Chapter 11: dashed hopes
After a short flight the FA 223 arrived near the camp. Maho, from the fuselage, observed the immense expanse of multicolored tents, dotted with khaki-colored dots on a green background. She turned to Erika, ordering her:
"Lands!"
The blonde girl nodded.
On the ground, the students of the university team watched with curiosity and confusion as the helicopter hovered above their heads. Among them were Manami and Onizuka. When she saw that the aircraft was landing she ordered:
"Onizuka, go warn Commander Shimada!"
The second nodded and ran away.
Kami-sama… Let's hope we find some useful information!
Hana thought, as the Focke-Achgelis 223 slowly descended towards the ground.
When she had touched the ground Maho stood up, ordering in an authoritative voice:
"Everyone on the ground! We don't have a minute to waste!"
Who is this little girl to order me around?
Inspector Ogino thought, annoyed, taking care not to argue.
The girls got off the helicopter one by one, in single file.
"And now?" Kay asked, looking around.
Maho looked at her.
"Now we're looking for clues or testimonies." She replied.
The girls ventured into the camp, looking around. The students of the University Team stared at them with a mix of surprise and curiosity, chatting among themselves.
"What did they come here to do?"
"Isn't that Maho Nishizumi, captain of the Kuromorimine?"
"Yes, and there's also Kay and Darjeeling. I don't know the other three."
"They are here for that…"
"Shut up, or Commander Shimada will punish you!"
For their part, the girls reacted in various ways to such attention: Ayami, Darjeeling and Maho remained impassive; Hana and Kay didn't pay attention, too worried about Miho; Erika glanced nervously here and there, unable to stand all those eyes on her. At a certain point the group came across a little girl, holding a teddy bear and in the company of three older girls.
"Are you lost, Boko girl?" Erika asked her, with sarcasm.
Alice shook her head.
"Kawaii!" Kay exclaimed, and then hugged the little girl without warning.
The latter became completely red in the face, opening her eyes and mouth wide in a grimace of amazement. She couldn't say a word.
"Sorry for the intrusion… Can you tell us where the commander is?" Darjeeling asked.
The three girls glared at the newcomers, as if annoyed by their behavior.
"You have it in front of you." One of them, who was wearing glasses, answered.
Ayami stepped forward and held out her hand.
"I am Police Inspector Ayami Ogino." She introduced herself.
The inspector avoided mentioning where she came from, otherwise the students would have told her that her jurisdiction was not hers and she had no right to question them.
"Rumi Kuroda, vice-commander of the University Team." She replied the bespectacled girl.
Ayami stared at her in confusion.
"You just said you were the commander…"
Rumi shook her head.
"I said the commander is ahead of you. Is she." She explained, pointing to the little girl Kay was still hugging.
"WHAT?" The new arrivals exclaimed, amazed.
"I am Alice Shimada, commander of the University Team." The little girl declared.
Kay looked at her in amazement, pulled away from her and asked:
"How old are you?"
"14."
That answer left the girls even more stunned.
"You are kidding us? At your age you should be in high school!" Erika exclaimed in disbelief.
"Thanks to her high IQ, Commander Shimada was directly admitted to the university. By the way, I'm Azumi Miyamoto, vice-commander. Another girl, with auburn hair explained to them.
Hana snorted in annoyance.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this pleasant conversation, but I remind you that we are not here for a picnic!" She exclaimed.
Maho nodded.
"Right… Commander Shimada, I imagine you are wondering why we are here." She said.
Alice nodded.
"I assume you are connected to the ongoing searches in the area."
Maho let out a sigh.
"Yes. My younger sister is here in Aokigahara… She intends to commit suicide, and we want to prevent her from doing so. Have you seen it?"
Alice thought about it.
"Do you have a photo of her?"
Maho nodded again, put her hand on her smartphone, fiddled with it and then passed it to Alice, who observed it carefully: on the screen there was a photo of Miho in a tank driver's uniform (black cap and jacket, short red skirt) ; she was standing in front of a Tiger I.
"No… I didn't see her. Maybe my deputies..."
She turned to the three girls who were with her.
"Have you seen her?"
Azumi shook her head.
"No, commander."
"I didn't see her." Rumi stated.
"Me niether." Megumi, who had dark brown hair, said.
The girls, with the exception of Erika, were disappointed by that answer.
Damn… We came this far for nothing!
Hana thought.
"If possible, we would like to interview the other students. Maybe some of them spotted Miho." Ayami said.
Alice shrugged at her.
"As you wish. But there are 150 girls here, it will take you time to question them all."
"My sister arrived here at 1pm, and it's been about 5 hours. I'm only interested in the students who were around during this time." Maho stated.
Alice snorted.
"That brings the number down to a dozen. But the forest is large, it doesn't mean they've seen your sister." She declared.
"We have to try anyway…. We won't let Miho die." Darjeeling spoke up, darkly serious.
"Look who shows up again…" A voice said.
Maho, Erika and the others turned, noticing two girls they knew well.
"Manami…" The Kuromorimine's captain said.
"Earl Grey…" Her counterpart from St. Gloriana said.
Maho's predecessor stepped forward with a wry smile.
"We haven't seen each other in a while…"
She adjusted her sunglasses.
"…And I understand that you have problems in your family."
Maho looked annoyed. At the time she led the Kuro, Manami had been a fierce opponent of the Nishizumi style, which she deemed too cruel and rigid. Forced to resign to leave her role to Maho, she still enjoyed a certain prestige among the students of the academy, thanks to her victory in the final of the 61st national tournament.
"Nothing that concerns you, Manami..." She told her.
Damn… I hope they go as soon as possible!
Miho was thinking, intent on watching the scene from the tent where she was hiding.
From there she could see them one by one: her sister Maho, Erika, Kay, Darjeeling, a woman she didn't know and finally Hana, her friend and classmate. Her only hope was that the University Team girls would hide her presence there, otherwise she would have to return to Ooarai, and her plan would go up in smoke. And she certainly couldn't allow this.
Now that my mother has disowned me, my only hope is in obtaining Chiyo Shimada's hospitality. Only that woman can help me, assuming she agree to do so.
She snorted.
"I heard about your victory against BCF… I congratulate you." Earl Gray stated, smiling cheerfully.
Darjeeling let out a sigh.
"It doesn't take a skilled commander to prevail over a quarrelsome and divided team... And yesterday was only the first round. To get to the final we will have to overcome some obstacles, some of which are particularly sharp."
Her predecessor immediately understood who he was referring to.
"Saunders, Pravda and Kuromorimine…"
She nodded.
"Sooner or later, during the tournament, we will have to face one of them. And winning won't be easy... Not at all."
Earl smiled slyly.
"It will be difficult, not impossible."
Meanwhile Alice turned to Azumi.
"Summon here the 12 girls who were wandering around the forest in the last few hours."
The girl jumped to attention.
"Yes, commander!"
She ran away.