Boots on the Ground: Volume 2

by florentinomain00f

With Krasnaya Zvezda achieving their first victory in the Hohei-do match, it can be said that for them, a new hope arises. However, they would still have to face a lot of problems, both externally and internally. Even still, with tenacity and brotherhood as their guide, they shall rise to the challenge and prevail. Though... the finale of the tournament isn't just the club's goal.

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Opening Up

It's Monday, and on the Graf Zeppelin, everyone is wondering what on earth is going on with the carrier. Has there been a maintenance failure, or some delay due to outside circumstances? The reason for this confusion is that usually, by this time of the week, the carrier would have been far off at the deep sea already. But here it is, still sitting in its dock in Kumamoto. It wouldn't be an unfair assessment to say that there is a connection between this and the incident that the Dracke helicopter experienced some time before. But really, what matters is that it is still here and that it offers the cousins another chance to meet each other again, as promised. It's not too long for them to catch up on many things, but not too little for Maho to process what she was hearing a day or two earlier.

Maho was sitting in her classroom, finishing the required assignments left from the past week, working on the new ones she received, and all of the other necessities that came with high school that weren't Sensha-do. Her mind was quite troubled with the thoughts of how Shiho was doing at that moment. As the day first began, with Shiho having appeared in better shape just before leaving, Maho had positive thoughts about the meeting she was going to. But, as the day dragged on, worrisome thoughts slowly took over. Some thoughts tempted her to believe Shiho was suffering as much, if not worse than the last time, while others displayed the idea that she was the one dominating, and some even went so far as to say that she had fainted, perhaps even suffered a stroke or heart attack or aneurysm.

Maho tried to wave off those thoughts as Sensha-do practice began, and the comforting assurance that Nanako would be meeting her again helped in putting her at ease. Practice was proceeding as usual, perhaps even more motivated with how frustrated everybody was over the loss to Pravda the year before, determined not to make any mistakes that could prevent them from gaining the champions' flag again. As practice ended and the second wave of class began after lunch, the same stressful, anxiety-inducing thoughts came back. It was an even harder slog to get through, as it seemed that they were making it clear that they meant business, but with the help of her Nishizumi endurance, she powered through her classes, and once they finished, and it was time to greet her dear cousin.

---

At the same time, in the long lines of people going up on board comprising local residents and otherwise, a girl follows along with a large duffle bag she carries. She wears the typical uniform of a school, with the emblem hanging on her chest. About the emblem itself, it contains a German Iron Cross and a helmet loosely placed on top. And while a lot more details can be said about her, it can be said for certain that, indeed, this girl is commander Maho's long lost cousin that she just met a weekend ago - Nishizumi Nanako. The duffle bag looks to be quite conspicuous with its size though, but just being swift with the talking at the supposed checkpoint that the Zeppelin has should be enough to get through.

As expected from a quick thinker like Nanako, she seamlessly passes through the checkpoint and is well on her way to reaching Maho, at least, from Maho's perspective. It doesn't take long for her to reach Maho, and the two quickly get to talking.

"Well, you made it... presumably without any hindrances."

"I am glad to see you too... cousin." Even with their earlier agreements, there were some difficulties with Nanako being able to utter the word 'cousin'. It's simply too unreal, especially with what she did to Maho being the equivalent of burning the Nishizumi physically in front of her. "There wasn't much hindrance really. The girls at the checkpoint were on high alert as expected, but they were very carefree about the package I carried, at least, how I saw them." Nanako quickly eyes onto the duffle bag, then looks to Maho. "And I guess this is the perfect time to continue what we have on last weekends." The sun, meanwhile, was shining behind them with a dark shade of orange, indicating the approaching dusk. Since it's summer however, Mr. Dusk was significantly less punctual than usual.

"Well, we can't stay here too long. I'll start heading for my room; wait a few seconds and then follow me, try not to make it obvious that we're related in some way."

"Sure. That sounds like a good plan, though people may think I am a stalker though..." Then she shrugs with not much emotion. "Eh, I'll just blend in with the countless stalkers that follow you. That's probably for the better."

"Don't worry, I'm already used to it... Okaa-san has stalkers everywhere she goes, anyways, so much so that it makes you wonder how our house hasn't been robbed yet, though knowing her, you don't want to try."

"I don't know, maybe because... tanks?" Nanako was quick to make light of the situation. "But anyhow... Why are you leading me to your room? And if I'm assessing correctly… Isn't it the commander's room of Kuromorimine?"

"Yes, it is, but nobody visits without my foreknowledge. Anybody who manages to get in without permission can consider themselves evicted from the school, so don't worry about our alone time being disturbed."

"I see..." Nanako mutters under her breath.

To be frank, the presence of Nanako definitely has attracted unwanted attention, especially given that her uniform is distinctly different from Kuromorimine's, yet similar. However, this is one of the few times Maho is thankful she inherited some of that menacing aura her mother has, effectively shutting down any questions being any of them are being raised, just by giving the bystanders a good cold gaze. But even that can't dissuade the looks of curiosity many students about this odd individual appearing in the school, with some of them crafting rumors right off the bat. Most of them are kind of baseless, but one in particular catches their ears.

"Hey, that uniform... It looks familiar."

"What? Do you mean it is like ours?"

"No, not that. It's more... I don't know how to put it, but I remember getting to see some of Germany's military uniforms. This one is more similar to modern incarnations that are currently in use by them."

"Oh... I don't think I know much about it to give it a definitive response."

"Not like we need to anyway. Like the board will ever change anything with Sensha-do... Plus, we use World War Two tanks, of course we use World War Two-style uniforms."

"Yeah..."

Making their way past the crowds of curious onlookers, the duo enters Building A of the dormitories, where the commander's room is situated. Moving upwards using the elevators, they reach the 3rd floor in seconds. With nobody to really see them now, they rejoined together and walked towards the entrance to Maho's room, which was being guarded by a single security officer. Although the threatening Nishizumi aura was sufficient, it wouldn't hurt to ensure more security. Seeing this, Maho whispered to Nanako's ear,

"Just tell her that you're an acquaintance of mine who is here for a little business meeting."

"Who- Ah, right..." Nanako quickly nods, understanding the reason why. And with that, they approach the security officer.

The security officer bows respectfully and tips her hat.

"Good afternoon, Kommandant... with all due respect, may I inquire as to who your acquaintance here is, and what her purpose here is?"

Maho was about to answer, but Nanako beat her to the punch. "To answer your question... You may know me as Nanako, and if you are observant enough, you may notice that I am from a different institution already. Fear not, however, as I do not intend any harm upon our dear Kommandant here. I am merely here to speak to her about various topics. You can think of it as a diplomatic trip between academies, if you will."

"Alright. Welcome inside."

Thanks to the various checkpoints in Kuromorimine, the officer safely assumed that Nanako had nothing dangerous. With their entry admitted, the two entered into the room, closing the heavy soundproof door behind them, before taking a seat.

And just as they touch the chair's surface, they both exhale.

"Well, that was way more smooth sailing than expected, cousin."

"I didn't expect you to state your name and credentials, but hey, whatever works, I guess..."

"As long as I don't let the surname out, no one would bat much of an eye. That's what I have figured for as long as I can remember."

"Fair enough... Okaa-san has me worried today. She hasn't called me since she left, and usually they have a lunch break around the same time we do. I was expecting a call, but she hasn't yet. That has me rather scared, who knows what issues she's ran into today."

Upon hearing it, Nanako grabs the hardened hands of Maho. "You don't have to worry, Maho. Once it comes to that... You don't have to intervene." The younger cousin's eyes sharpen upon the mention of the inevitable.

"I know... I just wonder if I can survive the next twenty-four hours with Okaa-san in a horrible mood... knowing her..."

Maho visibly shivered, an extremely rare moment of weakness from a Nishizumi like her.

Seeing her shivering like she is a soldier in the Eastern Front during winter, the cousin purposefully squeezes the heiress' hand and hurting her. "Maho... You shouldn't think much about it. When it comes, let it come. For now, I think you have the mental capacity to understand why both of us are here, right cousin?"

"Yes, yes... To find out more about your connections to my, or, I should say, our family."

"Alright..." A soft smile forms on Nanako's face. When Maho looks into it, she can't help but to see Miho in it. But as quickly as it came, it went, her expression changing in a snap to a more serious look. "Do you still remember what I told you that day? About our blood connections and how it came to be severed, I mean."

"Yes... hardcore traditionalism, strict adherence to family values, Okaa-san being Okaa-san, and Oba-chan being Oba-chan."

"Yes... and Panzer Ketto, too." Nanako couldn't help but to bite her lips saying it.

"You know, considering what happens with Panzer Ketto, I'm surprised it wasn't shut down earlier. Though obviously, Okaa-san and my family have a large influence over making sure Panzer Ketto lasted as long as it did."

"Yes indeed... To say that the practice was evil would be unwise of me, but it certainly had caused great pain for many of our kinds."

"At least it's gone now... gone too late to keep us together, I guess."

Maho took a while to think, gazing into her cousin's eyes, before flashing a smile.

"All is forgiven... Things were never the same after Otou-san left, that's when I began to secretly question my family values; yeah, the winning streak did away with those doubts... but that was the case until last year, and Miho left in disgrace."

"Yes, I'm aware..." Nanako got closer to Maho's face and lightly flicked her cheeks. The senior girl instinctively closed her side of the eyes where she was flicked, ever so slightly bemusing Nanako. Soon enough, however, she decided it was time to square up. "You know, cousin... It's kind of unfair for me to know everything about you and your loved ones, whereas you have completely no information about me. So... do you want to hear about it, Maho?"

Maho didn't say anything, but seeing how she didn't seem opposed, Nanako continues. "Okay, I will take that as a yes. Anyway, as I have already said before, we've been split off from the main family for quite some time already. We swore to never step foot inside a tank ever again, and I guess you can say we are still enacting that generational promise. However, we found ourselves funding another German-themed school that participates in Hohei-do. Its name? Otto von Krieger, cousin. And let just say that... we have been there ever since Hohei-do was first propped up. Not me, but definitely my mother. She did the funding in secret, but when grandmother found out, they had arguments here and there. But eventually, she begrudgingly accepted her daughter's offer, on the condition that she must, at all costs, avoids the same mistake her ancestors committed. Thus, from the get go, we placed more emphasis on building environment where everyone can feel like they're at home. Hohei-do is still our main focus, but well... We have a more humane approach to it."

Maho nodded as she took in each aspect of Nanako's explanation, pondering each detail with interest, trying not to let her Nishizumi bias interfere. It was during this that something clicked in Maho's mind. "You know, cousin, this reminds me of something... Miho's new school... I looked at it, researched its environment, it has a very warm and welcoming atmosphere of its own..." With a little smirk on her face, Maho further inquired, "I'll presume that you and Ooarai Girls' Academy are unrelated?"

"Frankly, I don't know them, not a single bit. They're not affiliated with the Hohei-do League, so I don't have any knowledge of them." Nanako raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, that was part jest. They used to participate in Sensha-do, actually, doing very well, in fact, before certain backdoor deals shut that effort down decades ago. What those deals were and who was involved, I don't know."

"How unfortunate, indeed. Thankfully no such thing happened with any Hohei-do League schools, and I really mean not at all. However, there is a reason to all of this, cousin." Nanako exhales with sympathy, then relief.

Maho listened intently, wondering what made Nanako look so relieved.

"Now again, each school of ours is supplied with goods from various Ministries of Defense with little to no modification. That fact I have established. However, there is a reason behind all this abundance in equipment, cousin. A reason that... you might feel disgusted to hear about." Nanako took a brief pause, catching up a breath. "It's because Hohei-do... is a testing ground for everything that modern warfare will come to be in the future, a constant battlefield simulation using adolescents whilst disguising itself as a sport with similar nature to Sensha-do. It's not that no one in the League knew, but rather we remained tongue in cheek about it. Then again, Maho... If I remember correctly, didn't Sensha-do start out the same way too?" The younger Nishizumi all of a sudden dropped a very peculiar question, digging very deep into tankery's history.

Maho froze, sitting rigid in her seat as the full realization came down on her. With this came also the thought that, perhaps, everything she knew in Sensha-do may very well be nothing but a simulation as well, that they may be used for the nation's personal benefit in order to forge their soldiers into better killing machines, all disguised under the blanket of a fun, girly sport.

With short, cycled breathing, Maho tried to get a much-needed question through her mouth.

"So…. it… it's all… it's all been a… a-a lie…?"

"It's... Maho, calm down first. It's not what you think." Nanako quickly gets to Maho and flicks her forehead, breaking her out of her trance. "Gosh cousin, you really are an overthinker too? Maybe being a tank girl is starting to get to you." Once again, she teases her cousin, not missing any chance at all.

Maho takes a few deep breaths to calm down, sinking into her seat as minor exhaustion sets in. A glance and a slight nod at Nanako is enough to tell her that she should continue.

"Okay... But like I said earlier, everyone participating in it is very much aware of its true purpose, we just remain silent about it. Plus..." Nanako then cracks a big smile. "At the end of the day, it's really fun. Don't you feel the same towards Sensha-do too, counsin?"

The sudden shift in tone is unsettling for Maho, who is still trying to cope with the revelation and possibility that her whole life has been a lie. She is tempted to get up, dash to the door, open it, and run as fast as she could away from Nanako, but she doesn't do it, instead remaining glued to her seat, managing a slight nod to tell Nanako she had heard her, and would like her to continue.

"Yeah... I didn't really expect that kind of answer, but it makes sense. You wouldn't be such a good practitioner of Sensha-do just because you are doing it out of duty. There has to be a drive somewhere that steers you closer to the tanks, right? So..." It is at this point that Nanako reveals the object hidden inside the duffle bag - a model of the original Panzerfaust, its warhead looking like a big fist. "I remember I talked to you about how you only have to worry about tanks. And while I was at home, I manage to acquire some footage of you fighting in the Tiger I as they call it. Your commands are great and... I get the impression that you are always ten steps ahead of enemy tanks. It's like you have something in your head that helps you to track where they are currently. However... I wonder if that skill you develop is also applicable to smaller targets, cousin."

Maho had by now somewhat recovered, and was able to formulate sentences, though not without momentary pauses as she had to catch her breath every now and then, and having to breathe deeply as her stomach performed a somersault. "Maybe... I've had to deal with some... light tanks... here and there, every now... and then. It's not easy, but... with practice I've been able... able to knock out some smaller targets... like light tanks and tankettes from Anzio."

"Hehe, yeah. I must admit they are quite nimble for their size. However... can you do same for targets the same size as you and me, Maho?" Nanako glances on the Panzerfaust, pushing her cousin towards a friendly challenge of sort, one that she thinks can open the heiress' horizon even more.

"With an eighty-eight millimeter cannon, I don't know how you can survive. We don't use our machine guns anyways, but I'll be willing to try... unless your body armor is from some cheap factory in rural China," Maho jabbed as she flashed a smirk.

Nanako gulps at the proposition, knowing these are real rounds she is involving herself with, a completely different to Hohei-do's toned down, yet still considerably effective ballistics. But she quickly steels herself. "No, feel free to use the cannons if it works. The Tiger I's machine gun only faces the front of the vehicle, so I fear I will outmaneuver you far before you even see me. It's not like you will even hit me with it anyway. But I must correct you, my body armor is certainly not from China, even if it won't do much against such a large round." She pulls out said body armor, exposing and pointing at the seal of approval by the Bundeswehr inside the vest with a hint of offense taken. "But you can use dud rounds for safety if you want, unless you are feeling dangerous and decide to bring me to an early grave that is..."

Maho took a while to admire the armor displayed by Nanako. Some dents were visible, meaning it had experienced combat a good deal. The Bundeswehr seal that affirmed its reliability and use was what really caught her attention, knowing full well that this must've come from Germany, the country she would finish her studies at, and she wanted to make sure if her suspicions were correct.

"This armor... is it really from Germany? From... from the Bundeswehr itself?"

"Like I have established already, everything in Hohei-do is pretty much the real deal, minus the ballistics of course. If you are still in doubt... I can wear it as a test while you fire the machine gun at me. Center mass, of course." It's weird how eager Nanako is even with her lack of facial expression, but Maho, while able to clearly notice it, doesn't mind. "After that of course, we do a duel of tank and anti-tank. To make it even more fair..." Nanako then pulls out a uniform that one could only expect to see in documentaries and blueprints - the Bundeswehr uniform itself in the appropriate Second World War setting. "I've limited myself to time appropriate equipment. It would not be fair at all to use the latest Panzerfaust against a Tiger, right cousin?"

"Well... um... about that... Okaa-san will kill me if she finds out... hyperbole, of course, but, you never know... maybe when we have better circumstances. She won't like Hohei-do being played in any form on what she calls 'sacred ground', like this carrier."

"Oh... That's unfortunate. How about we do something else then? You're already done with practice for the day, yes?"

"Yeah, we're done with practice... let's see..."

Maho stood and began to wander her room, looking for anything to pass the time before Shiho returned. There were chessboards, but Maho, for all her Sensha-do prowess, absolutely sucked at chess, losing every match she fought against, except when she was facing absolute beginners. There were a few board games, but she feared they would take too long, especially ones focused on WW2 campaigns.

A few minutes passed with no results. All Maho had to offer were overly-lengthy board games, a game she utterly sucked at, and countless books and literature about Sensha-do that nobody bothers to read nowadays. It was a pretty boring lifestyle to show here, but when your mother wants you to focus everything on Sensha-do like a monk focuses on peak spiritual attainment, it wouldn't be a surprise to find a room like this from the Nishizumi heiress.

"Looks like I'm dry. Any ideas of your own, aside from Hohei-do things?"

"...We can do some stuff in the Tigers you like to sit in. You don't usually leave deck unless it's on weekends, right cousin Maho? No one, not even your Okaa-san would suspect since it will look like you doing extra practice. And..." Nanako gulps mentally at how naughty the idea is, given her entire family pretty much swear to never do the same ever again. Why did I even say that?

"And...?" Maho, puzzled, didn't get what Nanako meant, now confused, and a bit unsettled by how embarrassed she suddenly appeared. "You seem at a sudden loss for words... did anything happen?"

Nanako takes a moment to compose herself before speaking out. "Do you… want to operate the Tiger with me, Maho?" Even with that grace period taken, she looks oddly guilty of what she suggested.

Maho mulls over the proposition, knowing full well the consequences that could impact her if she was discovered. She didn't want a scandal worse than what happened with Miho to happen with her, especially so soon after that fiasco that was the previous tournament. This could even be the end of Kuromorimine or her line of the Nishizumi family, depending on how things went and how Shiho handled the news. "I don't blame you now... If I say yes, chances are I'm never going to be sitting in this room within the next two months. If I say no, however... I wouldn't like to be an inhospitable host..."

"No, it's fine. I understand why you'd refuse..." And now, even the young cousin doesn't know what to do.

"No, no, no... Let's do it. After all, Miho's known for being a risk-taker, and, well... since you emulate her a lot... it won't hurt for me to keep the spirit going, wouldn't it?"

"Sure!" Nanako's face becomes more bright. "Forgive me if I made any mistakes though, I'm not used to handling... antiques."

"Oh, don't worry, these tanks have seen decades of being shot at, a little joyriding wouldn't hurt. Come on, my Tiger is waiting."

With excitement, the two relatives make their way out of the room and out of the dormitories. Outside, the crowds are now nonexistent, everyone having found their dormitories or finding a residence to rest in, or a restaurant to eat at, which was a good sign.

Sneakily, the pair maneuver through the vast campus towards the tank hangars, where Maho's prized Tiger is waiting for its next outing.

"Wow... I... This looks so cool, honestly!" Glitters appeared in the cousin's eyes, yet her face remaining neutral. She feels her heart beating a little faster than usual.

"The tank of several legendary aces, that pseudo Wittmann not included, Kami forbid if he was," Maho proudly presented. "But myself, definitely included."

"Heh, Wittmann… She won't happy hearing that."

"Who?"

"Nothing. Anyway, you seem proud about it. Reminds me of how you think of Hanzo..."

"You can say that the Tiger is my pride, while Hanzo... is my joy." Maho was smiling a lot now, a sight that nobody had ever seen, not even from Miho.

"That's cute, coming from you there." Nanako smiles back, before climbing up the tank. "You should have seen me with the Puma though. Many people said I look scarier when I'm on it."

"I can say the same for myself," Maho shot back as she fit herself into the vehicle, before asking a question she should've asked a while earlier. "You drive, or I drive? Or, change every now and then?"

Nanako stops for a bit to think, but then she pulls out a purse and takes a coin from it. The coin is thrown up into the air, and lands squarely in Nanako's palm, facing tails. "I'll drive." She then dives into the tank, looking around trying to find the driver seat. Given her lack of familiarity with old vehicles, and just plainly how dark it is inside, it's hard to see anything, much less moving in it without hitting her head onto the top.

Maho chuckles at the little cheat attitude, not being allowed to choose which side, before sitting into the commander's chair, though she notices Nanako having a very hard time. Fortunately, her phone is there, and it has a flashlight. Turning it on, she points it right at the driver's seat, hoping Nanako can get onto it.

Now, she is very much used to the better real estate that the Puma possesses, but in not much time, she has found herself sititng snuggly in the driver seat, her hands now on the handles, her feet lying flat on the pedals. But the experience she has with the IFV helps her to at least be aware of which handle are for left or right track, and which pedals are to move or to stop. The manual gearbox is a little disorienting to navigate though.

Maho, seeing Nanako settled in her seat, takes this moment to make sure all is well. "You sure you want to drive? This isn't like the IFVs you usually operate."

"I know, but doesn't it hurt to try? Well... For the Tiger maybe, but I'll try to minimize fault if possible. Just unfamiliarity, that's all, especially when we have to operate these with... such little assistance."

"I trust you, then. But if things go wrong, don't forget the brakes are there. Now, let's go for a scenic drive first? Or try some battle maneuvers?"

"Just hold on." The sounds of machinery echoes as it shudders and shakes inside the tank, but soon enough, the engine roars. "There you go." The cousin mutters. She carefully shifts the gear into what she thinks is 1st gear, before lightly pressing the gas pedal. The tank jerks backward, confirming what she did was right. Then, with great caution, she slowly gets the Tiger out of the garage and into the orange peeled sunlight. "Wow... This is a little easier than I thought."

She then presses down the gas pedal, messing with the handles around. The Tiger turns left, then right, then left again, before being turned around 360 degrees while stationary, its track turning the opposite way of each other. Each maneuver is done with care, and it does not startle Maho even a little. "Alright... I think I'm getting the hang of it, Maho. So, about what you said earlier..." Nanako then addresses the cousin's question. "Let's do some battle maneuvers, yours first."

"Let's try the drift first. You see that lone target over there? Pretend its gun is pointed directly at us. Accelerate, then turn sharply left, and stop once we've performed a one-eighty. Got it?"

Maho expects the usual, candy laced voice of Nanako to ring throughout the crew compartment. However, the cousin remains completely silent for a small moment. Then, she slams her feet onto the gas and charges almost straight towards the target with reckless abandoned. Minutes turns to second as the Tiger comes closer and closer to its prey. But soon after, every happened like a flash, the Tiger's left track ceases to move, leaving the right to spin wildly in the mud of the practice ground, slowly making the Tiger losing its grip. Then the left track gets to work again, rotating the opposition direction of the right track, turning the tank rapidly. And in no time, the Tiger now rolls backwards, maneuvering back behind the target, its gun facing the vehicle's weakest part.

Peering through the slits of the cupola, Maho watched intensely as the target drew closer and closer, holding her breath so as not to hyperventilate. The moment the target was directly in front of them, it seemed her life flashed before her eyes, and she squinted, bracing for that impact she was dreading.

Instead, she felt nothing, except the Tiger grinding to a complete halt, and the soft voice of Nanako saying a single word: "Bang."

That was probably one of the few times in her life that she is scared shitless, as they say. But soon enough, a sense of ease and satisfaction stems from within, seeing how beautiful the maneuver was performed by Nanako. And somehow, her body feels a little more relaxed than usual.

During the entire process, Maho's mind screamed that this Tiger will crash face first into the target. But her heart told her to keep her trust. She didn't know why, but that was probably the most serene she has ever felt executing such a move, like she felt for certain the Tiger would end up behind that target.

"Nanako... When did you learn to do that?" Maho asked an obviously understandable question.

"That? I actually don't do it much in fear of damaging the tracks, but on a pinch it helps to avoid incoming fire effectively in urban combat. Also, it is a rudimentary maneuver for an IFV crew of the Nishizumi school to practice. Since we constantly use and abuse our IFVs for assaults, we have learned to maximize their survivability the best we can without uparmouring it. Not that we don't have the budget, but mobility is the best form of armor, don't you agree, cousin?" Nanako answered thoroughly.

"Not really true for us... That distinction would go to, well, our ACTUAL armor, as in, thick steel and durable iron. You seem to be talking in a more Shimada-esque sense, for they pride their 'armor' on mobility, unexpected maneuvering, and swift, speedy attacks. Perhaps... you're also a Shimada?" Maho questioned with a soft chuckle.

"No, I am definitely not a Shimada. And I wouldn't say we just dodge either. In fact, our most well-known tactic is to absorb the initial volley of defensive fire before moving out of the way. By absorb, I really mean letting it hitting front armor. But of course, IFVs are not tanks, so at most you can get hit... roughly 5 times before you have to move out of the way. But really, our use of mobility is more so an adaptation from our battle experiences, seeing how no IFVs are much tankier than the other. Now there are exceptions like the British's Warriors and Bulldogs, but generally every IFV has the equivalent protection of a light tank. And I think you must be aware of how little the Nishizumi make use of light tanks, yes?"

"Mhm. We mostly use it for scouting and baiting. Otherwise, they're effectively useless for us."

"That's sad... I would have imagined Miho would take a better liking of them more, but at the end of the day, it's the heavy tanks that do the work, right? Anyway... What else do you want me to do, Maho?"

"There's a bunch of targets in the distance. We usually use them for shooting practice, but sometimes they're used for close-quarters training. Mind trying a shot on maneuvering in the middle of them?"

"You want me to be the gunner, Maho?"

"And I drive? Sure."

"Okay." Nanako moves to the spare seat on the side that has a radio on it for Maho to get down. Once the older cousin has her hand firmly holding the handle, she slithers to the gunner seat. And with that, now she is in the gunner position, looking around to familiarize herself more with the tank.

"Wow... How are you able to use this optic, Maho? There's no range finder to use. And then the traverse, too. Just... It looks like a lot of physical put in to simply rotate it around. I mean seriously, how can you use this tank without the multitude of electronics and systems on it?"

"Experience and adequate training should be enough of an explanation. We Nishizumis aren't referred to as 'born in the iron' for nothing."

"Ehe, yes you can say so. Now..." Nanako slowly, but surely traverse the turret with the handle, spinning to see which one is horizontal and vertical. One that is done, she aims to the closest target, picks up the rounds, loads it into the chamber, and then fires. The recoil from the rounds make the tank jolts back a little, the crew compartment being sent with a tiny shockwave of sort. The target is a hit of course, due to how close it is. "Under 300m, it seems reasonable enough. Now... What are those numbers surrounding the edge of the optic, cousin Maho?" She mentions as she peers into the scope again.

"They should be for magnification, I think, but I'm not so sure myself. All I know is Nishizumi tactics and that's about it, but my guess is that they're for magnification."

Nanako messes around with switches on the optic. She doesn't really understand how it works, but when she tries to spin the optic itself, the reticle in the middle moves in a vertical axis. "Wait, why is the reticle moving around?" She speaks up, still spinning the scope and observing the reticle's movements.

"I think you're adjusting it to shoot upwards, though I may not be so sure about that either. Just try to make sure the reticle is right at the target if you're close enough, and be comfortably zoomed in."

"Wait, let me do this." Nanako direct the cannons to the target further away from them, the number besides it telling it's 700m away from the Tiger. With a keen eye, she lines the reticle onto the target, before loading another round and firing it, hitting the target. After that, she moves the reticle upwards, loads the shell again and fires. The round shot missed the target completely, hitting the mound of dirt behind. "...So it's for zeroing, I see."

Once that is done, she screws around with the scope some more before finally finding a switch that increases the magnification. "Ah, I think I found the zoom switch now." She comments, flicking the switch back and forth, affirming its function while seeing through the scope.

She then directs the cannon towards another target, her body now getting used to the cramp space inside. It wouldn't be an understatement to mention how comfortable she is feeling being inside the Tiger now. She's so comfortable, she starts talking about other stuff as she shoots at targets on the range, leisurely loading every round. "Do you ever get into a tank all alone and just... think about stuff? Maybe drive it to the range and get some round down? Because for me... This is like when I got into the Marder to mess around in it after a bad day. It's odd how us Nishizumi likes to reside ourselves in machines of war, don't you think?"

"Like I said, 'born in the iron'. We've been forged in these machines, our doctrine is created by them, our beliefs are engrained in them. For most of our lives, we know not much else outside of tanks, so I personally wouldn't consider it odd, but rather, quite normal that we like these complicated yet effective contraptions."

"...You're understating it, Maho. We don't simply like them, we love them with all our hearts and minds, so much they kind of become a part of us, for better or worse," Nanako refuted, her hands still busy loading the cannons. The tank cannon now switches to a target further away, which from the cousin's point of view only resemble a small circle. But Nanako's never the type to shy away from a challenge, to which even Maho notices with the place the 88mm is aiming towards.

Maho, seeing just how far away the target was, felt it necessary to question her cousin, even though she had already proven herself several times now. "Trying to be like that new upstart at Continuation, huh? Are you sure you can hit it?"

The cousin didn't answer back, rather letting her marksmanship do the talking for her. With the tank round now neatly in the chamber, she takes aim of the turret, make minute adjustments along the way. Seconds turn to minutes as she finely tunes her cannon onto its intended target, but she feels satisfied enough, she pulls the trigger. The Tiger jolts back from the recoil, as a yellow hue appears in the atmosphere. Initially, it looks promising enough, but quickly the round goes offtrack, before hitting the dirt in front of the steel plate. Observing the result of her work, she quietly sighs, not saying anything afterwards. While Maho can't get a clear view of Nanako's face, what little of sympathy she has left told her of Nanako's great disappointment, not being able to measure to her senior.

Sensing an aura of disappointment from Nanako, Maho, not wanting to see her cousin in a depressive mood, turns around and gives some reassurance, talking loud enough for her cousin to hear. "Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. Would you like me to get closer, or will you try another shot from here?"

The cousin remains silent, the sounds of metals clanking together echo again as she reloads. The loading sounds seem a little more aggressive than usual, as if she is non-verbally saying she doesn't need to be catered to, she is fine on her own. With a little more adjustment, she pulls the trigger again, the rounds now looking to be hitting the target dead centre. It is satisfactory to say the least. But at the last second or two, either by some devil of the wind, or the more likely one being her forgetting to readjust her optic's windage and zero, the round looks to be magically steering off course, dusting up the air to the target's side. From then, frustration starts to spur within the little girl, her breathing more ragged than her usual. She loads another round, adjusts again, and fires. Loads another round, adjusts and fires. The process keeps repeating for many times, each time still missing the intended target. There are times she even straight up miss the target entirely, the round barely scratching the top of the plate. And soon enough, the steam has finally rocked the pot, and Nanako is now at her wit's end for tolerance to her own incompetence. "Scheiße..." She muttered, but the word was loud enough for Maho to hear about it in the driver's compartment. To describe it as full of anguish would be an understatement.

Maho can sense how furious Nanako is, how aggressive and heated she was acting as she performed her loading. It sounded like she was about to just slam the shell on the floor of the tank and start throwing a tantrum. Usually, Maho never felt fear, even if it were her own mother warranting it. But here, she could feel a real Nishizumi anger, as if Nanako were a powder keg that only took a single spark to blow up. Maho knew her cousin was really trying to hold it in, and in another rare moment of weakness, she didn't know what to do now. She didn't want to talk to her, lest she cause her to explode at the slightest hint of offense. But she didn't want to move the tank either, since Nanako could get pissed off with Maho moving without her foreknowledge. Relaxing into her chair, Maho remained silent and still, waiting for what Nanako was about to do next, fearful over what may happen over the next few minutes.

The loop of actions of loading the breech, adjusting and firing continues on for quite some time, each round somehow dozing off the target by just a metre or two at best. There are times her performance considerably worsened, her rounds not even hitting the broad side of the barn. Eventually though, with how this act not bringing any satisfying results, she slams the last round into the chamber as aggressively as possible, before not even bothering with the fine adjustments. Instead, she aims the cannon as high as it possibly can be aimed, before blindly pulling the trigger and letting the round fly high up into the sky. She then views the round flying away, before it becoming blurred by a liquid of some kind. The liquid, she soon realizes, comes from her own pair of eyes. And with that, she plants her face upon her forearms and cries silently. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry that I'm a failure. Why can't I even hit it? It looks so easy!" Her voice cracks a little as she apologizes, the emotions seeping through her usually deadpan face.

Maho's heart shatters at hearing the suddenly-sorrowful voice of her cousin. Without hesitation, she applies the brake and clambers toward Nanako. She arrives at the gunner's seat seeing her in such a sorry state. With her stomach twirling and her own eyes themselves starting to well with tears, she wraps her arms around Nanako, tightly clinging on to her, rubbing her back, running her hands through her cousin's hair, trying to console her while trying to find the right words to say. Ultimately, though, she can't think of anything good to say. All she can muster are generic "It's okay"s and "Don't worry"s, nothing like the motivational speeches she could give effortlessly as commander.

After spending more time ruminating on her failure, she turns to Maho, her forearms now wet. Her cousin seems to be comforting her now, which is admittedly nice. The kind words are generic, yes, but it should suffice. "But still..." She readies herself for a refute. "What's wrong with me? Usually shots like that are easy. Missing a few times? Understandable. But like... what just happened is... unacceptable." She grinds her teeth saying it. "Maybe the Tiger just doesn't like me. Maybe it hates me even. Maybe it thinks that I don't deserve it, that I'm better off with the Marder or the Puma..." It is certainly peculiar how much she treats those machines of war like living things, which amuses Maho a little. However, it's clear she is very ashamed of her previous performance, even going so far as to question her own abilities.

"Maho... Do you think I even deserve to be one of your kin if I can't even hit a shot like that? It was child's play, seriously!" Nanako is starting to crack emotionally, not able hold in the frustration any longer.

"Nanako, don't talk like this! I... I..." Maho was desperately trying to find whatever words would work, but she was unable to. It was evident that she was quite unsuited and inexperienced with these situations, as Kuromorimine never ever had anything like this, and Maho was starting to hate that fact.

Looking as her cousin struggling to put together any words, Nanako suddenly feels guilty displaying her frustration like this. It's understandable how Maho would struggle and yet... No, if that's the case, she should be the one to be mature instead. And so, she calms herself down, even with ragged breaths. "It's okay, cousin. You don't have to. I-I'm sorry for my insolent act, Maho." The stutter gave away how much she struggled to remain fine, it's obvious how heartbroken she was witnessing such horrible performance by herself.

"D-Don't apologize...! I don't hate you at all... why are you acting like this?"

Curses on you, Maho, you're being too hard on her!

Maho's thoughts were rebuking her as she tried to resolve the situation, the search for the best words to use almost like searching for the lost city of Atlantis; seeming like an impossible endeavor to her. She tried to show that she wasn't mad at Nanako at all by keeping her hug and doing everything she knew could calm someone down, hoping that something, anything useful would appear in her mind.

"I... I don't know. Do I look like I want to?" Nanako wells up her eyes again, and this time flushes into Maho's shoulder. "I just... It just gets all over me when things don't go my way!" The way the cousin refuted shows her helplessness of her own flaws. Anger issues are not something easily resolved, after all, especially when it's directed towards one's self.

Maho, understanding these facts, decides to prematurely end the outing, not wishing to have Nanako's feelings hurt any more. "Let's go back, we should talk this out back in my room... unless, you want to stay here..." With bated breath, Maho prays that Nanako doesn't keep her anchored here, wishing to be in a better, more private environment than in this tank.

"No, let's not Maho. I don't want to risk your Okaa-san finding me out. It would be ill-meaning of me to get you in trouble. Plus..." She slides her hand off Maho's back. "It doesn't matter where we are, so much as you are here, with me..."

Maho smiles, and draws Nanako closer to her, treating her as if she were her own daughter. After a while, the two separate, and Nanako, still shaken, readies herself in her seat while Maho crawls back to the driver's seat.

Removing the brakes, she gets the Tiger running and drives back to the hangars, hoping they had been seen by nobody.

While the Tiger is being driven back to the hangars with leisure, Nanako suddenly asks, now that she has calmed down some more. "Do you ever feel angry about yourself when you know you could have done it better, Maho?"

"Sometimes, yes… but, no offense, not as much as… well… you…"

"Ah... It's okay. It's not like I expect you understand, anyway. You got much more on your plate than I do, Maho, much more..." Nanako smiles, an aura of sadness surrounding her. "You shouldn't concern yourself with such menial happenstance."

Then, the cousin returns to a neutral expression. "You know, this may seem weird to you, but these kinds of... tantrums, as people may call them, they have been an inseparable part of my life, no matter how much I hate myself for it. And I feel that I'm such a weak person because of it too. It means I can't take control of my emotions and instead, let it control me. To that... I feel I am completely betraying the creed, thus being undeserving of the Nishizumi name."

Maho didn't know what to really feel. Nanako was right: she was failing at something that she shouldn't, and in the Nishizumi family, failure was something never to be found in their vocabulary. Yet, Maho didn't want Nanako to be beating herself up over it. Demoralization was not a word to be found in the Nishizumi vocabulary either.

"Nanako… I forgive you for this… Just don't hold yourself accountable, I understand."

That's the spirit, Maho! That's surely a step in the right direction… I hope.

"But if I don't hold myself accountable, how can I be a better person, Maho? A woman that lacks responsibility is a woman not worthy of anything." Nanako refuted the poorly structured sentence. And the worst part? She's right.

Darn... this is going to be harder than I thought...

"I see... All I can give you is what Okaa-san has kept telling me, and apologies if I come off as rude here, this is just what Okaa-san has told me:

'When it comes to performance, I do not care whether or not you failed to do this or succeeded to do that. I care about how the task was done. If you failed due to poor execution, then that is your fault. If you succeeded despite poor execution, I cannot find any logical explanation besides the assistance of the kami, which I consider to be a horrendous out for such a horrendous execution.

That is why I advise that one should look to themselves, and use their own minds, or the help of others should they choose to, that they may be able to formulate a way to operate, and make it so that their results will not sway from side to side, but rather, be more steady and trustworthy. If you have been performing the same act, and it yields bad results, attempt to identify your errors and work to improve on them. If you have been performing the same act, and it yields good results, you have begotten for yourself an efficient system, and unless you wish to improve it further, you may stick to it.'

In short, one must learn from their mistakes. Failure may not be a word to be found in our vocabulary, sure, but setbacks are necessary for improvement. We just learn, practice, and use the immaculate minds we have to get better at what we need to get better at.'

You... get what I'm saying here... right...?"

Nanako remains silent at the advice Maho gave, looking to be in deep thoughts. Then, she speaks out. "That sounds exactly like how my mother would put it, cousin. I... I'm surprised Okaa-san even taught you that. And I thought it was only grandmother, mother and brother who would have been that forgiving. Yet, here I am, listening to you. Perhaps your family isn't as bad as I thought."

"When you come to think about it... we aren't as far apart as we first thought." Maho couldn't help but flash an affectionate smile.

"That was very thoughtful of you to say, Maho." Nanako grins back with glee.

And soon enough, the Tiger has finally returned to its cage, or hangar to describe it more accurately, waiting for the time to be released into the battlefield once more on the next day.

Climbing out the tank first from the gunner position, Nanako stretches her limbs after a long time idling in the war machines. It always feels so good to do so after a long time sitting, especially when the place you got out of the crew compartment to enjoy the soft moonlight shining upon them.

With her little stretching session done, the young cousin turns to Maho. "Well, I guess that does it for today." She then exhales. "Wow, that was... cathartic to say the least. Maybe we should see each other more often if possible."

"Yep. Let's see…" Checking her watch, Maho read the time as 8:54pm. Shiho would arrive in a little more than an hour. "We'd better get you going. Is your ride ready?"

"...Scheiße, it's gonna be curfew soon, and I haven't even gotten to the train station. Oh no, I hope there's a late night ride or something, else mother is gonna be so worried!" For the first time since Maho has met Nanako, the heiress witnessed her cousin panicking as she forgot the time. "I got here on foot today, I didn't tell Karin to pick me up. Oh no, this is such a great miscalculation coming from me!"

Maho, on the other hand, is much more reserved. "I can get you a taxi, if you'd like."

"Really?" Nanako gains some stars in her eyes, as hope wells up in her. "Danke schön, Maho!" She then jumps to Maho's arm, hugging and snuggling her.

"Not a sweat," Maho replies, a smile once more forming on her face as she embraces her cousin warmly.

Soon enough, they manage to find a taxi nearby the docks. It was rather late at night, but seemed like this driver just feeling the vibe of the docks, a cigarette still smoking in his hand. He turns to the girls, a little high from the blunt he has. "Huh, what do you want?"

Maho isn't deterred by the bad first impression the guy gives up much, she isn't a daughter of a Nishizumi for naught after all. She looks back at him, a gaze that brings with it great assertion and dominance, which dispels any of the bad thoughts he has about them. "I'm sorry, but would you mind if you have the girl accompanying here be at her home?" Then, she switches to Nanako. "Where exactly do you live anyway, Nanako?"

"At the Nishizumi inn. There should only be one in Kumamoto here." Nanako answers, still holding her duffle bag closely.

"The Nishizumi inn?" Something clicked within the man. "I know that place. It's one of the most famous inns here. Have to make frequent visits there too because well… That's the place where I pick some drunkards up after big parties."

"I see." Nanako then steps into the car. "I will be in your care."

"How much is the payment, by the way?" Maho soon scoured her purse for money.

The driver, finally out of his trance from the cigarette, looks at Maho again, then looks at Nanako. His face flashes disbelief at one moment, but then it returns to neutral. "Ah fuck, it's probably just the blunt…" He mutters under his throat, before turning to Maho. "Don't worry, this one's on the house." The car's engine starts, purring like a cat just woke up from a nap. "Well, I'll be going then." Then just like that, he presses the gas pedal.

The car gradually becomes smaller and smaller as distance increases, before disappearing by a street's corner. Through it all, Maho's eyes and hand wave follow, as a sense of hope is instilled inside her, a hope for them to meet again. Worry soon overtakes hope, however, as she happens to realize something with Nanako's earlier 'tantrum' as she calls it. Self-loathing, she is no stranger to it, but to the degree of Nanako? Completely unimaginable, and yet…

"Poor girl has to handle all that bubbling up inside her, all alone..." Maho spoke to herself, clutching her hands. She looks down on the ground for a moment, then moves her head up. "Never more will that be the case again."

It is then, a new resolve within the heiress flourishes. Just like how she has cared for Miho all that time before her departure, so too, will she care for this dear cousin she has. Even if Nanako herself asks Maho not to get involved, she will make sure that for once in the girl's life, someone actually bothered to lend an ear for her. She doesn't know why she is so willing to assist in the first place, but deep down in her iron heart, she feels that it is the right thing to do, to help your own kin as Nanako likes to put it. A love, that was an "unconditional love", as some of those Christian pastors out there liked to refer to this type of love.

Great, just two outings together and some of Nanako's words are already penetrating Maho's fortress of a mind. But, when she thinks about it, is it really that bad to actually consider other people's views on the matter for once? It is these thoughts that Maho carries with her back to the residence, deeply pondering everything that had happened between her and Nanako, and hoping for another meeting. At the same time, however, her worries about her mother are still present. She fears what may have happened during the meeting, of the potential chaos and heated disputes Shiho may rant about tonight. But that would come later. For now, she has time to just dwell on Nanako, and all that had been exposed to her, shaking the foundations of Nishizumi Sensha-do to their core.

It didn't take long for Maho to hail a taxi and ride home. Her thoughts were very focused on Nanako, so much so that she nearly fell asleep during the ride, the taxi driver having to politely nudge her in order to wake her up. Paying her fee, Maho disembarked, back at the place she grew up in. Checking her watch, it was 9:38pm. If Shiho came home at the same time as last meeting, she would arrive at around 10pm. Enough time for Maho to think over the past series of events.

---

"Schützenpanzer, 45 degrees right." Nanako announced to her crew the location of the Marder.

"Identified, kapitän! Getting to work!" The Puma's 30mm cannon immediately got to work on the target, its turret already looking at where it should be

"Karin, perform our getaway maneuver immediately. We can't stay here for long." Nanako once again ordered.

"Jawohl." Karin abided as usual, and as soon as the Marder was absolved of any further combat duty, she put the gear into reverse, them stomped the gas, making the vehicle violently backtrack. Then, gaining enough speed, she manipulates the handlers in such a way that as the Schützenpanzer spins around, the mud around the tracks are dug into. And soon enough, what was the back of the Puma now becomes the front and vice versa.

As Karin zooms the metal box away from their earlier fighting position, where they somehow managed to hold themselves together against 4 Marders jumping at them simultaneously, she exhales with relief, for the roughest part of this training session has finally come to a close. The same can be said for the captain of this vehicle herself, though she doesn't visually show it to her fellow sister in arms.

As a moment of respite finally came, Nanako opens up to the crewmen. "That was a great performance there, you two."

"Mhm." Karin gleefully accepted the compliment. "But you also have a hand in it too, Nanako. Don't you agree also, miss Furuda?"

"First off, yes indeed. Second… Why don't you call me with my first name? I thought we are on friendly terms already?" Specialist Furuda whined.

"Es macht sowieso mehr Spaß, dich zu verarschen." Karin replied, using her Bavarian accent to her advantage. Unfortunately, the gunner already caught onto her antics.

"Es ist allerdings nicht lustig."

"Für mich ist es lustig, das ist es, was zählt."

"Dann habe ich auch das gleiche Recht, Sie zum Schweigen zu bringen."

Seeing the joking is starting to get overboard, Nanako intercepts via her inner Nishizumi rage. "Bleibt zusammen, Mädels! Oder aber..."

And just like that, silence returns to the Puma's insides. "Okay, das ist gut." The captain nods to herself. "Now, where is that fifth Mard-"

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind manifests itself out of nowhere and penetrates Nanako's ear just barely after getting into the Schützenpanzer. To a normal person, it is probably nothing super worrisome, but to Nanako, this is pretty much it. Though her fellow crew members are not aware of it during this very second, but their streaks are already over. They have been taken out with a guided missile, definitely fired from that last surviving, pesky Marder. As such, she braces for impact. The two specialists don't understand why Nanako does so, but just a second later, they find out.

The vehicle shakes with great violence from the impact, but the oscillation gradually subsides as the computer alerts the crew. "Calculated damage exceeded set value. Disabling all vehicle's functions."

"Wha-"

"We-"

The gunner and driver look at each other in confusion, before gazing at the lead crewman for an answer. They expect the worst, but it doesn't make it any less heartbreaking as the Nishizumi girl reaffirms. "Yes, we were taken out by the last Marder, with its SPIKE missile hammering the final on the coffin. And it…"

Her hands are clutching themselves again, her breathing is becoming irregular again, her lungs are getting uncomfortably hot again, her face muscles are screaming for the right to tense. Yes, it is this, it is this feeling of disgust towards herself for failing, of pride being shattered into bits here and there, of shame, that for all the skills that she has been gifted, she can't do anything right. The girl then curls herself up, eyes already getting teary. She wants to give up, right here, right now. She isn't good enough, so should she bother trying?

But then, the wise words of Maho hit her again. Yes, this mistake is reflective of her skill, but skills can be improved. If she is inconsistent, then she should make an effort to be more consistent. Each moment she falls to the ground, most likely due to her incompetence, is a chance for betterment, a chance to reflect herself, what she is good at and what she is not. But for all this to happen, she needs to space out, gives herself some time to think and process all this bombardment of emotions. And thus, she stays silent for quite some time, so long that her crewmates are starting to get worried. Still, it takes some courage and a little bit of ignorance from the gunner to finally reach out to the captain. Karin was initially against it at first, but then chose to see how it unfolds. If it goes south, it's all on the gunner.

"K-Kapitän Nishizumi, a-are you okay?" She shook Nanako a little, to which she acknowledged with a look at her and some words.

"Hm? What do you mean, Nekoya?"

"I-I… Uhm… Like what I just said, kapitän."

"Ah, that… No, I am okay." Nanako flashed a warm smile at her. "Everything is alright, Nekoya."

"I-I see." Nekoya then gave the captain some personal space back.

Nanako exhales as a feeling of serenity showers her. She then continues. "It is my fault for not able to spot that Marder behind us. I apologize, I was just too distracted from you two bickering."

"O-Oh… I'm sorry too, Nanako." Nekoya's expression visibly softened.

"Ja, me too. I got a little too into it, I guess…" Karin rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bit guilty.

"It is alright. I am glad none of us are injured."

"Ja…"

"Yes…"

The three take a breather in the conversation. They all return to their seats snugly, taking some time for a small period of respite. Then, Nanako opens up her hatch.

"I'll go fetch the other girls. We have to drive back to Otto von Krieger soon, so I am wrapping up today's mock battle right now."

"Okay." Karin nodded. "I'll see if I can start the engine again. The vehicle should be back online soon after that hit."

"And I guess… I'll just rest." Nekoya sighed.

"Alright then." Nanako looked at them warmly. "I will be going then."

Just as that, only two crewmen remain in the Puma. A lull of silence appears, but it is quickly dispelled off as Nekoya asks Karin a question. "H-Hey Karin."

"Hm?" Karin turns to Nekoya.

"I just… What just happened? I thought she was going to get really angry, but then…" Nekoya talked, the shakiness in her voice still present from the event before.

"Ah…" Karin moved her head up and down with understanding. "I don't know." She shrugs, but then something just hit her, about the favor Nanako ask of her some days earlier. Oh, it's all coming together, isn't it? "I guess something has changed within after that visit, ja?"

"W-Which visit, Karin?"

"A-Ah… Don't think much about it, she just asks me to taxi her, that's all." She then returns to her attempts on jumpstarting the Puma's engine. And before she was even aware of it, a smile has already crept onto her lips, somehow.