Speeches were a tedious part of life, Erika thought. Some people were talented with words and could weave a genuinely inspiring speech that could resonate even with a hardened cynic. Oarai seemed to have a lot of cynics now but then, they had heard a lot of speeches through all this. This had all begun with a speech; back when the Student Council had given their presentation to recruit them into Sensha-do. Miho had given a much smaller speech when she had seen the lonely Panzer IV in the hangar. A few words of reassurance regarding the condition of the machine and the existence of the club and the mission to save the school had been assured.

The speeches were done now. There was nothing left the Student Council to say. Nothing left for them to prompt Miho to say. It wasn't as if the team hadn't known Miho's feelings regarding them, the school and the sport; although it was still nice for them to hear. It wasn't as if any of the Captains of the other schools would give a similar speech. They couldn't land the same way. If Maho said a few words about what the team meant to her rather than what Kuromorimine meant to them all, they would have her committed.

No more speeches. Just a last meal which could only be katsu. Erika decided she had spent too much time scouring the Bible for wolf related quotations because she couldn't help but smile in expectation of Miho declaring that one of them would be betray her. Christianity was an overly dramatic religion, she thought, although it was fitting for Sensha-do.

"What are you smiling at?" Yukari asked, with a nervous grin.

"I'm just enjoying the last supper." Erika replied, particularly the way that Saori dominated even after delegating tasks. It was Miho's apartment but when Anglerfish and Wolf teams were present; it was Saori's kitchen. Now and always.

Yukari was thinking the same thing. "You'll make someone a good wife." She told her and it amused Erika that for Saori this was high praise. But she had more than her cooking skills to be proud of. Saori proudly announced that she was now a fully certified Amateur Second-Class Radio Operator and went so far as to show off the license.

"It was tough." Saori confessed with demure modesty. "But Mako helped me study."

Erika and Yukari were sat with trays on Miho's futon while Hana, Miho and Saori were sat at the table. Mako meanwhile was sat at Miho's desk with her back to them with the aloof posture of a cat. "The test is nothing compared to teaching her." She declared and the sarcastic mockery flew over a beaming Saori's head.

"Leave the battlefield communications to me tomorrow!" Saori announced. "My waves will be all over the place!"

Erika wasn't sure what this was supposed to mean but she had long since learned not to question some of these more outlandish Oarai statements. There had been a time when she had thought such things were limited to girls like Anzu and Saori. It was best just to smile and nod.

Like when Saori made another announcement. "If we win the match… I'll get hitched!" She declared with a clenched fist and Erika smiled and nodded while everyone else stared at the maniac.

Everyone except Mako. "Those things aren't related at all, are they, Saori?" And to Saori it was just white noise because she had more to say.

"And I want to see you get a boyfriend too, Miporin!"

Obviously Saori was imagining double dates and probably even a double wedding. Miho meanwhile looked as if the combined batteries of Musashi and Yamato had been pointed in her direction. The idea of Miho with a boyfriend felt remarkably alien to Erika. In fact, that was true of most of the girls she knew; the result of attending all-girls schools where romantic lives were private lives.

And Miho it turned out wasn't ready yet for a love life.

"I… I…" Erika waited, remembering a time when Miho's squirming shyness had infuriated her to the point of violent ideation. Now it was endearing. Miho found her voice. "I really love being here with all of you like this." The look on her face gave Erika chills. Miho looked truly happy. "Saori, Hana, Mako, Yukari, Erika… I really love all of you."

Erika had only needed her nose to count the number of people who had told her that they loved her. Now she would need to use her ears instead. As such, she had no idea what she was supposed to say in response, if anything. Fortunately, Saori had something to break the tension.

"It makes me happy to heart." She said quite formally. "But coming from a girl… It doesn't seem quite right…"

The inference that Miho had made more than a platonic declaration made her turn a shocking shade of pink and make a noise that would have sounded more appropriate coming from a birdhouse. It didn't so much break the tension as shatter it into little pieces and they giggled helplessly at Miho's embarrassment.

[][][][][][]

Erika slept from sheer discipline even if the anticipation was hot acid in her chest. She woke earlier than necessary though and after that, she could not get back to sleep and so ate her breakfast and considered if waking early was an omen. Omens were nonsense, she decided and it only meant she had more time to prepare. It was an ancient tradition to make oneself look their very best before a battle and while Sensha-do might not have been war; the tradition was appropriate. It showed respect to their opponents and Erika certainly wasn't going to give any of the hostile elements the satisfaction of looking in any way unpresentable. Her uniform was cleaned and pressed. Her hat could have been brand new. She knew she brushed her hair obsessively but it was one part of her appearance that she had full control over.

Makeup was tricky. It always was. At least she knew the Kuromorimine girls would be struggling with it as they did their best to look good without looking over done. They would look on some of the more 'eccentric' members of Oarai with disdain but that was inevitable. But Erika would look at them with their, literally, uniform appearance and feel the same disdain.

She lingered on her scar. She traced it back and forth with her finger and wondered at its appearance. It was far less angry now but still very prominent. Her resting scowl was always going to be ferocious. It was tempting to emphasise it, to draw attention to it and perhaps embarrass Kuromorimine with the reminder. But that would serve no real purpose beyond mere pettiness. She chose to ignore it, as usual.

Skirt, undershirt, jacket, hat. The navy blue and white of Oarai might not have had the striking power of the black and burgundy of Kuromorimine but it looked good nonetheless.

"Wish me luck." She told Fūran and fortunately, the white stuffed rabbit did not reply. That was unquestionably a good omen.

She stood outside her front door and waited. When Miho came she was also impeccably dressed and Erika watched her reassure herself that her door was locked before turning and squeaking in fright at the sight of Erika standing there watching her.

"I asked you to stop doing that." Miho sighed.

"Good morning, Captain." Erika replied. "Ready for your last match?"

Miho beamed at her. "Yes!"

[][][][][][]

The train ride was uneventful but more than a little ominous given how they were travelling through the dawn. Their arrival at the grounds for their final match meanwhile prompted Yukari into a display of pure overwrought joy that led to Sodoko yelling at her to show some decorum. A waste of time because Yukari was a pilgrim in her holy land and nothing short of propofol or a concussion could have calmed her down. Erika thought back to those naïve days when she thought she had seen Yukari at her most excited when in fact that had been Yukari operating in second gear.

It was the finals so many of the other schools were present, not just the Big Four, and Erika wondered idly when the unofficial match for third place would take place; when Pravda and St Gloriana would fight. On paper it was merely an exhibition match but the Big Four had always taken the unofficial contest for third place very seriously. Kuromorimine's long winning streak had made third place far more prestigious when first was effectively guaranteed to one school.

The other schools were there for the entertainment but also to sell their wares and to simply advertise themselves. A few schools like Chi-ha-tan had brought one of their tanks along just to show them off and while they weren't prize specimens like those owned by the Big Four, people still enjoyed them. Just like they enjoyed the food and the crafts stalls. Anzio was conspicuously absent in the makeshift food court but perhaps they hadn't been able to afford the trip after their expenses in the tournament.

"You'd think there'd be more people here to watch." Erika remarked, looking at the mostly empty Oarai stands. She didn't want to look at the Kuromorimine section; too many familiar faces. "This is what decides the fate of the school after all."

"They don't want to be here. They don't think we can win." Yukari's hair drooped as she realised the simple truth. Then she brightened up. "We'll have to prove them wrong!"

Erika stared at her for a moment and then made her squeak by embracing her. "Never stop believing, Yukari."

As to be expected, Yukari was too alarmed to respond but as Erika released her, she nodded fiercely.

They had checked and rechecked their tanks the day before but now they had to check them again after their journey. It was always possible that something might have shaken loose but a great deal of the effort was unnecessary. It reassured the nerves of many of the team to perform the maintenance as well; a distraction from what was to come.

She watched Miho receive a stream of visitors; St Gloriana, Saunders and even Pravda. It said a lot about Pravda's victory the previous year that no one laughed at the sight of Katyusha perched on Nonna's shoulders though a few people clearly didn't believe what they were seeing. Judging by Miho's smile they all came to wish her well and that was an odd thing. While they may have all had respect for each other, such well-wishes were usually strict formalities and certainly not delivered from shoulder-back. They were casual. Friendly. Genuinely warm. A shocking change from the harsh rivalry of Kuromorimine and Pravda.

The visitor they received had apparently had a breakfast of amphetamines fried in sugar. This combined with Yukari's joy at being in the finals in this place meant the two of them fed off each other and spoke so fast that Erika wondered if they might both vanish in a flash and she would see them again when she was an old lady. Rosehip had nothing but joy for them taking their small, fast tank into the midst of Pravda just as they had with Saunders and doing it with a T-50 and a 38(t) was just beyond cheeky. Erika nodded a few times when she thought a word had been fired in her direction but mostly, she just watched it happen. Yukari had just as much admiration for Rosehip taking her Crusader against Kuromorimine's King Tigers and Erika hadn't seen the video, she would not have believed it. They considered each other kin. For a moment Erika became distracted and that was a fatal mistake as she had the wind knocked out of her as Rosehip gave her a hug that really was not at all that different to being jumped on by a happy Spaniel.

"Good luck with the match!" Rosehip gushed, her arms around Erika's neck. "Show those Big Cats how the terriers fight!" She released her and waved a final time at Yukari before joining her people by Miho.

"Not a word." Erika warned Yukari who was smiling at her mussed hair and askew hat. They both took effort to fix.

The Wolf needed nothing more from them so she and Yukari took a walk down the line. It couldn't really be called an inspection because they knew the others had done everything they could for their machines and there was nothing for them to critique or judge. There was no question that the Oarai tanks were lacking compared to their opponents today but there was also no question that the odd assortment of vehicles were in prime condition.

"Everyone seems confident." Yukari said.

"Tits in hand, belief in Miho shining in their eyes." Erika remarked dryly.

"What?"

"It's from a film. It doesn't have tanks in it." Erika explained and enjoyed how reassured Yukari was by this explanation as to why she didn't recognise the reference. Erika thought the reference was appropriate; like the Kaleuns she and Miho weren't much older than the people they led but they were still the 'Old Guard'. The younger girls looked up to them with far more respect than the matter of months separating them should have allowed for. On the other side though, that belief in victory was indeed shining in the eyes of the Kuromorimine girls; for Maho. Maho would lead them to victory against anyone and anywhere. They did not doubt it. Maho would triumph over all.

She could see Oarai's confidence falter when the two teams met. They were used to being outnumbered but in this final match with Kuromorimine bringing twenty fully crewed tanks the disparity in numbers seemed to be crying out to them. At least the Oarai uniform did not look shabby next to Kuromorimine, although Erika felt that the others should have worn a cap like her. Kuromorimine's caps gave them that little something extra and that was why she had bought one for herself so long ago. It just didn't feel right to go into battle without something covering her head.

The Nishizumi sisters didn't glare at each other although their game faces were grim. The difference was that Maho's betrayed nothing while Miho couldn't help but give away her trepidation at facing her older sibling in battle. It was something that Koume couldn't help but notice and she and Erika exchanged a long look that silently communicated their regrets that they were on opposite sides and that this battle required the two sisters to prove which of them was superior regardless of how they actually felt. Erika wondered if the Nishizumi telepathy was in effect and the two of them were having their own silent conversation but it was impossible for her to tell. Their jaws were locked and their eyes dark.

They obeyed all the formalities and though they might have had some words to share, they were too taut to exchange them so Erika and Koume followed their respective Captains back to their own lines.

"I know I've been mean to you. I've called you names. I've threatened to dismember you. I've beaten you. You've given me nothing but grief as well… But I think after everything we've been through, you and I, we respect each other now. Don't we? We can work together. We can win this match together. Can't we?"

Yukari popped out of the turret. "You've always said I was crazy when I talked to the tank."

"It's crazy when you do it because you're always caressing the hull and nuzzling it with your hair." Erika replied. "I'm just trying to set things straight."

"Don't you think it's a bit late for that?"

"We understand each other." Erika patted the glacis. "We're both mean people. I mean, I'm a person and it's a tank but… Shut up!"

Yukari beamed at her. "We've all become good friends."

"Comrades." Erika said, just to see Yukari grin at the reference to their Soviet machine. "Make the final checks."

"I already did."

"Then make them again." Erika said and then looked out at the other teams. They were all conducting their own pre-match rituals which were complex in the case of Hippo team as each of them performed a rite from their period of history to the simple in the case of Turtle team which was Anzu telling Momo and Yuzu to make sure everything was all set while she sat back and relaxed on the machine. The only change was that she had a new perch on the Jagdpanzer 38 versus the hull of the 38(t). Only Anzu could make the glacis of a Jagdpanzer look like a sun lounger.

This she knew was the point where she usually looked out on their motley collection of tanks and despaired at what they were facing but not today it seemed. Everything she knew about Kuromorimine told her that conventional would not do it. Kuromorimine, Maho, knew what to do versus groups of tanks that were the same model and could adjust her tactics accordingly. But nine individuals? That introduced a variable of unpredictability that Kuromorimine strategy couldn't account for.

Although their heavy armour and even heavier firepower were an excellent counter.

"Erika."

She had meant to seek out Miho before the match commenced but Miho had gotten there first. She sensed Yukari submerge into the T-50 like a furry jellyfish to give them a moment's privacy although Erika suspected she was listening in from the driver's viewport.

"Do you accept the plan?" Miho asked with a touch of anxiety.

"I accept it. But I still think you're crazy."

"You know it'll work."

"I know. But I don't like it. You're relying on things to work out exactly as you intend them. As you need them to."

"It's Kuromorimine." Miho replied. "The one thing we can count on is them being predictable."

"Your sister, yes. Koume…" It was doubtful that Koume would get any ideas of her own that would deviate from the Nishizumi Style but it was still possible and if that happened, Miho's careful plan would fall apart.

"Do you really believe she or any of the others would suddenly decide to act independent?"

"If we annoy them enough, yes." Erika answered honestly. "And your plan is basically to spend most of the day taunting them. If it was last year, I'd say their discipline was unbreakable but now… It's risky."

"All plans are." Miho declared with a touch of steel. A touch that made Erika smile.

"If we get away with this…" Erika shook her head.

"We can never go home again." Miho said sadly and then looked back at her team. "I think I can live with that." She extended her hand.

Erika took it, and squeezed it tight. "You're still a pain in my arse, Nishizumi." She declared and Miho beamed at her.

"What did the Captain want?" Yukari asked as Erika climbed aboard the T-50.

"Like you weren't listening to every word, double O Floof." Erika replied, settling into the uncomfortable driver's seat. She thought about when they had gone shopping and she had acquired the cushion now taped to the seat. Had Soviet designers always worked standing up? Was that why they had apparently given no consideration to producing a comfortable seat? "It's going to be a hard day."

Miho only shared the initial part of the plan with the rest of the team; move out fast to take the high ground. A sound but obvious move. Obvious was necessary though; they wanted Kuromorimine to find them. They would have to cover a large amount of ground to reach them and their heavy German vehicles would guzzle fuel and there was always the possibility that the less reliable vehicles would break down and straggle or be disabled outright. It was not unknown for the Teutonic behemoths to be knocked out by breakdowns rather than enemy fire and even the small chance had to be exploited.

The Captain had no final meaningful words for them either. The Oarai girls had been bombarded with speeches since learning the truth and there were no more words that could mean anything to them now. They knew the stakes and they went unspoken. They could only exchange final nods.

[][][][][][]

Koume did not like the mood amongst the Kuromorimine girls. They had started this tournament with the goal of regaining their honour and prestige by defeating Pravda and that had been a unifying force. But then Pravda had been defeated by an upstart school. An upstart school led by two of their own; Itsumi and Nishizumi. Two significant names in their school's history. They felt robbed. Betrayed.

Worst of all, they felt humiliated. They were facing a minor school but because it was the finals of the tournament, they had been forced to bring much of their heaviest and meanest hardware. It made them look scared of this little school that couldn't even bring half the permitted number of vehicles.

They were angry and keen to smash this impudent opponent quickly. Things could have been ugly if not for the Captain; there wasn't a girl among them prepared to defy Maho. There would be no breakdown of discipline.

Maho intrigued Koume. There were glimmers of her true feelings showing and the fact they were visible at all was proof enough of her emotional turmoil. But she confided in no one and projected only the same aloof confidence she always had.

"The match is about to start." She stated matter-of-factly. "It's our first time taking this school on, so don't let your guard down." Her tone was neutral but the words were a challenge; let anyone dare question her judgement to treat this school of upstarts seriously. "Be sure to act swiftly. Guderian would have said; 'It's better to be a fast runner than to have a thick skin.'" She declared, and then emotion entered her voice. "Let's go!"

Her crew was stirred and sat up straighter in their seats but Koume thought about what the Captain had just said. 'It's better to be a fast runner than to have a thick skin.' A quarter of their vehicles weighed over fifty tons and were decidedly not nimble. They had vehicles with incredibly thick skin. Was Maho mocking them all with her speech? Doubly so, seeing as everyone else had taken it at face value.

Koume had to set her jaw firmly and look as emboldened as her crew and not concerned that their Captain was coming apart at the seams.

[][][][][][]

(Note: To avoid confusion, Koume and Maho will refer to Kuromorimine tanks as 'Unit One, Unit Seven, Unit Sixteen' etc etc rather than 'Tank One' or 'Tank Seven' so as not to create confusion between tanks and tank destroyers. Likewise, they will not refer to them as 'Panzer One' or 'Panzer Three' to avoid confusion when referring to vehicles that are obviously not a Panzer I or Panzer III.)

[][][][][][]

Oarai's Panzerkeil seemed almost like a parody of Kuromorimine's. Erika could just picture their juggernaut rumbling along and so the mismatched tanks of Oarai, originating from all across Europe and Japan and with over a decade between their designs, looked to be mocking their adversaries.

They were moving as fast as the Leopon and Mallard permitted and as always the little Duck defied all design specifications by blazing along. Erika knew they were moving much faster than Kuromorimine and unless they had left behind some of their heavier vehicles, they had no chance of outpacing them. They knew that Kuromorimine had brought an Elefant and Jagdtiger today and those vehicles had devastating firepower but miserable cross-country speed. In some ways Erika regretted not letting Yukari perform reconnaissance so they knew the full extent of Kuromorimine's line up but had they discovered her infiltration, Erika knew she wouldn't have seen her gunner again until Kuromorimine delivered her back that morning.

"This is Anglerfish Team." Saori's voice came over the radio in full authority mode. "We're two kilometres from Point 207. There are no Kuromorimine tanks in sight yet." To Erika, Saori sounded remarkably like she was giving the weather forecast. "But, everyone, don't let your guard down and stay strong throughout the battle! Out!"

"And now the traffic report." Erika mused.

"Whuh?" Yukari thought she had misheard.

"Takebe has a promising future in public relations." Erika explained and for some reason had a vision of her in a gym trying to motivate a group of exhausted seniors to greater efforts. If one of them dropped dead, it was likely Saori would spin this as them having given it their all and telling the others not to be discouraged. Clearly, the pressure was getting to her in unusual ways.

She heard the impact of the shell before she heard the gun that fired it. Her immediate instinct was to start weaving and then came the thunder of more shells followed by the rumble of the guns.

"The trees!" Yukari squeaked with excitement rather than trepidation. "They're coming through the trees!"

"Be specific!"

"Panthers! Jagdpanzers!" Yukari reported and Erika heard the distinctive blast of an 8.8cm cannon. "Tiger!"

"Numbers?"

"Thirteen!"

"Just thirteen?" Erika almost looked around in surprise, forgetting the incoming fire.

"They must be straggling." Yukari guessed. "I didn't think Kuromorimine split up like this."

"They don't. Normally… They must have wanted to intercept us en route." Perhaps even Maho had wanted to end this quickly rather than draw it out. Perhaps she realised that drawing things out was precisely what Miho intended. But the range was long and the Oarai machines were taking evasive action. She heard more 8.8cm guns which meant the King Tigers had caught up. "They're pushing their engines." She mused.

"So aggressive." Yukari sounded enraptured. She was under attack by Kuromorimine, the champion of champions, and she felt honoured and privileged. If a shell had smashed into them and sent them flying into a bone-breaking roll, Yukari would have felt ecstatic to have been knocked out by Kuromorimine and only afterwards upset that she could no longer support the Captain.

"Stop drooling." Erika advised and heard Yukari pop her mouth shut and then start wiping at her face, fully convinced she had indeed been drooling.

"All tanks!" Miho commanded. "Ready Operation Smokey!"

Erika had to clap her hand to her face. For all that Miho was creative when it came to Sensha-do tactics, she had a singular lack of ability when it came to naming things. "Prepare smoke." She sighed to Yukari.

"Smoke ready!" Yukari replied with far too much enthusiasm and professionalism. It took Erika a moment to realise how much she had come to enjoy Oarai's more relaxed atmosphere as Yukari channelled the enemy.

"Release smoke!" Miho commanded.

[][][][][][]

The order to advance at full speed through a forest had surprised Koume. The haste of it was decidedly not in character with the Captain or the Nishizumi Style but she had also recognised the value of it. The last thing Oarai would expect was for the Panzers to come barrelling through the trees before they made it to the high ground. Maho was certain Oarai would be heading to Point 207. It would nullify Kuromorimine's advantage in firepower and allow them to fire down upon the heavy German vehicles.

Driving armoured vehicles between trees was always dangerous but at full speed, it was outright reckless. And yet, none of them failed. Perhaps it was the thought of the mockery they would receive if they allowed themselves to be knocked out in the finals by a tree root. They made excellent progress.

Koume had watched all the recordings of Oarai's previous matches but it was quite different to see their motley machines on a screen and to see them in person. It didn't feel real.

"They're so small!" Chika complained. "What am I supposed to aim at?"

"Go for the Porsche Tiger." Koume suggested.

"It actually looks rather good." Sora remarked. "How'd they make a disaster design look impressive?"

"Looks like a German IS-2." Kagome mused to herself. "Pity to turn it into scrap."

"Patience." Koume warned, because the Captain had no yet given the order. She had fallen behind as the Tiger struggled where the Jagdpanzers and Panthers thundered on.

Maho gave her permission to attack instead. Six Jadgpanzers and six Panthers was hardly the overwhelming force of Kuromorimine but it would send a message. Chika had aimed for the Porsche Tiger, and missed. Everyone had missed. The distance and the angle and the fact the majority of the targets were small threw off the Kuromorimine gunners.

But the message they sent was well-received. The suddenness of the attack set Oarai into evasive action and Koume could see that for most of them, it was not disciplined manoeuvring. The onslaught panicked them and Koume saw only two tanks react with professionalism; the Panzer IV and T-50. Miho and Erika. The majority of her force aimed for the Oarai flag tank but it seemed to have a charmed existence with the Kuromorimine shells falling short, beyond or around it. Chika did however strike the Porsche Tiger and even at this distance, Koume could see the bright scar carved into its turret.

The Captain arrived with the King Tigers but they couldn't score any hits either. The reports of their guns however seemed to spur Oarai on. Koume was not at all surprised when the Oarai tanks began belching smoke.

"Do they think they're ninja?" Kagome demanded with disgust.

"All is fair in love and war." Koume channelled the St Gloriana Captain. "All tanks; cease fire!" She commanded. They would just be wasting shells otherwise.

They watched Oarai vanish into the fog bank and they waited. Waited for the rest of their force to catch up. There was no rush. They knew where they were going after all.

[][][][][][]

The smoke cloaked them from Kuromorimine's fire and allowed them to slip away. Erika split off and raced ahead to find an ideal vantage point while Turtle team had their own mission. It was an appropriate mission given that Erika thought Anzu's goal in life was to be as irritating as humanly possible, and now she could inflict that on an opponent.

A vital part of planning had been taking into account the weakness of the Porsche Tiger. It was a heavy beast and did not climb slopes well. They wanted it to climb a virtual precipice. The only way to accomplish this without having Kuromorimine snapping on their heels was to tow it. For the rest of the team to haul the monster up. It had the advantage of being something that Kuromorimine would never expect.

She found that vantage point and as the smoke cleared, she could observe Kuromorimine. At this distance they were miniatures but she knew the profiles well enough. She watched them form up with the late arriving Elefant, Jagdpanther and Jagdtiger taking their places. Erika frowned as she counted the formation, and then counted it again. The figure did not change. She could only count eighteen vehicles now advancing on them.

"Why eighteen?"

"Maybe they have a scout." Yukari suggested, and began looking around for it.

"They usually do." Typically Kuromorimine used a Panzer III in the role and despite being a medium tank, it could pass almost unnoticed when the opposing team was focused on its gargantuan comrades. "But that's only nineteen."

"Maybe someone broke down. Maybe they had two Jagdpanthers!"

"That would be convenient." Erika said, thinking that a pair of Jagdpanthers would have made sense for a line up that also had a single Elefant and Jagdtiger. "They're making good progress." Even shackled to the ponderous heavy tank destroyers, the Kuromorimine formation was ploughing ahead with haste.

"An unstoppable force." Yukari declared darkly.

"Unless they encounter soft ground." Erika replied and imagined the downpour they had faced Anzio in instead turning this tournament ground into a morass. It would have massively hampered Kuromorimine's abilities to operate. But it would also have made her and Miho think uncontrollably about the last final. Koume and Maho too. Perhaps they would all have gone to pieces. "There."

"Where?"

"That Panther. That's Koume's."

"They all look the same." Yukari scanned back and forth with her binoculars, alarmed that there could be some detail of panzer anatomy she had overlooked.

"Yes, they do." Erika replied, enjoying the look of confusion on Yukari's features. "Trust me."

"Is this your Itsumi-sense?"

"This is me knowing Kuromorimine formations." Maho had a King Tiger on her left and right for protection, and intimidation, which meant the first Panther on the right was Koume's.

"Is it important to know?"

"The Nishizumi sisters are focused on each other." Their mother had to be here today and for Maho, that would be her overriding concern. "They'll become fixated on each other." For the moment that was all Erika could say about the plan. "When that happens, Koume will be leading Kuromorimine. If Koume gets knocked out, Kuromorimine loses their cohesion."

"It's not a very… sound… tactic." Yukari said, meaning that it was a cheap tactic to use.

"If it works, it works." Erika replied and at this point Miho initiated 'Operation Biker Gang' and Oarai once again deployed smoke. This time they spread the smoke over a much wider area with the B1 bis and Type 89 breaking off to spread it as far and wide as they could until the hill they were climbing vanished under what resembled a small volcanic eruption. "Maybe cutting the head off the snake is a cheap tactic, but if we go the honourable route today; we're finished." She turned her attention back to Kuromorimine. "And they epitomise practicality." She couldn't help but smirk. "Viel Spaß!" She called to them.

[][][][][][]

A Jagdpanzer 38 was a small vehicle. Comically small compared to its many kameraden. But it had a very nasty bite and its diminutive stature meant the three members of the Student Council had been able to quickly and easily conceal it with a few boughs.

"Are we just taking one shot?"

"We'll take as many as we can."

"They'll know where we are."

"They're Kuromorimine. They'll know no matter what."

"Snipers only take one shot and then relocate."

"We're a tank destroyer. Not a sniper."

"It's the same principle!"

"If we take out three tanks before getting knocked out ourselves; that works just fine." Anzu said. "Remember? We're outnumbered two to one. If we take down three, everyone else just has to take down two."

Momo ground her teeth and clutched the shell she was holding tighter to her chest.

Yuzu missed Hoshino's presence within their vehicle. She had always been able to reassure her whenever the 38(t)'s engine had made stressful noises and that comforting would have been welcome now that she was still getting to grips with the sounds made by the Jagdpanzer 38. The engine made very different noises with the tank destroyer hull around it and it always felt like it was loudly protesting the extra weight that had been dumped on it.

Although it was purring contentedly right now and then seemingly cowed into silence as the formation of Kuromorimine tanks drew near. Oarai's tanks had always seemed quite big to her and then she had seen the KV-2 and IS-2 emerging from the snow during their match against Pravda. She had watched the Porsche Tiger take shape and dwarf their other tanks. But Kuromorimine's force consisted mostly of giants with the behemoth that was their Jagdtiger not looking all that much bigger than the other tanks around it because of how big they were. To Yuzu's eyes, the Jagdtiger looked as if it could crush their Type 89 beneath its treads without noticing. Panthers and King Tigers were vast compared to their Type 3 and T-50. And their Jagdpanzers made their vehicle look like the runt of the litter. It was hard to remember Itsumi's encouragement that size and weight only meant so much. It was unfortunate she had described it like fighting a person though, rather than tanks. It might have been an apt metaphor but Yuzu didn't like the idea of comparing breaking treads and wheels to breaking legs or kicking your opponent in the groin…

Anzu however seemed to relish the comparison. As the Kuromorimine Panzerkeil rumbled out before them, it didn't frighten her but instead she made a gleeful, half-growl, half-giggle of anticipation.

"Are you going for the Tiger?"

"Nishizumi said don't. If I even think about it; they'll know." Anzu spoke cheerfully and Momo pulled a face. Yuzu was well aware of the Nishizumi perception. She had seen it in their own Captain while descriptions of her sister all talked about an apparent hyper-awareness when it came to Sensha-do. When Miho warned her sister would know if they even thought about targeting her, Yuzu believed her. They would see the whole formation swing around to face them. So Anzu ignored the Tiger despite the possibility they could have knocked it out and instead did what she had been instructed to do; target the other vehicles.

Anzu fired and they were still getting used to the 7.5cm cannon firing. It made their previous 37mm sound and feel like a spud-gun. The 7.5cm had a muzzle velocity of nearly a kilometre a second so Yuzu's perception was that they fired and one of the Kuromorime vehicles instantly had a burst of flame and gout of smoke erupt from it.

"Damn." Anzu cursed. "I was aiming for the hull." And she had fired too low so instead of eliminating what Yuzu now identified as Jagdpanther, she had only crippled it. "C'mon, Kwashima!"

"I'm doing it!" Momo hissed, ramming a new shell into the breech.

"Well, do it faster! Anzu told her impishly. "Set an example!"

Perhaps she imagined it but Yuzu could have sworn she heard Momo mutter 'I'll set you…' under her breath. A moment later, Anzu fired again and this time she hit exactly what she was aiming at, smashing the wheels and severing the tread of a Panther which ground to an undignified halt.

"You got them, President!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"See, Kawashima! Two of them!" Anzu stuck two fingers in Momo's face.

"I know!" Momo hissed. "Now can we go?!"

The entire Kuromorimine formation was swinging in their direction and while Yuzu didn't know if they had spotted them yet, and their low profile and the camouflage they had added made it unlikely, another shot from them and the experienced gunners of Kuromorimine would blow them away.

"Two tanks are our limit, huh?" Anzu remarked, losing her cockiness as she saw all those cannons seemingly aimed right at her face. "I wish we could wreck them all!" She added bloodthirstily.

Yuzu withdrew them into the woods and at least one Kuromorimine tank spotted the movement and fired. The rest aimed for the explosion of this shell and the monstrous volley crashed around them to splash the earth up in great gouts of dirt and dust and to absolutely wreck trees; reducing them to splinters and wisps of leaves. They had fired High Explosive shells for some reason and the destruction was terrifying and devastating. They had watched many videos demonstrating Kuromorimine's firepower but they didn't prepare them at all for the actual experience of being on the receiving end even after what they had endured from Pravda's guns. It wasn't like their entire formation being fired on; every shell was meant for them and them alone.

"Eeee! That was exciting!" Anzu cooed and Yuzu turned to stare at her. She wasn't showing off, she seemed genuinely elated and Yuzu could only assume it was her continued manic excitement at what they were trying to do.

[][][][][][]

"Do not pursue them." Maho commanded calmly despite the two damaged machines now on her left flank.

"Captain, I could take Unit Five and Six and-"

"We will not pursue." Maho cut her off. "We will not be distracted. We go on."

Koume hid her disapproval. She knew that Oarai had to have just two vehicles out there; one of their tank destroyers and a fast mover as a spotter. With three Panthers she could have hunted them down quickly and easily and deprived Oarai of one of their best machines. But she couldn't do that because this was not the Nishizumi Style. They did not break formation to pursue impudent ambushers when the location of the enemy's main force was known. But it seemed so much like a missed opportunity.

But Maho's confidence and will could not be ignored. She declared they would advance and leave behind the damaged Jadgpanther and Panther to repair themselves and that their opponents had fled and were no threat to them. Koume worried that Oarai, specifically Erika, was waiting for them to move on so she could pounce on the vulnerable Jadgpanther but Maho's command made her realise that would not happen. Erika was not out there. Oarai had only been buying time to reach the high ground; just as Maho had said.

There could be no other conclusion.

[][][][][][]

The Student Council had bought the others only a few minutes in the grand scheme of things but they had reached the summit of the high ground and dug in. The earthworks they had thrown up were pathetic as far as Erika was concerned but given how little time they had had to dig, the scant protection for their lower hulls was better than nothing. The Student Council had bought them enough time for that although if they had tracked two of Kuromorimine's vehicles it should have taken them longer to repair them. Erika's suspicion was that Maho had left the two vehicles to conduct their own repairs and to re-join the formation when they could. There had been an opportunity perhaps to attack those two isolated vehicles but Miho hadn't wanted to take the risk, and it seemed Maho had known that and was content to leave them behind. After all, sixteen Kuromorimine vehicles were more than adequate to annihilate Oarai and Erika still prickled with worry over where the other two were. There had to be at least one scout and maybe that scout was watching them; unseen. A good scout could manage that.

After all, she was watching Kuromorimine unseen. She hadn't wanted the T-50 to fight head on against Kuromorimine; it was a waste of their abilities. Their 45mm gun could do nothing frontally to any of their vehicles unless they were breathing right in their faces. The flanks on the other hand… Always the flanks.

"We should be there." Yukari said. Again.

"You know we can't be." Erika replied. Again.

"We should be with the rest of the team."

"This is what we do. Detached service. Like Saunders."

"That was because we broke down!"

"Shhh! Erika chided. "He'll hear you and get ideas." She grinned to herself, imagining Yukari staring incredulously at her for making a joke. Nakajima likewise was feeling a cold shiver down her spine.

She didn't have much of a view from their position. She envisioned things from Miho's place. From her cupola in the Panzer IV, the fighting wedge of Kuromorimine would look even bigger with all the dust they were kicking up. The Big Cats would grow larger with every second and when Kuromorimine's guns were in range of Oarai, only half of Oarai would be able to respond with any kind of meaning.

Erika doubted that Kuromorimine would open up at range though. Not against an enemy on high ground because the distance and height difference would mean most of the shells would be wasted no matter how talented the gunner. They would close the distance so that it would take fewer ranging shots to acquire the target. And then hit them with enough force to make the barrage that Oarai had levelled on Anzio look like a tickle.

She did the calculations. Weighed up the odds. Oarai was firing downhill while Kuromorimine was firing uphill and both were difficult but Kuromorimine had much more experience. Oarai had had the chance to entrench while Kuromorimine was exposed; except Kuromorimine had the armour to make that exposure not matter. Inevitably, things were weighted in Kuromorimine's favour. And that was why this was only a holding action. There was no intention of this being where the match would be decided. But one good shot from either side could decide everything.

Somehow it just didn't feel like that would be the case. They had a number of vehicles that could defeat Maho's Tiger but Erika knew that this could only end with the Panzer IV and the Tiger. 7.5cm versus 8.8cm. Nishizumi versus Nishizumi.

It wasn't like there weren't plenty of other vehicles for them to tangle with.

"All teams!" Miho commanded over the radio. "Aim for the tank ahead of their flag tank!" Maho was not foolish. Leading from the front may have been admirable but she wouldn't expose herself and risk losing the match just to look good.

With their two damaged tanks lagging behind and two tanks just missing, Kuromorimine arrived with their sixteen; a centre of ten and flanks of three. Miho did not give the command to fire and Kuromorimine didn't shoot either. Erika took out her binoculars and Maho was a black speck on her tank but she was clearly using her own binoculars. Erika looked up the slope and saw Miho in the same stance.

"It's like they're looking each other in the eye." She remarked.

"Would they do that?"

"Look at each other before they try to annihilate each other?" Erika asked. "If I had a sister, I don't think I could do that."

"You do have a sister."

Erika had never mentioned her to Yukari but Yukari knew the entire history of Sensha-do from the professional to high school level; right back to its original founding. Yukari had never mentioned Leona and Erika could tell from the noises behind her that Yukari was stimming with awkwardness for correcting her.

She drew the awkwardness out. Just as the Nishizumis drew out the tension by not give the command to commence firing at each other. Kuromorimine and Oarai faced each other in what passed for silence in a Sensha-do match. Silence save for the growling of engines and the blood thundering in the ears.

"If Leona was in command." Erika began and enjoyed the startled noise that Yukari made. "She would have the tank destroyers open fire at a kilometre, have the Tiger and King Tigers power through the centre and the Panthers would be flanking. That was her style. Hammer and anvil. A softer hammer than the Nishizumi Style." But relying no less on brute force for victory. She had just been a little more flexible. Perhaps Maho intended to do the same, given how she had spread her line wide; a concession to fighting Miho.

Yukari didn't get a chance to reply. Kuromorimine lurched into movement and Miho gave the command to open fire. Oarai's opening volley with seven tanks and nine guns was nothing compared to one of Kuromorimine's cannonades. The shells fell among the German machines; throwing up thick dust because of the dirt slopes. Quite ominously, Erika felt, the Kuromorimine guns were silent although the rumble of their engines and the weight they propelled carried the distance to ensure that their advance was threatening nonetheless.

"What are they waiting for?" Erika thought aloud.

"They want to make their first shots count." Yukari answered as the faster Oarai loaders let their guns speak again.

"They won't." Erika replied and then Kuromorimine responded. They had had HE shells loaded and the summit vanished behind a thick cloud of dust. Thicker than Oarai's smoke cloud. For a minute Kuromorimine were able to advance unabated and then an Oarai gun fired from within the settling dust.

[][][][][][]

Sono Midoriko was still trying to figure out how she had ended up in a tank as part of the school's Sensha-do team. No matter how many times she went over it in her mind, her conclusion was always that at no point had she been asked if she wanted to join nor had she ever wanted to say yes. At least, not before she had learned the stakes of the tournament and the whole reason their impoverished school had revived such an expensive program. Now she was proud to be a part of the cause.

Not that she would ever let anyone know that.

Midoriko might not have cared for the team's overall chaotic approach but within her own tank she could enforce her beloved order. She admired their opponents today for their discipline and order. But that didn't mean she wasn't determined to ruin them. She knew her 47mm gun was all but useless against the frontal armour of those German Kuromorimine tanks but it had been during their match against Anzio that she had appreciated the strength of their 75mm howitzer. A tank could have amazing frontal armour but still have a soft top and that was where their howitzer shone. She had made Nozomi train relentlessly with the big gun until she could drop a shell on a dinner plate if commanded. But the shape of a tank meant that a hit could still be ineffective if it did not land plumb. However, arrayed before them were tank destroyers with flat tops and the Jagdpanzer IVs, squat beasts with brutal 7.5cm cannons, they had only 20mm of armour on their roofs.

"Nozomi!" Midoriko commanded, pointing an imperious finger and not realising her howitzer gunner could not see this action. "Eliminate that Jagdpanzer IV; dead ahead!"

"Okay." Nozomi responded meekly and sighted the gun through the thinning haze of dust. She paused and then fired, the stumpy howitzer jetting flame and smoke to obscure her view.

Midoriko's keen eye for detail that was the bane of her fellow students as she singled out flaws in their appearance caused her perception of time to slow. She saw the shell arc high and awkwardly and look certain to miss as it then flew downhill. Instead it landed almost dead centre on the Jadgpanzer IV, as neatly as if it had had a bull's eye painted on its roof. The tank destroyer seemed to bulge as the shell exploded on top of it, pressing it into the earth, and then it burst with no fewer than three flags, popping out from the roof and both flanks to signify Oarai's first kill.

"Good." Midoriko declared with her arms folded and not a trace of satisfaction in her tone. "Do it again."

[][][][][][]

"A B1 bis. A B1 bis! WE'VE BEEN TAKEN OUT BY A B1 BIS!" Fumiko's wail was far more penetrating than any shell. "A B1 BIS!"

"Be quiet, Saito!" Koume hissed and wondered why the rebuke did not come from the Captain.

"She has a point." Kagome remarked dryly. "A B1 bis!"

"Quack quack." Chika added.

"Stop it." Koume chided. "Prepare to fire. Avenge them."

[][][][][][]

"Hit! Hit! They took out a Jagdpanzer!" Yukari squeaked.

"Good for them." Erika said dryly, wondering who had made the kill. It was impossible for them to tell who was firing through the dust and for a few minutes, it seemed Kuromorimine had made a grave error firing the HE shells which acted as a shield for Oarai. But then the dust settled and they fired in earnest. The disparity in firepower was immediately obvious as the smaller Oarai cannons seemed to yap at the booming barks of the German guns but Kuromorimine was in the open, exposed on the hillside, and their shells either overshot the summit or fell short to spray the Oarai tanks with dirt; building up their earthworks almost more efficiently than their shovels had.

"Another!" Yukari gasped. "Panther!"

Eighteen versus nine, Erika thought. It was a good start, especially the Panther, but it was unwise to celebrate yet. Not even as another Jagdpanzer belched thick smoke. Because Maho's response was to order up the Jagdtiger and Erika could sense the hot excitement in Yukari go cold in an instant. It may have been ponderous but the Nishizumi Style was not impatient and she could sense the renewed vigour in Kuromorimine's assault as they followed the great armoured beast's example. Even as this distance Erika could see the Oarai shells shattering harmlessly on its thick hide. When it fired its 12.8cm gun, the force of it seemed to press it back down the slope.

Seventeen total versus nine and now Kuromorimine had the range. Their shells no longer overshot the summit and instead crashed amongst the Oarai tanks. Erika knew how it felt to be on the receiving end of that firepower; to feel your teeth tingling from the force of an explosion travelling through the air and steel plate so that even though your vehicle wasn't hit; you felt that you had been. They were starting to bury the Oarai tanks with the earth they threw up; showering them with dirt that would have sounded like a hellish hailstorm within.

The exposed hillside was no place for them but Erika still wished she could have gotten stuck in there. But they couldn't get near without being spotted. Not without launching their attack from the rear and their green tank would still be too conspicuous in the open. She had to be patient.

"Bloody patience." She cursed.

"Hmm?" Yukari inquired politely.

"We have to wait for our time." Erika explained patiently. "I hate waiting."

[][][][][][]

Chika took the command to avenge Unit 15 absolutely seriously. Their opponents had scored first blood and that pulled at her pride to begin with but the fact that it had been a pre-war tank that had made the kill really grated on her. The French tank with its duck shape and stumpy little guns was a total mockery. Chika was determined to eliminate it. Even more so when the Panther Unit 7 was knocked out. How could these atrocious machines be getting the better of them?

"Halt!" She commanded Sora and the driver brought them to a firm stop. Their vehicle steady, Chika took careful aim; sighting on the disproportionately small turret of the French tank. Their 7.5cm cannon was nearly the same length as the French vehicle and as she fired, she imagined the shell travelling that length before bursting from the muzzle.

"Hit! Good hit!" Koume confirmed and then grinned as Chika and Kagome abandoned decorum to high-five. Oarai had been focused on the monster coming for them and that tunnel vision had cost them. As the Kuromorimine shells crashed amongst them, their return fire was delivered half a second too fast as their nerves were frayed. The balance had shifted.

[][][][][][]

From their position, the hill looked like a volcano in mid-eruption. All they could hear was thunder and see dust and smoke. There was only vehicle visible to them and that was the Jagdpanther they had crippled, now repaired and returning to the main force.

"The rope is slowly tightening around their neck." Momo declared, without her usual hysterical edge but still dramatic.

"Looks like there's nothing they can do to stop them." Just as Itsumi's doomsaying had predicted. Anzu sighed. "I think it's now or never." She slipped back into the Jagdpanzer 38 and found the radio. "Nishizumi-chan, should we try our thing?"

The response was immediate. "Yes! Please begin Operation Baiter!"

"Gonna bait!" Anzu replied impishly.

The Jagdpanzer 38 looked utterly ridiculous as the cavalry with its puny build and even more so as it raced up behind the Jagdpanther, looking like a miniature clone. Yuzu saw its commander gazing fixedly up at the onslaught on the hill and she didn't become aware of them until it was too late.

"Let's not be impatient." Anzu declared and then rather than eliminate the heavy tank destroyer, she hamstrung it once again; smashing its left rear wheel and breaking its tread.

Yuzu swore she could hear the obscenities of the Jagdpanther's commander following them long after it shouldn't have been possible. They were having a bad day. To keep giving them a bad day would damage their organisation and discipline as a whole because doubtless the commander was reporting in and her lack of calm would be clear to all of the embattled Kuromorimine team. Psychological warfare. Like what they were about to do.

"Charge!" Anzu yelled with outright glee, pointing quite unnecessarily at the masses of enemy with one hand while brandishing a fresh sweet potato chip in the Jagdpanzer 38 rumbled through the dust cloud left behind by the initial exchange and then before them were the main force of Kuromorimine.

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Yuzu couldn't help but think aloud as the big machines grew even larger before her eyes.

"I have to say." Momo declared loftily. "This is pretty reckless."

Anzu meanwhile held up a Sensha-do guide. "The book says it's safer to just charge right in!"

"Where did you get that?"

"Akiyama gave it to me. She just kept talking and talking and I thought it I just took it, she would stop so I could read it." She took a big munch of sweet potato. "I was wrong. I was very, very wrong." She looked ahead. "Ooo, they're getting bigger!"

"This is insanity!" Yuzu wanted to stop. To stop and let Anzu shoot. That made sense. Except then they would be exposed on the slope to all those swiftly rotating turrets looking to punish them for their impudence. So they had to be even cheekier and there was nothing cheekier than taking their tank destroyer that had the same paint job as the Kuromorimine vehicles and parking right in the middle of their formation. Between a Panther and Jagdpanzer IV. An Oarai shell cracked worryingly close to them.

Anzu thought they would react quicker. But perhaps they couldn't believe what they were seeing. That was the cornerstone of Oarai's Sensha-do strategy; to do such insane things that other girls struggled to accept what they were seeing, let alone come up with a counter. The Kuromorimine vehicles ceased fire and started to swing around to the face them. "Move!" She commanded Yuzu.

"Where?"

"Anywhere! Just keep us out of their sights."

"All of them?"

"Get us moving!"

Their low profile and the close formation meant that Kuromorimine meant their long guns couldn't be brought to bear and even those that were able to come close couldn't take a shot without risking hitting each other. They were recreating their onslaught against Pravda but without the driving snow.

[][][][][][]

"Verdammt! VERDAMMT!" Chika cursed. No sooner did she get the Jagdpanzer 38 in her sights than it slipped away or one of their own vehicles got in the way. "They can't be doing this! We aren't Pravda!" And yet the tactic that had worked on them was now working on Kuromorimine, except the enemy wasn't shooting and hurting them. They were just dancing around them. Like they didn't need to shoot.

"Unit 12 here!" They were ahead of the line. "We'll take care of it!"

"No, don't-" Koume began but it was too late. The Jagdpanzer IV had clumsily begun to turn, and so exposed its flank to the Oarai forces above. The StuG III showed its younger brother the value of spatial awareness.

"I'm so sorry! They got us!"

Oarai had been distracted by the antics of Turtle team but now gave Kuromorimine everything they had.

[][][][][][]

"It hurts."

"What?" Yukari squeaked. "What hurts?"

"They were my people." Erika explained. "My school. My family's school." She sighed. "And look at what we've done to them." Turtle team's attack that wasn't an attack had broken their formation and thrown them into disarray without firing a shot. Their only loss was Mallard team while Kuromorimine were down four tanks with a Panther and Jagdpanther still out of commission. "I can never go home again."

"How must it be for Nishizumi-dono?"

"She has Maho." Erika answered. "We're moving now." Miho had decided the time had come to make a break for it and they watched Oarai charge down the slope. Maho had sent the Jagdtiger forward as a shield and Oarai did the same with their Porsche Tiger but with the inertia of a cowcatcher. Defying all logic and slapping the established rules of Sensha-do, they ploughed straight through the middle of Kuromorimine's shattered line to make their escape and sprayed them with smoke as they passed.

[][][][][][]

Outwardly, she looked cold and contemptuous. Inwardly, she was amused. She had expected the unconventional and had been keeping her eyes open for Itsumi, expecting her to make a flanking attack. But there was unconventional and there was, frankly, bat-shit insanity. Taking a tank destroyer into a formation? And then not even shooting? Even Continuation High wouldn't do that.

"I have them."

"Fire." Maho commanded.

Oarai had used most of their smoke to escape Kuromorimine's initial attack and then during their climb up their hill. The cloud they put out now was much thinner and so the Tiger could see them despite the screen. The 8.8cm cannon fired and twenty pounds of shell flew across the way and then slammed into the Type 3 Chi-Nu.

"Target eliminated."

[][][][][][]

Anteater team reported they were all safe and sound although they didn't feel it. They had been rattled to the core by the strike of the IS-2 in the Pravda match and now they asked themselves which was worse; Soviet or German guns. Their tank seemed to be a magnet for the opposition's heavy firepower. They were disappointed not to have made a kill before being knocked out but considering what they were facing and their relative inexperience with their tank; they knew there was no shame. But they also couldn't help anymore.

Erika knew what they were thinking. She couldn't intervene yet. Not in this terrain. Too open. All she could do was observe Kuromorimine from a distance, shadowing them, and thinking hard about what she saw. Maho paused to regroup and she didn't deploy any vehicles to scout. As Kuromorimine's operational vehicles were nearby, their eliminated tanks were not retrieved by the officials and she could see the frustration of those crews as they yelled what was obviously encouragement to the remaining crews and obscenities about their opponents. Meanwhile Maho was in her cupola, staring in the direction that Oarai had taken.

"She knows where they're going." Erika thought aloud.

"Again?" Yukari asked. "They knew we were coming here and now they know where we're going?"

"Sisters." Erika mused. "They know how the other thinks. Miho knew that. Maho knows that… That's why this match is all about them."

"It is?"

"It can only end one way. Sister versus sister."

"How does that work?"

"You'll see."

"Kuromorimine won't leave their flag tank alone." Yukari said. "Would they?"

"You know how much family honour matters. Maho has to be the one to defeat Miho and she'll forget everything else to do it, including that she has a powerful force to crush Miho with. She has to do it herself. It has to come from her because if it isn't personal, then it's as if she doesn't care…" Erika scoffed. "Did I really just say that?" She turned around to look up at Yukari. "Is it me, or is that the absolutely most utterly deranged way to let someone know you love them?"

"…Yes?" Yukari shrugged. "I love tanks. Tanks know I love them and I know they love me. It's a pretty straightforward relationship."

"Not a human relationship. You have tanks, Hana has flowers, Anzu has her sweet potato chips… Maybe I should collect military headgear. Start a cap collection…" Beneath her, the Panther that Turtle team had crippled in their ambush finally re-joined the main force after missing all the action. "I always liked Panthers." She remarked and then smiled to herself as Yukari proceeded to gush her extensive knowledge of Panthers. She wondered how she managed to keep it all straight in her head. "Emi must be mad." She said after Yukari was done.

"Emi?"

"The girl commanding the Jagdpanther." Even from here, Erika could see the replaced wheels and tread from Turtle team's two attacks. "When you've had to repair a vehicle like that in the field… I'd be dancing with rage by now."

"They look a little… Hopped up." Yukari agreed. "Why isn't their Captain doing anything?"

"I told you. It's personal now." Perhaps even it amused Maho to see her team acting out; being unprofessional. Then something happened that Erika could observe even through her binoculars. She watched all of Kuromorimine commanders in their hatches stop shouting and pay attention. She panned to the right and found Koume who had her fingers clutched to her throat. "Koume's taking charge." Whatever she was saying made them all pay attention.

"What's she like?"

"…" Erika smacked her lips. "They made her Vice-Captain to make up for nearly drowning and she felt like a fraud. I made her and Miho talk it through so if we lose this because Koume's a capable second-in-command, it'll be my fault because she could have been a nervous wreck."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Before we faced Pravda, Miho and I met with Captain Katyusha. We could have told her about what they're planning to do to Oarai to make her feel guilty. And Maho came to inquire about Miho and they met and we could have told her too. But we didn't." She could feel Yukari's eyes burning into the back of her head. "We could really have taken advantage of our school's crisis but we never did. We didn't want to hurt anyone. But if this goes against us, I know I'll wonder if we should have played dirty, if-"

"If the ends justified the means?" Yukari asked and then giggled. "If you believe that, you would have let me go to Kuromorimine and do some sabotage. A few loose bolts here and there…"

Erika couldn't help but laugh. "I'd love to see a King Tiger fall apart like a clown car." She shook her head. "A year ago with all the cutbacks they made, you could probably have gotten away with it because they would have just written it off as normal wear and tear. Now they'd be all over it investigating any possible safety concerns."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it shouldn't have happened in the first place. But here we are now." She drummed her fingers on her thighs. "Fourteen of them down there and two unaccounted for. Seven of us. And besides that Panther, all we've done is pick off their weakest while we've lost one of our best."

"At least it's even. Almost. Four of theirs for two of ours."

"But we can't do any real harm unless we're within spitting distance." Erika sighed. "I wish this was a T-34."

"T-44! With the 100mm gun!"

"Maybe that's a little too far."

"We could use more Soviet tanks."

"All this time and I still don't know why Oarai has so many random tanks." Erika mused. "We never did find out."

"We had other concerns."

"It's amazing what we managed to do with so little. And with too much overconfidence in our opponents."

"They don't seem overconfident now." Yukari meant Kuromorimine. "They look calmer though."

"Koume did her job." Erika smiled. "She'll be a great Captain when Maho moves on. Though not nearly so aggressive… Like Leona."

Yukari hesitated before speaking. "What would she do right now?"

"She would never have let them leave the hill. Tank destroyers to pin them in place and then the Big Cats to flank them. And now she would do the same. She would use the Jagdtiger and Elefant… Make us spend the rest of our lives fearing their names."

"She used a Panther, didn't she?"

"Flexibility." Erika said. "Just like us."

"They're moving."

"Now the hard part begins." Erika had to smile at describing anything involving Kuromorimine as easy and then she reported in. "Captain, the enemy is on the move. On your trail. We'll let you know if there's any surprises." She sucked her scar tissue between her teeth for a moment. "Like two missing tanks…"

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Author's Notes;

Since the last chapter, I've had a rough time. I got my septoplasty and for the first time in years I can breathe through my nose. Surgery was routine, besides the surgeon confirming what I suspected; that my condition that every ******* doctor downplayed was as bad as it could be. Your septum is meant to be straight as an I. Mine was an S.

I thought I could spend recovery relaxing and writing. But it's the NHS so I left the hospital with some kind of bug and that was what I had to recover from for two weeks. So this chapter was delayed.

I've rewritten this twice as well. First time around what I wrote was… Well, again I was sick and so most of what I first wrote was gibberish. Second time… Didn't feel right. I'm still not happy with this chapter. But here it is.

Why give Mallard team a kill? I had planned on that since the Anzio match when Sodoko had become obsessed with the B1 bis' howitzer's capability and I had considered the shape of a Jagdpanzer IV and its 20mm top. Why not have Anteater team knocked out in the first Kuromorimine attack, or someone else take their place? To make things a little different and so that the battle on the hill doesn't go completely in Oarai's favour. The Maus attack in the show being responsible for Oarai losing three vehicles and the Type 3 being knocked out due to mechanical failure always made Kuromorimine feel underwhelming. This strikes a better balance I feel. Turtle team's insane attack and infiltration of their ranks is a great part of Oarai's overall tactics so Oarai claiming four kills in this action, particularly the weaker Jagdpanzer IVs, made sense to me. Because the numbers mean little with all of Kuromorimine's other advantages.

I'm planting the seeds for Der Film obviously. I always intended to go that far when I started this two years ago. Two years… I admit my enthusiasm for the project has dimmed. breaking for three months disrupted my process, although there's been other things. My dislike of certain members of the fanbase is well-known. Mutual dislike; I'm still delighted I was the topic of a post on the Shitpost sub where they were whining about my distaste for their lusts for minors. Obviously, that's not the whole fanbase. Just a rather loud minority. Many of whom I've blocked, which they find very upsetting for some reason.

Anyway… I'm thinking that I may have to take my laptop into my housemate's activity room to write the next chapter free from distraction. Although I'll probably just end up playing with the D&D stuff she has in there.