Chapter 4

Traf was surprised, when the Instructor came straight to him. "Good job out there. You used enough knowledge that a tank lover would possess. And surprisingly even more skill... But, have you…" Traf looked at her. "Yes, I apologized to the Volleyball team. Don't worry." He was relieved, when she smiled at him. "Well, I think that with the help of Darjeeling's site of informators, I should be able to find someone suitable enough." He nodded in a 'thank you' way as an only response. I guess that this Darjeeling is a well-informed person… And I know now that Miho is more Rommel than Guderian.

He turned to Miho and extended his right arm. "Good fight, Miho. I never expected to have a draw." The brunette responded with a sad smile. "Me neither, but I don't want to use…" He put his left hand up to stop her. "Try to use your abilities more. It suits you to be a commander. But, will you not threaten me with gutting next time, please? It kinda scared me." She nodded at his request. "Only if you won't make me say it." Traf smirked in response. "Jawohl, Kommandant Rommel." And with that, they shook hands with Miho being a bit confused.

Traf was still shaken from his performance. I bet that God did it to help me. But, I said no to help! he realized. Guilty as charged. It is better this way, my child than trying to depend solely on your encyclopedias. Traf quietly growled. God thinks that this type of cheating is for his best interest, but it is not. I told you DO NOT HELP ME! Why did you violate that part of our agreement? But, no answer came back. As expected from someone powerful like him.

Traf sighed and climbed on his Tiger I. Home, sweet home. But, before he could disappear in it, the Student council president called his name. He turned his head to them. "We found a free apartment not far away from here. The payment for it is taken care of so, until you get enough money to pay it yourself, the school covers it." He blinked after that. Oh, right! I forgot to use the paint on my tank! he remembered and quickly grabbed the canister and a paintbrush. "I'll check it out after painting is done!" he shouted over his shoulder at them and put the paintbrush into the canister.

And also, he put a duct tape on the numbers so they won't disappear under the paintjob.

"What color will you paint it, Traf?" a woman with light brown hair and baby blue eyes asked a young boy with a proud smile. "I will not paint it with pink or golden, mama. Those aren't good colors for it. Will you please make the nice sandy color that I saw in the book?" he asked. The woman nodded. "I will. Don't worry, sweetling."

Traf rolled his eyes and pouted. "Do not call me that, mama!" The woman giggled and ruffled his hair. "Papa will return late today. Uncle got him several annoying appointments with some rich people." Traf nodded. His mom always knew, when is the right time to talk about his dad's return. He'll be proud of me finishing my first tank model! he thought and smiled for himself.

And with that, Traf sat down on the nearby chair and started drawing himself in a tank.

Meanwhile at HMS Ark Royal

A blonde girl was sitting behind a table in a dark room. The only sources of light in the room were a lamp and a PC screen. Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She checked it. Darjeeling? She has something important to ask then.

She picked it up. "Yes, Darjeeling-chan?" "Instructor Ami Chono said that she had a small experiment. She needs to find four boys that could be a match to any girl, who just had a first mock battle, but also aren't like most of the others." She was shocked. "Wait… WHAT?!" "It is just an experiment. She told me that they won't join the Sensha-Do tournament. I count on you, Assam-san."

And with that, the call ended. Hmm… interesting. I already have a file regarding a boy named Takashi. He is a crush of Saunders academy student Alice and a good driver. So, now I should send my informants a message to look out for someone, who could be a good radioman, loader, gunner and/or commander. Assam thought and started typing the mails to her spy network.

After that, she looked at the time. 3:50 PM? I still have 70 minutes before the meeting at the Tea Garden begins. And she yet again smirked, when she remembered that instructor Ami Chono's secret experiment goes against the wishes of the untrustworthy MEXT official Renta Tsuji and the ever cold Shiho Nishizumi.

Darjeeling smiled. The newbies from Oarai Girls High School were bold enough to challenge them. "From what I heard, they have only five tanks. So, we would use four Matilda IIs and my Churchill to give them a small chance." Rosehip opened her mouth to protest, but then Assam coughed and got their attention.

"They have a Panzer IV D, Type 89B I-Go, Panzer 38 (t), StuG III F and a M3 Lee. Four Matilda IIs and a Churchill are our best choices to give them that small chance." Darjeeling gave her a smile meaning 'thank you' and turned back to the chosen Matilda II commanders. "They will also definitely try to set up an ambush. Be prepared and don't let your guard down." They nodded back almost immediately. "Hai!"

"Also, their instructor Ami Chono is creating an experimental boy crew. This stays as a secret for now. If the MEXT officials or Shiho Nishizumi find it out, the experiment will fail." Darjeeling noticed that the gathered girls weren't surprised. "I know about someone, who can be part of the crew. It is my middle brother. He is talkative enough." Rosehip cut in. "Well… Now, we found out the second of the four needed crew members for Chono's special team, thanks to Rosehip." Darjeeling noticed the pinkette blushing a bit. Well, this gets more interesting by each passing second.

Miho looked at her newly-formed team. They all (except herself and Yukari) got inspired by Trafalgar to paint their tank with a single color. "We should rather leave it without camouflage or get enough colors to paint it in one of those camouflage variants that were used on Panzer IV." Miho nodded in approval to Yukari's suggestion.

"So, what colors will we buy then?" Saori asked. "I think that we should do it later. The default Panzergrau is better for staying hidden than for example: pink or gold." Yukari showed a big smile. "And definitely nothing that will get your tank's frame bigger. Like flags on the hull or boko bear plushie on top of the turret." Miho and her team turned in the direction of the voice and saw Trafalgar sitting on the ground, next to his freshly painted Tiger I with white numbers.

"I'll remove the duct tape later. Only the numbers matter to me, not the Wehrmacht symbols," he explained with a smile. Yukari's eyes widened. "It's beautiful! Reminds me of the Afrikakorps Tigers!" Miho smiled a bit. It reminds me more of Kuromorimine, but without the symbols. I hope that onee-sama is okay… she thought and fought her memories of that day to stop from surfacing again. "...iho! Earth to Miho!" Saori shouted. "Sorry, it just gave me memories from home."

That surprised everyone. "W-wait… You came from Kuromorimine?!" Trafalgar seemed to be less puzzled now. "I heard that they sometimes field a Panzerkampfwagen VIII. You know it as Maus. Kuromorimine uses it only in urban battles. With a Panzerkampfwagen III as a bait." Miho blinked. He knows more than expected. If he knows this much about the Maus, he would be invaluable in battles…

"Since I am finished with painting, should I join you in walking to the main gate?" Trafalgar asked. "Yes, but don't talk too much about tank specifics please." The boy smirked. "But, the whole crew must know what to do, when they face a certain tank. Driver needs to know the best distance of keeping the tank in safe range. Loader needs to know the best type of ammo to be used. Gunner needs to know about vulnerabilities…" Miho put a hand up to stop him. "Jawohl, Kommandant." And he smirked in an attempt to avoid laughing.

He stood up with the blanket over his left shoulder. Only now Miho noticed that the Wehrmacht symbols on his tankist jacket were missing and replaced by Iron crosses. Just like a Kuromorimine uniform… she realized. "Trafalgar-san…" He turned to her. "Please, call me Traf. No need for honorifics." So, he considers us as friends? she thought. "Well then Traf… Do you know that your uniform and tank share features? This should help you, if you were to infiltrate Kuromorimine. But, don't do it. Not now." He nodded. "I see. But, what if there is someone, who could be a part of my crew? I need it gathered ASAP and there are some of the finest tankers. Surely, there will be someone good enough."

Miho resisted the urge to facepalm. Why is he so stubborn?! She knew at least three people, who could easily see through any type of backstory that is not true. If he gets caught by either Okaa-sama or Erika-san, it will end badly. But, if Onee-sama finds out that he knows me, she might help him… "Your chances of success are low. My sister might help you, but there are two others that you definitely must avoid. The Headmaster of Kuromorimine and Itsumi Erika." He nodded in response and smirked. This isn't good…

He opened his mouth and she prepared to stop him. But, she stopped and listened. "Auf der Heide blüht ein kleines Blümelein. Und das heißt: Erika." This time, she really did facepalm. "This kind of humor is sick. Don't do it next time, please." Saori sighed. "And stop using German for at least 12 hours." And they spent the rest of their walk in silence.

When Traf arrived at his apartment, the sun was almost set. Hey, Son. I put some documents to your new home. Make sure to bring them to the tank garages tomorrow. He blinked. What?! The headmaster of this school and Renta Tsuji with Shiho Nishizumi set a plot to rob you of the tank. I merely created 'Ownership papers' to support you. This time, he was grateful for God's help.

He opened the door with ease and was greeted by a small hall with another three doors inside. Home sweet home, I guess. He put his shoes to a corner and closed the main door. Next, he put his tanker jacket down, but he held it still in his hand. There should be a washing machine. My clothes will need it. he thought and went to the nearest door.

Traf opened it and smiled. It was a bedroom with a nice-looking bed and several closets. There was also a nightstand with a tank. Probably the alarm clock. He went to the bed, put his blanket on it and opened the closets. Nothing was inside so he closed them and walked out from the bedroom with a small raincloud over his head. I will never be able to thank them for this… but, he threw the depression aside and walked to the next door.

This time, he was greeted with a living room, kitchen and dining room in one single was the typical small Japanese table, a couch, a TV, a fridge, some cupboards, a microwave, a dishwasher, a sink and an oven with a package on it. Wait… is that instant ramen?! he realized and heard his stomach growl. He chose to walk towards it. There was also a set of papers under it. Luckily for him, they were in English. So, these are the papers, God made for me… Wait a minute! Does it really say that this is also my parents' last wish?! He paled. So, they died… he thought and put the papers down.

Traf stormed out from the room and opened the last door. Behind it was a bathroom, mixed with a toilet. There was a wash-basin, a shower, a toilet, another cupboard, a washing machine (Bingo!) and a dryer.

He opened the cupboard and noticed some toilet paper and a washing powder with a toothpaste. They helped me too much… I am not able to repay them for several lifetimes… And with that in mind, he put his tanker jacket and work trousers into the washing machine.

Meanwhile, MEXT headquarters

Renta Tsuji was grinning in his chair. No matter what, Oarai Girls High School will be closed. And nothing will stop him! Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. "Enter." He gulped right after that. Shiho Nishizumi is visiting him! The only woman who scares him is here?!

"Headmaster Nishizumi, why are you here?" he asked. "The headmaster of Oarai called me that someone claims a tank as possession and doesn't want to give it up to him. It is a trivial thing, but also strange." He nodded. "I see. So, we'll tell him that unless the person has Ownership papers, he can confiscate the tank." The woman nodded. "And contact him yourself."

"I also heard that your youngest, Miho, is there. This could prove to be a problem for your other daughter, if they face each other." Shiho responded with her cold mask. "Maho is devoted to the Nishizumi Style. She will crush her with the might of Kuromorimine." Now is the time for the trump card, he thought. "The tank that he wants is probably a heavy or super heavy class, right?" Shiho nodded. "Yes. A Tiger I."

"Instructor Chono's report lacked any information about this tank in the tanks that are used by the Oarai Girls High School section. She is hiding something. Or someone." "Whoever this is, that person must not join the Tournament. It will damage everything that Sensha-Do stays true to." Better if Oarai was banned from the Tournament. If they win, I'll use Selection University as the last resort. "And if that happens, boys will join in and barbarize it into recreations of real tank battles. Surely, you don't want that."

Shiho nodded and left his office. This is slowly spiraling out of the right way! And I can do nothing to stop it...