
"Alright." The commander then turns to her gunner. "Gunner, load AP. Once you see the BWP, blast the wheels into into smithereens, copy?"
"Copy, switching to AP now." The gunner obliged, a metal clanking can be heard as the cannon switches the rounds up.
"Driver, keep up that pace. You know what to do once you see hostiles, tak?"
"No need to tell me twice, commander." The driver puts her foot off the gas pedal, ready to slam into the brakes as the IFVs go down the road.
"Anti-tanks, are you guys good to go?" Budziboj asked.
"Mine is clear. RPG loaded." The sergeant answered.
"Captain, got the mail in. Ready to send it down range." His anti-tank soldier replied.
"Mine's good too." Budziboj then raises a hand up. "Alright… Here goes!"
The Rosomaks finally finish their creeping maneuver and blast the LAV with autocannon fire, disabling both the turret and immobilizing it with all the wheels gone, again. There goes the engineer's work.
"Fuck, enemy IFV up north!" One of the Canadians shouted in panic as they move away.
The LAV, having its busy set to look to the rear, was clumsily turning it towards the Rosomaks ganging up on it before breaking halfway through because of the 30mm.
"Can someone get an AT-4 down there!? Maybe a LAW!?"
"Got the LAW here!" A soldier shouted, readying the launcher and taking a breath before getting into firing position. "Backblast clear?"
"Backblast clear!" The ones beside responded, moving away from behind the LAW user.
"Firing!" And the munitions inside the LAW is launched, flying through the air before hitting the front armor of a Rosomak.
"Got another one! AT-4 coming up!" Another anti-tank unit, this time with the AT-4, shoots his rocket towards enemy armor, damaging them quite a bit more than the LAW could.
"We're absorbing a lot of fire here!" An IFV commander said.
"Just focus on the LAV, then we pull out!" Another one called.
The Rosomaks keep their sights true onto the LAVs, and not before long, the LAV gives out black smoke and pops up a white flag.
"Woohoo! Gottem!"
"Alright! Hussars' out! We're pulling back, captain!"
"About time!" Budziboj nodded before frantically making hand signals to fire. The anti-tank guys were confused for a second before nodding repeatedly and aim their sights to the trucks, spotted opposite of them.
"Firing RPG!"
"Launching RPG!"
Both rocketeer announced, pressing on the trigger and lobbing the rockets to their targets. With just mere moments later, the trucks pop their white flags, black smoke flying up like smokes used for celebrating the victory of Kościuszko today against St. Edward. As if to assure that result even more, the well-known, equally loved and dreaded red flare appeared high up the skies, signifying the end of a Hohei-do as per usual.
"Welp… Uh…" Lieutenant Margelov struggled to find any words as the announcer on the TV behind them announces the result of the match, with drone footage showing the Canadians logi trucks popping out. "Looks like we'll be facing against them next match."
"Huh." Araki still absentmindedly look at the pillars of smoke, not turning back to the lieutenant. "I guess… We'll be dealing with them again, huh?"
"Yeah… Welp, might as well. We can make it an opportunity to show them we have the will to win against them, prove them that Krasnaya Zvezda is still capable of greatness." The lieutenant told.
"Yeah yeah, greatness this, greatness that." Takashi rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "Save that for when you get to the finals or something, then we will be talking."
"What do you fucking Americans know about us anyway?" Alexander snaps. "All you Americans are good at are making assumptions and abusing your ridiculous firepower advantages."
"Sure sure lieutenant, keep seething that while we dominate without even breaking too much of a sweat. It's not our fault we're too good!" Omaru added in.
"Yo-" Alexander was about to throw hands when Ryunosuke grabbed him by the shoulder and held him in his seat. He shakes his head left and right, his gaze showing he is not going along with whatever Alexander is planning to do, especially to students of a prestigious Hohei-do academy. That can probably get him expelled if he's not careful
Thus, Alexander can only click his tongue and punch it down, not wanting to get into trouble with the admittedly rage inducing duo. Nanako also can only observe, a great sadness shrouding her eyes.
Noticing that sadness, Araki quickly stands up and is about to touch Nanako's shoulder, before stopping. "Uh…" The young boy struggles to say anything. "N-Nanako…"
Knowing Araki isn't slick with his words, Nanako quickly smiles at him to ease his worries. "It's fine, I'm okay."
The warmth that the smile provide is enough to soothe his heart of some worries, and he can't help but to smile back.
"Ah, I see that we'll be getting a new couple in the League, huh?" Omaru, again, butts in. The Russian and German lieutenants are about to throw hands with the guy, but the American beats them to that.
"Omaru, really!?" Takashi punts Omaru's back to get him away from committing any mischievous deeds. "Joke around all you want, but at least give them some personal space!"
Omaru bitterly rubs the back, a new pain rising from that punt. "Right, right…" He grumbles.
Takashi then gets his arm around Omaru and starts walking to the stairs. "Regardless, had a great time today. Thanks for the company, but we'll be heading out now. Sorry for all that, but you guys really ought to improve. Can't really respect you when you're not really on par."
"It's okay, we know you don't mean ill, or at least not much. Hope to fight against Soudainakyoukoku this year." Araki waves them off.
"H-Hey! We're going already, Takashi!?" Omaru complained.
"It's already late. If we stay here any later, we'll be missing the train back to Sasebo. Plus… I think we might be overstaying with our antics, you know?"
"You were the one started it, not me! You poked the hornet's nest!"
"Shut up, Omaru. Now come on, just play nice for once."
"Like all that other time you ask me to… Of fucking course I will, bastard." Omaru hummed with a bitter tone.
"Bastard indeed." Takashi huffs with humor from the comment, before forcefully bringing Omaru along to go back to their home city located far south in the prefecture of Nagasaki.
That leaves the quartets to their own.
"Well… I guess we should get going then, mister Yamamoto." Nanako suggested.
"A-Alright, maybe…" Araki shrugged.
"Fair." Alexander answered in a succinct manner.
"Good suggestion, Nanako." Her brother Ryunosuke also agreed. "About time we go anyway."
"Oh and… Mister Yamamoto… I really enjoyed watching the match today." She looks at Araki in an affectionate manner, though not overly romantic.
"Y-Yeah, me too. Quite a match it is. Looks like Kościuszko pulled a good comeback though, but they are a dark horse kind of school, after all."
"Yes. It was very enjoyable to view it, especially with you, mister Yamamoto."
"Really?"
Nanako's face start turning a bit red. "Y-Yes, it was. How about you?"
"Uhm…. Uh… I-I guess the same? I mean, I didn't expect you to show up but… it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless."
"A surprise, but a welcoming one, I presume?"
"Sure, you can say so. Now, we should get going. The sun will be setting soon enough, it's 16:47 already, mister Nishizumi."
"I heard you." The captain of Otto von Krieger looks at him endearingly, ready to tail him.
A feeling of heat suddenly emerges in his chest, making him clenches his fist. "Shit, why does she have to be so cute towards me? I mean… all the smiling I see today is going to give me diabetes at this rate."
Nanako also shares the same convoluted train of thought. "Agh, he's so cute too. Respectful also! I never feel that he is actively making me uncomfortable, unlike that lieutenant from Soudainakyoukoku…"
Then both sides exhale, before Araki starts. "So… we going?"
Nanako nods with shyness, getting an intrigued smirk from her brother who sees it.
And so, that makes it the end of this short expedition to Tomakomai.
The train station is as busy as always, the crowds now piling even more with the spectator waiting for their line to come. Even the quartets are waiting for their line to come, though they have separated into the lieutenant group and the commander group respectively. The lieutenants are too busy screwing each other around to even care about the commanders being together again, but it's not like they are against it anyway.
"I-It's goodbye again, it seems." Araki makes it awkward again for some reason.
"Mister Yamamoto… You know we will meet again occasionally, right?" Nanako raised a question
"Y-Yeah? I don't mean like this is farewell or well…"
"But you're acting like you're going to a place far from where I am, like I am going to lose you."
"I'm not! It's not like this train is going to take me to Chechnya! Don't act so worried, mister Nishizumi."
"R-Right. I guess I just got myself riled up for no reason."
The duo stands around, viewing the city together and enjoying each other's company one last time before leaving. Time passes by as the flock of people keeps on piling, until the planned train finally comes to pick them up.
With speed, they gather with the lieutenants to say their goodbyes.
"I guess we'll be parting ways from here then, captain Nishizumi." Araki started, stating the obvious.
"Perhaps…" Nanako pauses, before continuing. "But we will meet again someday, right?"
"You can say…" Araki looks at Nanako dearly, appreciating her natural beauty. It's odd how such a beautiful woman is participating, and even commanding in such a sport, but he couldn't care less. If it is just because of Hohei-do that they get to meet each other, so be it. It's not like there is much harm to them being friends anyway.
Romantic wise however… that might be a problem, particularly with a certain individual that happens to be the biological guardian of the mistress herself.
Regardless…
"Hey, are you done yet, captain? The train won't be waiting for us, you know!" The Russian lieutenant reminded.
"Right, right!" Araki quickly ties up whatever he lingers with Nanako with two simple words. "До свидания, мой дорогой."
Nanako also responded, her words simultaneously somber and hopeful. "Auf Wiedersehen, meine liebe."
They do not understand what the other said, but they know it's a goodbye. A temporary, and yet it feels like a goodbye of a wife waving off a soldier heading to the frontlines, or vice versa.
Still… it would take a lot more for this relationship to grow, but for now, they are just friends. Really close ones, but friends still.
As for the Soudainakyoukoku's lieutenants, they are already reporting back to the captain and completing their typical intelligence gathering duty before their rests. But they won't be able to have much, as preparations for the 3rd match of the tournament is speeding up to its conclusion. Soudainakyoukoku is already on a huge win streak, and it looks like they won't be backing down, away from another win either.
One thing is for sure though: The American war machine is not going to stop anytime soon.