Hey there, this is my first ever fanfic overall, so please, let me know about any improvements/errors! This story is set just a year after the main anime series, so some characters are unfortunately not present. Other than that, I present you, The Speedsters of Ooarai!


Chapter 1: Unfamiliarity -The Zuikaku, 20XX

Beep beep beep..!

The phone vibrated violently on the nightstand. The girl quickly lifted her arm up, struggling to press the button on the phone, but eventually succeeded. She rubbed her eyes as she slowly sat up, looking down at her messy bed. She finally got the energy to get up, wobbling herself to the bathroom. There, she began cleaning herself up, bundling her laundry all while patting herself dry. Back outside, she hurriedly put on her uniform.

Introducing Haruka Aioi, a third-year student from a smaller school. She had recently transferred to Ooarai Girls' Academy, just in time for the new school year.

"Should be fine.." She murmured, fixing her necktie; Left... right... moving it all over to make it centered as possible.

She turned away from the mirror, grabbing her bag along with her to the doorway-

Ding dong!

She opened the door the second it rang, immediately greeted by another girl. She quietly stood there, clutching her bag around her back.

"Got a goodnight's rest?" She chuckled.

Haruka kept her eyes on the girl. The girl was just a few centimeters shorter than Haruka, her black hair contrasted from the pastel-colored walls behind her.

It was Aimi Ohyama, Haruka's best friend. She had also transferred along with her, hailing from the same school as Haruka.

"Good morning Aimi." She responded, proceeding forward outside of her door.

"Ready to go?"

Haruka nodded as she locked her door shut. She turned herself back around, walking away with Aimi beside her. The two strolled along the street, exchanging words with each other as they approached closer. It was a new start they thought, realizing how much longer they had to walk to school. It reminded them of how smaller their old ship was compared to the Zuikaku.

Despite an already familiar surrounding, the two still admired the rows and rows of shops bordering the streets. The smell of fresh bread and pastries made their way into their noses. Shopkeepers setting up shop as they cleaned their doorways dust-free, or wiping down windows to clearly present their produce.

Note: I have no idea of how school works in Japan, only reading off random websites and such. So please correct me if I make mistakes.

After their short little sightseeing, they eventually reached the school gate. Clusters and clusters of other girls surrounded them as they walked in further, the air filled with their footsteps and chatter.

"Wow~"

Aimi looked around in surprise. She had noted the greater volume of students entering the school premises- Way more than what she was familiar with.

"You'll get lost if you keep looking around." Haruka joked, sharing a laugh with Aimi as they approached their first class.

The duo entered the classroom. They were met with light chatter, desks and chairs screeching over the wooden floor. Students hurried over to their chairs, with Haruka and Aioi doing the same. Moments later, the teacher finally entered.

"Good morning class... Please settle down."

She walked over to the front of the room, setting down a piece of paper on her podium. Slowly, she began calling names. Inoue.. Akiyama.. Nagumo.. Mizuhara.. Nishizumi.. The teacher was slow at her roll call, or so the two thought, before eventually... Aioi and Ohyama!

"Will you two please come up?"

The duo quickly stood up, making their way to the front, slowly moving through the narrow gap between the desks.

"These two are our new transfer students." The teacher added on, looking over the two as they stood in front of the chalkboard.

"I'm Haruka Aioi, please to meet you all." She greeted, ending with a bow.

"My name's Aimi Ohyama, nice to meet you all!" She followed in with glee, also bowing before the class.

The teacher nodded as the two slowly made their way back to their desks. The first class of the day continued on, it was a rather dull day Haruka thought. The noise of pencils filled the room, occasionally being broken by chairs screeching on the floor, or the teacher's lecture. It was the same for their second class, the teacher already littering their brains with various terms and phrases.


Ring..!

The bell quickly interrupted the teacher's speech. Finally signaling the end of a grueling class. The students got up to their feet, bidding their teacher a good day and other farewells. And so, the two made their way to the cafeteria. The hallways were narrow, students lined up the wall, talking and walking with each other. It was another one of those unfamiliar sights for the transferees.

The lunch line felt like ages Haruka thought, clearly unused to having wait for more students to grab theirs. Finally, it was their turn to have the honors. They walked around the cafeteria, from table to table, looking for a vacant one they could sit on.

"Hey Nishizumi-san~" A girl in front of them greeted.

A light-brown haired girl greeted her back as she walked past her table. Haruka and Aimi walked past her, sitting down on another table right next to theirs.

"Nishizumi..? That tank girl?" Aimi questioned.

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, how'd you not know she attended this school?"

"Don't blame me.. I know nothing about tanks." Aimi responded, splitting her chopsticks once she grabbed them. "I heard about her on the news one day."

Haruka shrugged, treating herself to lunch as took her first bite.

"Why don't you join? Didn't you participate during middle school?"

Haruka nodded. "But no thanks, I've already lost interest in that."

"Come on~ I'm sure they'd need help from a veteran like you.." Aimi joked.

"Hell, they're probably full anyways."

The table suddenly went quiet, the two slowly cleaning their dishes as they took bite after bite.

"Would you join if I do too then..?"

"No."

"Why not..? I'm gonna be very lonely out there." Aimi rubbed her eyes, portraying a crying act.

"Uhm.. Excuse me?" A voice behind Haruka suddenly touched her shoulder.

She turned around, her eyes meeting a girl who sat on a nearby table, her height towering over her peers. Bundled strands of hair hung down from the top of her head.

"Sorry for the interruption and eavesdropping but... Would you be interested in joining the sensha-do team?"

The girl's was soft-spoken, her voice was quiet and soothing, like a Bossa Nova singer.

"We're in need of new members currently, I thought you'd fit well with us... Thank you." The girl concluded, turning her back around to face her friends.

Haruka did the same, greeted by Aimi's curious eyes.

"What was it?"

"They asked me to join the Sensha-Do team."

"Well see? That answers one of your questions." Aimi remarked gleefully. "So what do you think?"

... "I'll think about it. What about you?"

Aimi quickly nodded in agreement.

Haruka was still uninterested in joining, not wanting to be bossed around by another person, let alone situations with high stakes.

"Will you come with me though? It's gonna be boring without you." Aimi pleaded.

... "Fine, but I'm not joining."

The duo continued on with their food, occasionally glancing over the window beside them. They noticed the trees directly below them, girls resided below its cool canopies, eating away their own dishes as they socialized with others. Just above that view, the vast ocean amazed them, the sun creating a shiny line on the water. Unfortunately for them, it was time to dispose their waste as the bell rung.


Ring..!

"Finally~ We're out of here.."

Aimi quickly climbed down the flight of stairs, leaving Haruka behind as they made their way

"Slow down... Are you this excited about Sensha-Do?."

"Yes!" Aimi shouted, who had already reached ground level.

The two walked alongside, exiting the main building before turning around towards the empty lot. The lot was rather empty as it slowly rolled into their sight. There was nothing on the large patch of dirt other than a decently sized garage. A variety of tanks were parked alongside the building, girls were gathered around the machines, some climbing up to the turrets, some sitting on the edge of its' hulls.

As they approached a small opening splitting the dirt lot and the paved area, a sign stood by to the side. "1ST SENSHADO MEETING" The sign was further decorated with drawings of bandaged bears around the edges. Haruka and Aimi crossed the border, the chatter of the girls getting more audible as they approached closer.

"That's it!" A group suddenly shouted. It consisted of four members, all donning various accessories that definitely doesn't belong to a school uniform.

"Sore..!" Another shouted. It was another squad of students, wearing sporty uniforms as they tossed and struck a volleyball high up in the air.

"Interesting school huh.." Aimi claimed, chuckling.

"Gather up please!" A voice shouted.

Everyone quickly ran in to form multiple columns. Haruka and Aioi hurried themselves over, standing at the back of one of the lines.

"To those who participated last year, please step aside, thank you."

A large chunk of the whole formation quickly left, leaving only a few scattered around the area. The view to the front eventually cleared up, there emerged the same light-brown haired girl. It was Miho Nishizumi herself, the commander of Ooarai's Sensha-Do team. She stood there, scanning the girls left in the open, holding a clipboard in front of her. This was Haruka's first time hearing her, completely different from the cold-demeanor ones, such as the other Nishizumi sister.

"Welcome to the Sensha-Do team!"


Non-canon chars so far for easy identification i guess:
Haruka Aioi - black hair, kinda carefree, or whatever other word you'd like to describe her
Aimi Ohyama - also black hair but like short, definitely more energetic than Haruka

this is probably not the best piece of work you've seen your whole life, but i hope you enjoyed regardless! - meeko