Chapter 47 - Repentance
(Now that Gero and the team have cleared all misunderstandings Erika then informs them of Gero's banning which they already knew of course but acted surprised nonetheless)
"So yeah..I'm sorry everyone but I won't be able to finish this event with you guys…"
"Don't worry Gero-Taichou! We can do just fine without you!" Tojo shouted
"Tojo-kun's right! You can count on us senpai!" Endo said
"I know I can..my crew will still be here to look after you guys.."
"I still think it's unfair that you get banned for what you did.." Isamu said
"That's what we thought as well.." Ono said
"I hope that the red wings captain gets what he deserves!" Sakuraba said
"Hey what's done is done..just bounce back from this..alright?"
"We know Taichou.." Hajime smiled
"We won't let you down Gero-senpai!" Toshi saluted
(Everyone also saluted at Gero and he just smiled and saluted back)
"Take care of them for me Alice-chan..also Maho-san and Koume-san please support Kommandant as much as you can.."
"Jawohl!" Koume said
"You got it.." Maho smiled
"I will Nii-chan! We'll see you in a few days!" Alice smiled
"Come on Bakatora..I'll go with you up to the entrance.." Erika smiled
"Thanks..but let's drop by Anzio's food stall first..I'm going to miss the pasta they make!"
"Alright..handle things here for me Koume..I'll just make sure this Bakatora doesn't take any detours.." Erika said
"Jawohl Kommandant!" Koume smiled
"See you soon guys! Have fun!"
"JAWOHL!" everyone replied
[Anzio Food Stalls]
(After a couple of minutes of walking they arrived at the food stalls of Anzio and Anchovy was there together with Pepperoni and Carpaccio)
"Whitey!" Anchovy shouted
"Hello there! Three orders of Anchovy Napolitan Spaghetti on the go please!"
"Right away!" Pepperoni shouted
"How sweet! You buying your Kommandant her lunch?" Carpaccio teased
"Oh no this is for someone else..I already gave Erika her bento for today.."
"Aww that's even sweeter!" Pepperoni teased
"Hey we heard about what happened..we couldn't see the match because we had to look after the stalls but we saw the video..you alright?" Anchovy asked
"Yeah I'm fine..sorry you had to see an ugly side of me.."
"I believe you did the right thing Gero-san..I'd do the same if somebody did that to Taka-chan.." Carpaccio said
"Thanks Carpaccio-san.."
"I'm sorry we on the Seven Seats couldn't do anything for you guys.." Anchovy said
"Don't be Anchovy-san..I know that you would've done something by now if you could.." Erika said
"You really have changed..I guess the power of love is true huh?" Anchovy teased
"Oh shut it.." Erika blushed
"Sorry for the wait! Three orders of Anchovy Napolitan Spaghetti on the go is done!" a lime green haired boy said
"Grazie! You must be Duce's little brother?"
"Huh? How did you know?!" the boy reacted
"I can tell by the hair.."
"You are correct Whitey! This is Haruto, my cute little brother! Captain of Anzio's Boys Team" Anchovy smiled
"I'm Anzai Haruto just recently transferred to Anzio..thank you for being friends with my sister!" Haruto bowed
"Nice to meet you..I'm-"
"Matsumoto Gero! The famous White Tiger!" Haruto suddenly said
"I-I see..I guess you already knew my name the moment I got here.."
"Everyone knows you! I'm a big fan too!" Haruto had stars on his eyes
"Ahaha sorry about him..ever since he watched your matches he kept going on about meeting you.." Anchovy said
"Well then..Haruto-san..thank you for cheering me on..I hope we get to have a match someday!"
"Me too Matsumoto-san!"
"Just call me Gero..a brother of Duce is a friend of mine!"
"Then..Gero-san! Let's meet again in the field!" Haruto smiled
"Yeah..alright gotta go..be seeing you guys soon!"
"See you!" all three of them said
[Exhibition Matches Entrance]
(Erika and Gero then arrived at the entrance where a black car was waiting for them. To Gero's surprise Shiho then came out of the car with Kikuyo to fetch him)
"Okaa-chan! Kikuyo nee-san! What are you two doing here?!"
"To come and get you of course.." Shiho smiled
"Kikuyo nee-san?" Erika was confused
"Oh right this might be the first time you both met..this is Kikuyo Idegami..she is a servant of the Nishizumi Family.." Shiho said
"Nice to meet you Kommandant Itsumi Erika-sama! Thank you for looking after Gero-sama" Kikuyo bowed
"Likewise Kikuyo-sama..it's a pleasure to meet you.." Erika bowed also
"I'm sorry to cut this meeting short but the afternoon matches are about to start so you best be going Itsumi-kun.." Shiho said
"Yes Headmistress! Well then see you later Gero-"
*TIGHT HUG
"Oh my.." Kikuyo teased
(Gero suddenly hugged Erika in front of Shiho and Kikuyo which made Erika blush but she comfortably hugged him back)
"I'm going to miss you..please be careful.."
"Geez..it's not like I'm going abroad or something..yes I'll be careful.." Erika said
"I'll mail you when I get back to the carrier.."
"Yeah..I'll be waiting for it.."
(Erika then gave a small kiss on Gero's cheek then walked back to the team. Gero then got in the car with Kikuyo and Shiho. They conversed in the car as they drove back to the school carrier)
"You really love her, don't you Gero-sama?" Kikuyo asked
"I really do..without a doubt.."
"So what do you plan on doing for the rest of the week?" Shiho asked
"Maybe finalize the transfer of the new tanks we'll be using so that when Erika and the rest return they can start training right away.."
"Not wasting any time huh?" Shiho smiled
"I can't afford to waste any..I just got confirmation from my source that somebody has been acting suspiciously.."
"So they've started to move already..that was fast.." Kikuyo said
"Sources? Can they be trusted?" Shiho asked
"I recently made friends with the Takeda Clan..I'm sure you know who they are.."
"That Takeda Clan?! That's amazing Gero-sama!" Kikuyo smiled
"You never cease to amaze me.." Shiho smiled
"Yeah well they're the ones who helped me find some dirt on Takayuki's father which made him agree to the terms quickly during the meeting..I had them run a background check on everyone from Red Wings Academy and his name showed up.."
"What did you find?" Kikuyo asked
"As for what that dirt was I won't be telling cause that would violate the terms of the agreement..you could say that he owes us now.."
"All according to plan huh?" Shiho said
"Yep..it's a shame I won't be able to finish the exhibition games but I know Erika and the boys can handle it without me.."
"You say that but in reality you're worried about them the most right?" Shiho smiled
"What makes you say that?"
"Well first you wouldn't be clenching your fists right now if you weren't worried..and second I'd be disappointed in you if you weren't.."
(Kikuyo then looked at Gero's hands and they were clenched very tight. She could see the worry and the frustration on his face that he was banned from the matches. Kikuyo could only feel the sadness as to what Gero is going through)
"Gero-sama..I swear on the Nishizumi name that I will look after everyone and keep them safe while you are away.." Kikuyo said
"Thank you..Kikuyo nee-san..I appreciate it.."
[Red Wings Academy School Carrier - Headmistress Office]
"I hope this never happens again.." Yamato Mai said
"Yes mother..I'll see to it that this will be the first and last case.." Kaede said
"I'm sorry mother..if I had better control over my team this wouldn't have happened.." Shiori said
"It's not your fault..I know that you are already strict as it is to your team..it was that captain of the boys that messed up.." Mai said
"Well what's done is done I suppose..we can just be thankful that it ended peacefully for all of us.." Kaede said
"Peacefully? Gero-san had to be punished and banned just to hide the sins of one of ours and he didn't even gain anything from it!" Shiori shouted
"Nobody forced him to do what he did..he just went up and said those things without hearing our side of the argument.." Kaede said
"So tell me Kaede..would pressing charges against him and going to court with this case would've been the best idea? Igniting flames all over the place as both Kuromorimine and Pravda press charges against us and the media would be all over us asking questions why two students had to go to jail? Would that have been a better outcome?" Mai asked her daughter with a serious tone
"N-No..that's not what I.." Kaede stuttered
"If you keep looking at things that way my daughter you won't be lucky next time..the way I see it Gero Matsumoto just saved our school from complete humiliation in exchange for his reputation.." Mai explained
"There must be something we could do..it wouldn't feel right to have bad rumors spread about him.." Shiori said
"Why do you care about that guy so much?" Kaede asked
"Don't get me wrong..I just don't like the thought of someone else taking the blame for my carelessness..and besides I don't want to owe him so that I can go all out when I fight him again.." Shiori smiled
"Tsk..I hate it when you're right at our arguments..I'll think of something don't worry.." Kaede said
"Thank you onee-sama.." Shiori smiled
"I'll let you two handle it..anyways the boy is really strong huh? He really fought all 15 of you and won.." Mai said
"Yeah..he's crazy strong..and very skilled..then there's that feeling that I felt just before I was taken out.." Shiori said
"Feeling?" Kaede asked
"I was frozen in fear..and was too scared to speak or give orders..then next thing I know we were already hit.."
"That my daughter is called killing intent.." Mai said
"Satsui?!" both her daughters reacted
"That boy had you felt his murderous intent in hoping that it would distract you or momentarily immobilize you..which worked out..it's a high level skill that world class tankers use during their matches to gain the upper hand in a match.." Mai explained
"W-World class?! That's somewhat amazing!" Shiori reacted
"Why are you getting all excited about it?" Kaede asked
"Oh come on it's world class onee-sama! A skill from outside Japan!" Shiori smiled
"What surprises me the most is how that boy can do it..according to your background check he's just an ordinary boy from tokyo right?" Mai asked
"Yes..he literally just started Senshado a couple of months ago.." Kaede said
"He's studying at Kuromorimine so maybe it was taught there by the Nishizumi Style?" Shiori said
"That's highly unlikely..that family wouldn't easily teach a high level skill like that to someone that isn't part of the family.." Mai said
"But Gero-san without a doubt did it.." Shiori said
"Maybe he really just wanted to kill Takayuki-san?" Kaede asked
"Just who is Gero-san..suddenly appearing out of nowhere and doing Senshado.." Shiori said
"Now that I think about it..that boy looked very familiar...like I've seen him before.." Mai said
"Onee-sama said the same thing the first time she saw Gero-san.." Shiori said
"See? Even mother thinks he's familiar..I just can't remember where or when I saw his face.." Kaede said
"Speaking of the Nishizumi Style..you seem to know Nishizumi Shiho-sama really well mother.."
"..."
"Mother?" Shiori called out
(Both Kaede and Shiori then looked at their mother and saw a very surprised expression as she recalled the video of Gero fighting Red Wings)
"I remember now..those moves..those accurate shots..that strategy..his immeasurable strength..and that expression on his face..is exactly a mirror image of Nishizumi Shiho in her prime years of Senshado..could it be..that boy is her.." Mai said in her thoughts
"Mother!" Kaede shouted
"Y-Yes?" Mai snapped out of her train of thought
"Are you alright? You suddenly went quiet with a bad expression.." Shiori said
"I'm fine..sorry I was just caught up in my thoughts..what did you say?" Mai asked
"You and Nishizumi Shiho-sama seem to be acquainted..have you met before?" Kaede asked
"Met? We fought each other in high school.." Mai smiled
(Both her daughters were shocked to what their mother shared to them)
"Wait..fought?! But how? Wasn't Red Wings a co-ed from the start? How were you able to fight?" Kaede asked
"Well..it wasn't an official match..Nishizumi Shiho was..full of pride and was always looking for a match..she requested to fight us..we refused at first but then she persisted and offered a handicap for us which angered our current commander at that time.."
"What kind of handicap?" Shiori asked
"She was going to fight alone against sixteen of us..just like what happened to your match.."
"Wow she was pretty cocky when she was young huh?" Kaede said
"I wouldn't blame her..she was the heir of the Nishizumi Family at that time and wanted to prove a point to everyone that they were the strongest..and she was very confident in her abilities.."
"So what happened to the match mother?"
"We were completely and utterly annihilated..we didn't stand a chance..it's exactly how it happened with your match..our commander was the first to fall..then we got taken out one by one..I was the last one.."
"But I'm sure you gave her a run for her money right?!" Kaede asked
"Of course I did! I was ready to take her down by doing whatever it takes but in the end it wasn't enough..I got taken out amazingly and she won the match all by herself.."
"What the heck..it's like deja vu.." Kaede reacted
"After that she was given a title by the people that watched the match.." Mai said
"What did they call her?" Shiori asked
"Nishizumi Shiho was known by everyone in Japan and other countries as.."
"As what?" Kaede asked
"Demon of Senshado.." Mai smiled
[Kuromorimine School Carrier - Student Council Office]
(Gero and Shiho then arrived at their office to sort out some paperwork for their tanks. Kikuyo had to return to the event so supervise the afternoon matches)
*ACHOO
(Shiho suddenly lets out a cute and small sneeze)
"You ok okaa-chan? Cold?"
"Yeah..some old hag must be talking behind my back.."
"Hey it's mean to call Chiyo-sama an old hag.."
"Maybe..or the other one..I'm fine let's get started so we can finish quickly.."
"Roger!"
(Both of them worked quickly on the papers and in no time they were finished. The mother and son now went down to the Den where Gero trains and they gazed on the White Tiger I that was parked there)
"Do you miss driving it?" Shiho asked
"Yeah..it feels like a long time since me and my crew fought a real match with it.."
"Well you guys won't have to wait long..the 64th National Tournament is just around the corner.."
"I know.."
(Shiho then realized a frown on her son's face and asked him about it)
"What's on your mind?"
"Do you disapprove of the way I do things?"
"Which part?"
"Everything.."
"Hmm let's see..I loved how you massacred red wings single handedly..watching that video made me so proud of you.." Shiho smiled
"I see.."
(Shiho then placed her hand on her son's head and gave him a pat of affection)
"But I do hate how you chose to get hurt in place of others..as your mother, nothing gives me more pain than seeing you get hurt..especially for doing the right thing.."
"It was the only way for that case to end peacefully.."
"Even if it was..everyone that knows what happened to you also is hurting right now..your sisters also don't want to see you get hurt..just because you can endure the pain doesn't mean the others can too..you have to think about how they feel also.."
"I'll have to apologize to Miho-chan and Maho-chan when I see them again.."
"Very good..not just them..but also to your crew..and most importantly to your girl.."
"Erika?"
"Who else? Do you think she likes seeing the man she loves get hurt and all she can do is watch?"
"No..but why didn't she say anything to me?"
"Sometimes for us women when we see that our man has made up his mind about a decision.. even if we don't agree we'll just stay quiet and support him..Erika didn't say anything because she trusted you to handle it..and you did..understand?"
"Yes okaa-chan..I'll go on a date with her again to make her happy.."
"That's my son..oh and just to make you feel better..your desire to get justice and to protect those precious to you is just like your father, Tsuneo-san.."
"Really? I'm like him?"
"Yeah..in terms of Senshado you're like me but in regards to other things you are just like him..and you even got his handsome face which made you super cool when riding your tank.." Shiho teased
"That does kinda make me happy..I wish I can see him..where is he right now?"
"Tsuneo-san is..he's doing a very important job overseas..but I'm sure you'll get to meet him someday.." Shiho smiled
"Then..if that day comes I'll have to be a million times cooler than him!"
(As Gero said that Shiho suddenly remembered a very distant memory she had with Tsuneo before they got married)
[Flashback - Nishizumi Family Tank Garage]
(Shiho was standing and leaning by the garage door while watching Tsuneo fix her tank after a match)
"Hey Shiho-san..does your family set you up for fixed marriages?" Tsuneo asked
"Sometimes..why?"
"Nothing..I was just wondering why don't they set me up with you..I already confessed my love to you but still haven't given me an answer yet.."
"Very funny..I guess they don't scout inside tank garages.." Shiho said
"Ahaha! That's true! So what kind of guys did you meet?"
"Some were rich..others were from a big family..and others were just plain annoying.." Shiho got upset
"Any cool guys?" Tsuneo asked as he placed a tank track on Shiho's tank
"Hmm now that you mentioned it there were a few guys that caught my attention..I guess they were kinda cool.." Shiho said
"Hmmm…"
"What? Are you jealous?" Shiho said with a grin
"No..it's great that you think they're cool.."
"What's up with you? I was just joking.." Shiho pouted
(Tsuneo then suddenly approached Shiho and looked at her straight in the eyes)
"W-What?" Shiho asked and blushed
"Then I'll just have to be a million times cooler than them to win you over!" Tsuneo smiled
*THU-THUMP
(Hearing those words made the young Shiho blush bright red and her heart started beating faster as she just stares at Tsuneo's face)
"Ohh? Did I just make your heart skip a beat?" Tsuneo teased
"S-Shut up!" Shiho blushed
[Present Time]
"Like father like son huh? It's as if I'm talking face to face to Tsuneo-san himself.." Shiho smiled as she said in her thoughts
"Okaa-chan?"
"Yes yes you'll be a million even a billion times cooler than your father!" Shiho teased while rubbing Gero's hair
"You're making fun of me aren't you?"
"No I'm not! I'm genuinely cheering you on!" Shiho said
(After talking for a little bit more both Gero and Shiho decided to return to the school and handle some more paperwork just before the afternoon matches were over)
[Kuromorimine Tank Garage]
(As Erika and Gero's crew arrived back at the school carrier they were met with a very apologetic Gero)
"Sorry guys! For doing such a selfish thing during the meeting!"
"It's alright Matsu-kun..we kinda expected already that you'd do something like that.."
"I should've talked to you guys about it before the whole thing.."
"Yeah you should've! We could've done something else so that you didn't have to be banned!" Ono was angry
"Sorry Ono…"
"Calm down Ono..you of all people should already know how Taichou thinks..I also agree that it was the only solution that time.." Hajime said
"It still pisses me off! There is no "I" in the word "team"! If you get banned then we should get banned too! WE do things together as a crew even if it means spending the rest of the event not being able to play!"
"This must be the first time I've ever seen Nakamura-kun this pissed.." Erika said
"Me too..he kinda looks cool.." Sheska blushed
"Is that what they call Gap Moe?" Suzu and Rin teased
"What the heck are you guys talking about?" Leila was confused
"Ono-kun does have a point..I hate the idea of us four not being complete..we've been together since the start so it's just not right when one is missing..especially you Matsu-kun.."
"You said it yourself..us four are the White Tiger..right Taichou?" Hajime smiled
"Yeah..I truly am sorry guys..I won't make a decision without you guys ever again.."
"You can make a decision yourself as long as we're still in it!" Ken smiled
"Thank you..Ken..Hajime.."
"This better not happen again or I'm going to kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit down for a month!" Ono shouted
"It's a deal Ono..thanks.."
(Ono just smiled back at Gero and everyone was relieved that the white tiger crew we're all good after what happened)
"Alright let's give the cute couple some space they have some talking to do.." Rin said
"You mean somebody is going to get scolded?" Hajime laughed
"Come on boys you too!" Suzu said
"See you at the dorms senpai!" Sheska said
"Don't get too carried away now Erika-chan.." Leila teased
"Yes yes now hurry and head back to the dorms.." Erika said
(Erika and Gero were now all alone in the tank garage as both their crews left)
"I gotta say Nakamura-kun really did not hold back on scolding you.." Erika said
"Ahaha well I deserved it..I want to apologize to you also..I really put you through a difficult situation..sorry-"
*TIGHT HUG
(Before Gero could properly apologize Erika suddenly hugged him tight and he was completely taken by surprise. Erika just buried her face onto Gero's chest as she talked to him)
"Damn right you did! Do you know how hard I had to stop myself from raging during the meeting!? I wanted to scream so loud when they gave you that punishment!"
"Sorry Erika..I'm really sorry.."
"I wanted to disagree so badly against Chouno-sama's decision but I knew you already made your decision and I wanted to respect that!"
"I know..thank you for trusting this Bakatora of yours.."
"A selfish Bakatora.."
"Erika..please look at me.."
(Erika then looked at Gero while still hugging him and both kissed each other on the lips)
"Hmph..don't think giving me a kiss means I forgive you.." Erika pouted
"Really? It looked like you liked it.."
"I didn't say I hated it..I said I still don't forgive you for what you did.."
"Then what do you want me to do in order to earn your forgiveness?"
"Don't worry about that, I already thought of something..but I won't tell you now..I'll let you know after the exhibition games..so prepare yourself!" Erika smiled
"Jawohl my Kommandant.."
(After spending the entire afternoon away from each other both Gero and Erika saw it as a very hard thing to experience but in the end they both knew that they were going to come out of it much stronger than before)
Coming Up Next : Chapter 48 - Upgrade
Author's Note:
Here another chapter once again guys! Enjoy the read! Here's a little mother and son bonding with Shiho and Gero with a sneak peak flashback at Gero's father Tsuneo!
Shout out to : "Corvo Regandorf" thank you so much for the follow and favorite! Glad to have you here!
Shout out to : "Heinrich Eisen" thank you very much for the favorite! Cheers!
Thank you for the wonderful support you all are amazing! As for the replies to your comments check the reviews section as always!
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