Boots on the Ground: Volume 3

by florentinomain00f

As always, schools are duking it out in the quarters to see who goes on and who goes home in the 18th National Hohei-do Tournament. Be advised, however, that shenanigans also follow alongside the exhilarating competitions.

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. A Hardass and His Menaces

"What can I do, what can I do, what can I do to counter this potential movement?" Kureitan mumbles to himself, hitting the red marker onto his forehead. Passé music plays in the background of the office, as he looks upon the battle map, or well… what used to be recognizable as a battle map before he nearly covered it all with a mess of red and blue. Circles, arrows, words and numbers arrange themselves in a surprisingly orderly fashion, but just the sheer content of information on the board can make someone dizzy taking a look at it. Not even the two bickering lieutenants can look at this and show any expressions other than confusion and awe, and that is if they even bother to lay their eyes onto this absolute mess in the first place. But it's not like they need to see this anyway, this isn't even the finalized version. He seems to be enjoying himself doing this whole planning though, even to the point where he displays some level of artistry making circles and arrows. The tunes certainly help to elevate his mood also.

"Into each life, some rain must fall. But too much is falling in mine." He echoes the singers, making another big stroke on the map with rhythmic steps. Then, after taking a blink of a break and exhaling upward, he looks at the map with satisfaction. "There we go! That should do it! A watertight kind of a plan!" uttered Kureitan. This battle plan should suffice for the men of the Army to make a stand against the Marines. Oh, those brain dead, crayon craving Marines! Or so the rumor suggests…

Of course, he himself knows this is far from the truth, the brain dead part at least. He's not so sure about their addiction to crayons though. Perhaps that's actually real or something, but he couldn't care less. The only thing he concerns is that the Marines, especially their commander Alex, make use of their noggins, definitely. They simply have their ways of doing, all of which are rationally pretty stupid. But again, there is a saying: 'If it's stupid and it works, it isn't stupid.'

But just as he closes the markers up to enjoy the melodies again, a silhouette appears on the frosted glass, making knocks on the door. Oh great, someone to ruin his great great alone time again. Just when he's feeling it too!

He stays silent for a moment to see if the individual behind that door is going to leave, but really, who's he lying to anyway? That isn't going to work, especially with the audio blasting likely far outside this neat quarter he has. So he resorts to a bit of rudeness.

"You're not welcomed, fuck off!" He shouted at the entrance. And unfortunately, it didn't work. Not only did the silhouette that appeared then still remain on the glass, it even responded back.

"What do you mean I am not welcomed!? Can't I just get a look at you or something!?"

"I'm busy for the upcoming match! We need a good plan to sort out the enemy neatly, you know!" Kureitan answered back, his head looking at the ceiling, his arm hanging behind his torso.

"Yeah yeah, I understand!" The silhouette told, and he could feel how whoever on the opposite side was rolling their eyes as they put out a snarky comment. "You and your obsession with defeating the enemy right from the drawing boards! You know a plan can be foiled when things go sideways, yeah!?"

"Well, duh!" Kureitan remarked with annoyance, his eyes now directed towards the door. "That's why you make multiple plans! If they foil plan A, I'll use plan B. And if plan B is fucked also, well guess what!? According to the Latin alphabet, I should have 24 plans left! And I hardly believe my plans are so bad that I would run out of letters to name them! No fucking way!"

"I know, I know! You are very good at it, I know! But you have been sitting in here for weeks on end, never showing your faces out! Are you sure everything's alright!?" The figure makes a chuckle audible enough for the captain to hear even through the loud music.

"Everything is fine! It's all under control! Are you doubting my abilities!? Plus, it takes time to do things, especially when we're having to go against Inu no Akuma. You know, it's really fucking difficult to plan against a school whose whole shtick is to just make shit up as they fight! Also, who told you I have been here for weeks!?"

The silhouette giggles again. "So it is true, huh? That lieutenant of yours wasn't lying at all when he said he hasn't seen you ever since Soudainakyoukoku took a win from that Chinese school. I suppose those guys didn't give you a hard time at all, huh?"

"As if!" Kureitan spoke with his usual absolute disregard to politeness. "A total disappointment, I can tell you. Didn't even bother participating in it, just left the lieutenants to their own devices while I was getting ice creams. We still rolled them all over though! It wasn't a full blowout, sure, but it was clear from the get go that they weren't worth my time at all."

"Heh, I see. So then, are you gonna open the door or not!?"

"Fuck naw! Leave me be! I'm still busy!"

"Busy listening to those old collections you got, I presume?"

"Duh! So what, got a problem with that!?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Well then, why are you knocking on my fucking door!?"

"Because I just want to see you! Come on, don't sour my mood, the George Washington docked for literal hours ago and I came down here as soon as practice was done! Don't you realize it's literally evening now!?"

"Why do you care so fucking much then!? You're not my mom!"

"But the school is literally gonna close soon! Even your lieutenants left school long ago!"

"And so what!? What reason do you have to get me out of here!?"

His stomach growls the moment he finishes, and it's so audible that even the person on the other side can hear it. Well, that was awkward.

"...Yeah, you need a break, don't you?"

"U-Uh, yeah." He sighs.

"So, aren't you gonna open the door for me?" The voice sounds like pleading.

"Fine." Kureitan grumbly answered as he willed himself to stand up from the chair and gather his tools up. The ginormous battle plan is neatly folded up, the two markers now returned to their rightful place - in the stationary holder. The music is turned off, and he gathers the mess he has created for the past few weeks. Maybe he really needs this after all. He wasn't driven insane, but this is a change of pace. Anyway, he gets over the tidying steps quickly, and soon enough, he appears at the door, his outfit now changed from his combat clothing to his school uniforms. Now to greet whoever is on the other side…

Opening the door to reveal whatever behind it, he finds shades of red, grey, white, even black. But the most notable color to him is yellow, blonde yellow in fact. "You really weren't kidding when you say you got straight to here from the USS George Washington."

"Of course! Why should I lie about it!?" The individual said as he quickly scanned the outfit. With a red skirt, grey suit and a tie to top it off, it's obviously a uniform of Saunders. And the way it is worn too, the suit not buttoned up, the shirt not neatly tucked into the skirt, and with white stockings to boot, it could only be the one and only menace herself - Nakada Kei.

"You never fucking lie, I know. Anyway… What do you want with me?" Kureitan still carried bitterness in his question.

"You know." Kei shrugged. "Just wanna catch up on things. It has been some time, yeah? Maybe get a bite too, you're very much starving."

"Sure… So anyway, what do you want to get?"

"Uhm… How about some burgers, Kureitan?"

"Of fucking course it has to be burgers, Kei. What else can you eat other than burgers?"

"Uhm…" She chuckled in embarrassment. "Maybe fried chicken? Coleslaw? Barbecue stuff?"

Kureitan spits air through his teeth as he humors himself. "You're so fucking American sometimes, Kei."

"As if you're any less American than I am, Kureitan." Kei glanced back at him.

"I'm not a Nisei like you, Kei. I've been here from the get go."

"Sure, I guess." Kei laughed it off.

The two continue to bicker with jest for the rest of the evening walk, though sometimes Kureitan gets a little more serious than Kei has wanted, making some of her effort to poke fun at him null and void. Eh, it doesn't matter. And before they know it, they are now at an izakaya bar. Kei doesn't get why Kureitan leads her here, but judging by the signs, it sells really delicious burgers here. It probably is worth a try, at least. And by the sound of it, it is rather crowded for a small little shop looking out to the sea.

Entering the shop alongside the boy she's tagging along with, the shopkeeper raises his hand up on the counter and greets, looking over a row of customers . "Long time no see, wonder boy!"

"Long time no see too." Kureitan responded, a smirk appearing on his face as he heard the compliment snuck in there. "How's the shop, gramp?"

"Business is booming, they say, business is booming, especially with the rotation of the new American guys at the naval base. Some are young like you and her, others are probably my age." He rubs his hand onto a kitchen towel, probably just done serving up an order, then glanced as Kureitan's companion before asking him. "Who's that girl you're bringing along? An American, perhaps?"

"Just a friend of mine. You don't have to pay much attention to it." Kuretain looks at the blonde girl, before directing his face to the owner again. "Anyway, I'll have the usual."

"You don't have to say." The guy nods and notes the other down to a piece of paper. "What about you, young lady? Do you want anything?"

"I'll have…" Kei looks around to see if there is any menu in place inside the bar, but the only thing she can see is two groups of human, one civilian and one military, eating inside the surprisingly spacious dining space and a blackboard, with a colored text written via chalks that read 'We serve American food, Japanese food and everything in between' in both Japanese and English. The Japanese text is also written rather simplistically too, not too many difficult Kanji characters she has to spell out.

"American, Japanese and everything in between…" Kei paraphrased the lines before taking a bet to see what the shop has to offer. "Can I have a double smashed cheeseburger, with red ginger in place of dill pickles and a side of fries?"

"I see." The shopkeeper writes it all down. "And how would you like your fries?"

"Sprinkled with bonito flakes and served with Kewpie mayo." The girl winked at him as she added, making him chuckled and all the more high spirited. Who wouldn't anyway? Kei is simply that much of a ball filled with positivity.

"Alright, got it. I'll be making it then." He then dangled the papers at a doorway behind the counter and ran into the back kitchen. "Enjoy yourself in the meantime!" He surely didn't forget to say that also as he got to work.

Now that the pairing is done with their orders, it is time to get comfy and maybe catch up on things. It has been months since they manage to get together again, especially when they both are busy doing their own stuff as leaders of clubs. But if there is an unfortunate fact of life, it is that it is unreasonably hard to start a conversation even with close friends, at least not without small talk that is. And to that end, Kei is an expert.

"So, how's school today, Kureitan? Anything interesting?"

Kureitan uses his hand as a stand to rest his head, his elbow pushing onto the counter. "Nothing much, except if you rule out the arguments my lieutenants got on. Again, it's about jets. Last time, it was about pigs and bees. This time, it's… What is it… Ah right, eagles and falcons."

"Eagles and falcons? What do you mean exactly, Kureitan?" Kei quickly glanced at him with confusion.

"I mean what I said Kei, but if you don't get it, it's about the F-15 and the F-16, and which one is the better fighter jet and all that. You know how it always ends, Kei." Kureitan shrugged, displaying his complete powerlessness.

"I assume a punch out?"

"Worse, a shoot out, or so they planned. But then after class came and well uh… I guess they just forgot? I suppose they were too busy training their respective platoons to even bother."

"Inu no Akuma really occupies a decent chunk of Soudainakyoukoku, huh Kureitan?"

"You ain't wrong to say so, but I don't really mind it. It can live in my head all they want, at least I have to use my brain. That way, I won't be dying of Alzheimer's anytime soon."

The thing Kureitan said is absolutely inappropriate, but Kei would be lying to herself to say he didn't at least humor her. She still giggles, yes, but she quickly adds a sentence of concern right along. "Kureitan, do you really have to say it like that?"

"I don't have to, but you know me."

"Even still, really!?"

"Really."

Kei clicks her tongue. "You're so helpless, Kureitan." She isn't really bitter about it, to be honest. If Kureitan were not to crack a joke or two of that caliber, she would be more worried that the guy she's going with is a double instead.

"Said the girl that doesn't get the concept of personal space." The boy strikes right back.

Kei exhales through her nose. "True. No way around it."

Things then begin to cool down between them as they both take a moment of respite, thinking what to talk about next and maybe just take in the scenery. The sea in their back isn't there just for the customers to ignore it, though the enjoyment of said scenery is better delivered in audio. The sounds of waves crashing onto the stone walls, the sea winds blowing by and crashing into the residents' ears, the news reporters speaking in English on the shop's radio because the program it is tuned to is based on the Naval Base, it all melds together into a strangely nostalgic soundscape. It's as if Sasebo has never really progressed forward in time, that some of its past features still cling to the city until this day. But enough talk about the odd sense of reminiscences this bar produces, because Kei right now is busy observing the captain of Soudainakyoukoku, and boy does he not change one bit since they last met.

"Y'know," pipes up the blonde, "It's like there's places here where time's frozen, and other places where time's progressing… It's like us, really. One is stuck in the 'forties, another is part of an ever-changing environment. With all that difference… well… What's in it for us?"

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you're going all skeptical in regards to us."

"Not at all! Well, hopefully, but… It is some food for thought…"

"Eh… I can see what may happen. There's me, dealing with having to spend as much time planning for my next match as an ascetic spends meditating, and… actually, what do you do when you prepare for your match? Given you only operate tanks, I'd see you girls having things easier than how my life goes."

"Well, yeah, pretty much. All we do is go over the basics of the plan, and try to stick to it, barring some necessary 'ad-libbing', if you will."

"Huh. No wonder you're so laid-back."

"It's just how we roll here… heh… 'roll'..."

"Okay, Miss Mom Jokes, let's cool it down here."

Just as they both stop, the shopkeeper arrives at the counter with two serving trays on his palm. One contains a burger, a bowl of fries with bonito flakes sprinkled on top and a mayo dip, while the other is just a gigantic bowl full of sliced beef, onion and rice. "Here's your order. Enjoy while it's hot!" He lays the trays down the counter before rushing to the other customers, likely to sort out the payment for them.

Upon looking at his delicious beef bowl, Kureitan's stomach growled. "Fucking hell, about time! I'm dead starving now."

"Me too!" Kei responded, picking apart the burger she had received. Yup, just like what she told him, in place of where the dill pickle slices should be is a bunch of red ginger neatly slabbed on. "Huh, he really did mean it."

"Mean what?"

"Look." Kei directs his attention onto the board behind the counter that is considerately placed above where the owner should be standing so that it is always in view.

"Oh… Yeah, he can make all kinds of wacky stuff here. Somehow it still tastes good though."

"Really?"

"He once made me try eating his goofy chicken rice. Seemed to be a nanban at first, but once you bit into it, you realized it was actually some… I don't know how to describe it, but it was like if you made the gravy so thick it became a sauce or something. Still tasted awesome though."

"Oh, I see. Let me see." Kei then bites into the burger as she listens. Her eyes immediately flare out with glitters the moment she eats a piece of it. Then, she looks at the burger with complete amazement. "W-What is this sorcery!?" She can't help herself but to speak a little louder than she has any right to be. "I-It works so well together!"

"You like it, don't you?"

"Like it!? No, I love it!" Kei shouted, before glancing at him, and then at the burger, and then at him again. "Wanna try it?"

"No thanks. Already tried it once, I know how good it is." Kureitan denies with a hand gesture, before laying the groundwork to eat also. He takes a chock full of red ginger on the counter, puts it into the bowl, and then mixes it all up. Once all mixed up, he takes a bite off the sludges he has before him. His spine chills as he lets out an exhale of satisfaction. "Ah, that hits the spot."

The two eat in silence, enjoying their respective abominations, but then all of a sudden, between the chewing and swallowing, Kureitan asks the current captain of Saunders. "How's Saunders doing, by the way? All good and dandy?"

"Eh, it's so-so. We had a bit of an upset, actually. Sensha-do tourney is in full swing now, though we won't be seeing the next rounds, but anyways… yeah. There's this school called Ooarai, had a mostly inexperienced crew and had half the amount of tanks we had, and, get this, even though one of our girls cheated… and she's been… dealt with appropriately, by the way… they still won! Now, with the benefit of hindsight, I'd guess that was because of my decision to play nice to them, but still! Panzer took a shot that knocked out the flag tank just as our Firefly knocked them out. Incredible…"

"Wait… So you, being the United States, have some of the best equipment, or so I suppose, and can beat pretty much every school weaker than yours, and you lose to a school half your size with no experience?"

"More or less… I should mention, though, Ooarai was being commanded by one of the best commanders in Sensha-do, daughter of one of the two most prestigious families of Sensha-do! Name's Miho, but very, very different from her sister, that's for sure. Pretty shy, but very nice once you get to know her."

"Two families… they are…"

"Oh, come on, for a guy who does lots of planning, you have to have done some research too!"

"Look, I just research stuff related to Hohei-do. The only stuff I know about Sensha-do is that it just uses tanks, and only girls are allowed to participate. Beyond that, I don't really know about your internal politics or whatever."

"Okay… basically, there's two families that have had a massive rivalry ever since the start of the sport. There's the Nishizumi, who are currently in charge of Kuromorimine, the German-themed school, who recently had a nine-year win streak, and the Shimada, who run the All-Stars Selection Team, some of the best of the best of Sensha-do. They beat the adult team, that is, the most talented practitioners, in a match recently. Miho's from the Nishizumis, but she's no longer part of Kuromorimine due to some unfortunate circumstances."

"What happened to her? Trauma, bullying, family problems?"

"Eh….. as far as I know, the match that ended Kuromorimine's winning streak caused a big controversy that got the sport scandalized and a whole lot of drama happening. One of Kuromorimine's tanks fell into a river, Miho jumped in to help, but left her flag tank unattended, and as a result she, and Kuromorimine, were knocked out. Beyond that, it's just pure speculation, but the drama was enough to make her leave Kuromorimine for Ooarai, probably to get away from Sensha-do. Can't blame her, after all, but it is a bit commendable she's back into it, after what happened."

"Well, I hope she's doing alright."

"Doing fairly well, I'd say."

"Yeah but… What the fuck, that was a clusterfuck I just heard. Hohei-do never really has this level of drama… yet, I suppose."

"I mean, you never know what goes on behind the scenes… but yeah. Saunders is out, so we'll just sit back, chill, and spectate the rest of the tournament. How 'bout you? Seems like everything's going a bit… uh… let's just say you're pretty into all this planning stuff. I'd bet you're having a solid run so far, right?"

"I already said it to you, we dominated in the previous match. It was boring as hell though…" He then takes another bite, before looking at the blonde girl. "Looking forward to the next match though, or the Civil Derby as the guys here like to call it. Gonna be one hell of a match, I can feel it. About time I get challenged again, I swear."

"Good for you then!"

"Good for me, sure… Imagine if my school won the flag again though, that would just feel so scripted. At that point, there isn't much to hope for in terms of enjoyment in Hohei-do anymore. Maybe I should even get an OEF tour if possible. At least that would be more fun than hanging around here in Japan and quite literally killing myself with boredom."

"W-What? D-Don't you mean-"

"I'm not joking, I'd rather be in Afghanistan if this keeps going. I'm so bored, so fucking bored to the point I'm starting to despise what I used to love doing. And I-" He then sharply exhales as he stops himself from going into a frenzy. "Sorry for all that nonsense, I'm just so worked up all of a sudden. Getting ahead of myself again, you know?"

"It's alright, I don't mind it. I don't think whatever you just said will be well received by your dad though." Kei spoke before stuffing her mouth full of fries dipped in mayo again.

"That old man will never let me end up in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or whatever fucked up Middle Eastern country you can think of, especially when this fucking fellow here is the only biological successor he has to pass on the infamous Hasemoto way of thinking." He pointed at himself with the thumb, carrying a shit-eating grin on his face. Kei can't really tell if it's of frustration or of gratitude.

After that, they both focus on clearing up whatever scraps they have left on their trays, enjoying the food the whole way through. Eventually though, the holidays at flavor town have to come to an end, and they are forced to take the flight back to reality again as they both stare upon each other's plates. The food has all but gone their one way trip into the digestive tract.

They both lean back away from the counter, clearly satisfied with the dinner. As they take a moment to breathe however, Kei suddenly turns to Kureitan. "Hey, the Civil Derby is tomorrow, yeah?"

The boy looks to the ceiling and closes his eyes to think. Quickly, he opens it again. "Yeah, next weekend or something. I hope it'll be one hell of a game to remember."

"Yeah, me too." Kei directs her yes to the counter again, looking downwards and thinking. Then, she makes eye contact. "Hey, what do you think about getting some cheerleading support from Saunders?"

"Huh?" Kureitan jumps, being caught off guard. "You don't have to, Kei. We'll be doing just fine without moral support, you know." He then expresses his doubt that is already indicated on his eyebrows' movement. "Plus, I don't think it would be good if Inu no Akuma sees that Saunders cheers Soudainakyoukoku. And another thing, don't you Sensha-do girls have a thing against Hohei-do?"

"H-How did you even come to that conclusion?" Kei became flabbergasted, her body tensed up.

"Well, Hohei-do seems to attract a lot of girls, former tank crews and not, but the Hohei-do girls here all still keep track of Sensha-do stuff on a regular basis. Some of them will even spectate matches of Sensha-do if given the chance, I heard. But the inverse is not true, I never heard of any Sensha-do girls spotted in the spectating crowd. Not even a rumor, damn it!"

"Uhm, maybe they're just too good at laying low?"

"They can lay low all they want, someone is bound to recognize faces. Then the rumors will start to spread but… no rumor! Again, rumors can be false, but they are based on a pretense of truth! If there is no pretense of truths, I'm fucking certain rumors will never arise."

"Ah yeah, I suppose." Kei then adds. "I must admit, the Sensha-do side of things seems rather ignorant of Hohei-do also. If you ask an average girl in the tank about Soudainakyoukoku, or just Hohei-do stuff in general, the best answer you will get is that it's just the thing you do when your Sensha-do career isn't working out too well. Everyone else though, pure, unfiltered ignorance."

"Maybe that's for the better, Kei."

"Maybe not! Who knows what will happen if the two sides start interacting closely?"

"I don't know. Maybe by then, Saunders would start getting Abrams."

"Maybe, but until that actually happens, no chance!"

"Uh huh." Kureitan unenthusiastically nodded.

"So anyway, I'll be cheering for you tomorrow then."

"Just you?"

"Just me. Gotta keep it a thing because well, I don't know if it is gonna bode well with anyone when they find out I know stuff about Hohei-do."

"Sure then. I don't mind the support."

"Well then, let's call it a day for now, yeah?"

"Yeah…"

Kei then stands up and raises her hand. "Hey, can we get a bill here?"

The shopkeeper arrives quickly at the scene due to the call, and in a moment's flash, they get their payment sorted out nicely. Some thousand of yen exchanged later, and the two are now off to their respective ways. But in due time, Kureitan will bump into Kei again, whether he likes it or not.

---

Match day has finally come, and spirits are running quite high on both sides. The students of Soudainakyoukoku, having a commander who plans for every imaginable possibility, are confident that no matter what happens, they have a backup to get behind, and a backup for that, and so on and so forth. Inu no Akuma's students, on the other hand, were up and pumped, ready to go in guns blazing and take every risk imaginable with little to no care for caution or danger, as if to them, Hohei-do was pure fun no matter if they won or lost. Their success on the battlefield was unpredictable, given they themselves were unpredictable, so Kureitan's extensive planning would be put to the harshest test once more.

Kureitan himself is still mulling over his plans, head pointed downwards, hand rubbing his chin philosopher-style as he visualizes each movement, maneuver, and approach either side could take. One could feel an aura of seriousness and deep thought surrounding him as he slowly walked towards the center of the battlefield to greet his opponent and wish them a good match, per custom. The opposing commander, on the other hand, was already there, patiently waiting for Kureitan to arrive, with a completely different countenance as opposed to his adversary for today. He was laid-back, head-up-high, chest-out, bustling with excitement and bravado that if he had the chance, he would just start the match right then and there. But, having the ability of self-control, he stayed calm and patient, looking at his opponent, observing him, trying to know all he could know about him, because, well, everyone knows that one Sun Tzu quote by now.

After what seemed like an eternity passed, Kureitan finally arrived at the point of greeting, and even then was still deep in thought. This guy really wasn't interested in taking any risks, but, come on, he's already had plenty of time to plan, who knows if this guy had any sleep last night? It sure looks like he didn't. Is planning all this guy's life now? Alex's thoughts were coming up with so many conclusions that soon enough, he himself had been distracted by said thoughts and was, like his opponent, walking around deep in thought, their eyes making contact once in a while, but never breaking them from their thinking. It was a sight reminiscent of the iconic Philosophers' Football Match sketch from Monty Python's creative comedic brilliance. However, soon, there must be that "Eureka!" which breaks the stillness, and surprisingly, it is Kureitan who is the one to do it.

"Alex, I'm ready."

Alex, caught off-guard, quickly adjusts himself and outstretches his hand, while Kureitan does the same. Shaking hands, the two wish each other well, before walking off to their respective vehicles to return to their teams' rally points to begin the match. Riding his Bradley, Kureitan returns to thinking, suddenly getting uncertain about a certain aspect in one of his plans. It doesn't take long for him to reach the rally point, and you'd expect him to continue thinking over these plans, but all it takes is one distraction to break your entire thought process. And in this case, Kureitan's eye caught the last person he expected to see here as he exited the vehicle from the rear, spotting a certain blonde girl who, using her hands to shield her eyes, seemed to be scanning for someone. And he knew who she was looking for. Rolling his eyes, Kureitan smacked his head out of frustration before walking towards Kei, his hand holding the pistol grip of an M4A1 with great trigger discipline.

Coming closer to Kei, he can at least be a little at ease with how she's presenting herself today. Ditching the stockings in favor of ankle length socks, in place of the grey suit and the red skirt are a white T-shirt and strangely a comfortable looking pair of jean shorts. The only thing that would be out of the ordinary would be the hair color she has, but then she would be just like any tourist here who happened to stumble upon a Hohei-do event.

"Hey." Kureitan raised his left hand up to catch the attention of the girl. "Looking for me, Kei?"

"Heh?" The girl turned at once, hearing her name called out. She inspects the outfit Kureitan is donning for quite some time, her facial expression displaying something between confusion and disbelief. Soon enough, it all comes crashing down on her. "Heeeeh, that's you Kureitan!?"

"Yup, you ain't seeing it wrong, girl." Donning himself a wide array of gear necessary for today's mission, all covered in MultiCam pattern, he now looks no different from an US Army infantryman that makes occasional appearances on media relating to recent wars. It doesn't help Kei that identification is significantly harder even up close with the protective glasses he is rocking under that helmet. "This is how I look when I'm working. It may look cumbersome, and it is, I admit, but you'd be surprised at how maneuverable it is once you are wearing it."

"Maybe but… Is this what Mom looks like when she's out there in the fields?" The blonde girl carefully inspected the attire even more.

"I guess." Kureitan pushed his shoulders up. "Anyway, it won't be long until the match starts. Anything you wanna say before this one hell of an 11 Alpha march to his impending doom?"

Kei takes some time to think of something to say, looking at the scenery surrounding her. The lush mountains, the crystal clear sea, the bunches of unrecognizable vehicles all parking on the side of the road, it all makes her eager to enjoy what will happen soon, so long as everyone plays fair and with great displays of sportsmanship. But unfortunately, the scenery doesn't help to give her an idea of encouragement that isn't just the usual shtick she has. Oh well, it's the thought that counts.

With a pat on Soudainakyoukoku's captain, she speaks with vigor. "Best of luck to you, Kureitan! And whosoever commands the other team also."

"Alex. It's Alex."

"Yeah, Alex! Best of luck to Alex also! And may the best team win, yeah?"

"Hell fucking yeah, Kei." Kureitan snapped a smirk at her. Just as he takes a look one last time at the blonde girl, a bright red flare appears upon the eternal blue sky. The soldiers down on the road, seeing the signal, all swiftly pack their things up and mount up the vehicles. The messy sounds of footsteps created from said actions also help Kureitan to catch wind of what happened too. "Oh, looks like it's green to go for me then. Guess I'll see you after this."

"Yeah." Kei responded and waved goodbye as Kureitan ran back to the Bradley he came out of. The order he shouted was the last thing she heard before the rumbling of engines from Bradleys, Humvees and trucks alike took over.

"Get a fucking move on, guys! What are you waiting for!?"

---

Screeching tyres, a harsh brake, and echoes of footfall. Yoichi hurriedly clambered out of his battle taxi, one amongst many young Marines tasked with a role he'd learnt over the course of the last week. Gathering his equipment and his squad, he rushed into his designated building and set about turning it (amongst many others) into a future hotbox which would be fiercely contested for.

The spread of his men was quite sporadic. Whilst he was to build an impregnable fort, he wasn't given any more than a whole 15 men. Whilst seemingly a large amount, it wasn't enough to cover every sightline or to even make one single avenue strong enough not to be broken with concentrated firepower, so Yoichi made sure that every house would have a man, rather than stacking a million men in one. He also gave them Alex's special orders on top of forming a classic perimeter, but if he had it his way, those orders wouldn't ever be carried out.

He stared long and hard at the major road leading through the area, and a hazy vision of burning Bradleys and Soudainkyokoku infantry with their hands in the air tickled his eyes.

"I hope to god this works. Alex, you're a wild wild man."

Inu No Akuma's communications were a flurry with a million messages being sent and received every second. Alex's head was spinning, micromanaging some details that he'd forgotten to go over in the briefing, as well as correcting mistakes and organising the order of battle properly, ensuring his fortress city was a castle rather than a house of cards.

"I don't care how you do it, so long as you keep them busy that's all that matters! Don't let them get close to Yoichi until I tell you to!" If he kept it up like this all day long, he would have lost his voice within minutes.

The first hour saw even less combat than usual. but for the average spectator, Inu No Akuma seemed to have the upper hand.

This being an 80v80 Logistics battle, the logistics trucks and their movement/destruction were the deciders of the battle. Considering the weather hadn't been the best beforehand, as well as the geography of the battlefield, if you were looking for something with wheels you'd look at the roads, and whoever controlled the town could project power further down towards the other roads.

Inu No Akuma's supreme mobility advantage, as well as their headstrong nature, meant that they were in the town far before Soudainkyokoku had a chance to even see it. Even then, LAVs blew past the town and dove into the jungle, unloading their cargos of men and littering them across the wood, covered by trenches and trees. Their position seemed secure in size and in depth.

Yoichi sighed. Another hour passed before he heard the crackle of gunfire in the distance. Then it just continued on and on, and on, slowly dying down yet never quite dead. It was like a distant war being fought by some other army that he had nothing to do with. His perimeter was about as entrenched as they could be (although they hadn't spent the whole time waiting, they were active for a while), and as visible to the naked eye as an individual atom. Sure, his men were everywhere, but they were amongst their surroundings and couldn't be easily distinguished, especially since they were all within hard cover.

Slowly, the rattling alarum drew a little louder, even if more sparse. In the corner of the opening he'd stared through with the same binoculars for who knows how long, he saw the grass and greenery begin to shake, even if just a little. Then, in the corner of his eye, a Bradley just in sight, as well as a set of infantry following behind it.

He wasn't the only one watching, his squad reported the enemy presence just as he had found it himself, but he told them to hold their fire. "Let that box get within range, and not maximum range..."

He saw their advance; Slow and methodical - No wonder they'd topped the charts for so long now. He cleared his throat:

"Every Marine is first a rifleman. We will hit our shots. We will make them count. We will take that enemy vehicle down in one stroke, cut off their support, and with that, cut the claws off of this bear that's trundling on towards us menacingly. Don't get cocky just because one of our logistics vehicles is right here with us - that's just the reason we need to be extra careful, but if you need it the supply is there. We have the guns, we have the guts, so now we need to get the game! And we'll get it with patience!"

This was different. Yoichi was used to being the second line of reinforcement rather than the vanguard, meaning that he would usually head straight into the danger and throw his men at the foe in order to seize victory over a looming defeat - But here he was silent, slow, whilst retaining his certainty.

But that certainty was jogged for just a moment as the Bradley and its men halted. His face screwed into a confused mess with one eyebrow raised and the other itching with a sudden rush of unease. He observed some of the infantry confusingly pull back slightly, and the Bradley's turret traverse from left to right, like a scanner of some sorts.

Before he knew it, Yoichi was facing down the barrel of a 25mm autocannon. A staring contest of some sorts - though he couldn't quite tell if his invisible garrison had been spotted already or not. Regardless, he froze still, petrified by the situation, hypnotised by the weapon mounted against him.

Suddenly, his stomach sank, and violently too. His eyes widened and his pupils dilated. His grasp on his rifle tightened for just a second, as that feeling he always had when his time was up kicked in.

"Quick, ready the-"

He hardly had time to warn his men before explosions rocked the earth. Shortly after, the wall in front of him was torn apart with autocannon fire. Yoichi himself managed to move before chunks of the wall were flung at his face. Throwing himself to the floor and rolling, the boy clutched his M16A4 and quickly let out a grunt, before dashing to another position to start retaliating his own way.

The swishing sound of an Anti-Tank rocket then caught his ear as he pointed his rifle sheepishly at the enemy, drawing deep breaths. His well of courage refilled, he popped his head out and pulled the trigger the moment his ironsight lined up with something that didn't look like foliage, before moving onto another thing, and then another thing. The plumes of dirt and clouds of earth didn't make target acquisition easy, but one target he was keen on was the Bradley.

A large green beast, turning its turret in various directions and laying the thickest of fire, suppressing not only him but his men with him. It menacingly stood still, chugging away at Yoichi's defenses. Another set of explosions chucked debris into the air, rupturing his eardrums whilst blinding him in the process. It was like a different kind of flashbang, rather instead of a blinding light, it was a blinding earth.

As the smoke cleared this time, he peered through a crack in the wall and saw yet another rocket miss its mark. That Bradley wasn't going anywhere. All they could do now was sit, and fight-

-At least, that was what he thought until he realised he had one final card to pull; one last trick up his sleeve. He spoke into his radio:

"Right, if you're still alive, I got orders!"

Either way, that certainty he had earlier was all gone, and along with it, the idea that he was ever concealed.

Which was fair for him, even if he was never seen to begin with.

Kureitan peered through his sights, slightly disheartened. So far he'd been greeted by nothing more than a lacklustre delaying action which, whilst successful at keeping them at arms length from the town for longer than he would've liked, didn't allude to the exciting game he was hoping for. And now, he was effectively dulling the enemy force into a state of almost uselessness, pinning them to their little houses and holes, keeping them unable to stop them from actually going forwards any more.

"C'mon, do something..." He yawned.

Man, what a let-down. Knowing Inu No Akuma, Kureitan expected them to go all in, guns blazing, and use their superior mobility to replicate what the French would usually take a crack at, that being shock tactics and lightning war. But instead of copying the French, the Marines seemed to have copied the British, and set up an array of annoyingly competent yet tactically boring defences with a million layers and absolutely no men.

Kureitan predicted there to be a quick reaction force in the back waiting to strike at them, and because of this, continued to raze the town to the ground and cover it in lead, yet as time passed, no one came.

"Are they SERIOUSLY just SITTING THERE? Oh my GOODNESS, I can't believe I got excited for THIS!"

He simply stared on in a half-asleep daze as the town was forcefully suppressed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to advance quickly and take the town, but reconnaissance hadn't reported any reinforcement, or anything near the place for that matter. Another delaying action in a series of layered defences.

He wondered; 'Is their plan to just bore me out? Because if so it's working….!' And came to the realisation that he needed to keep on guard in case anything happened, but until something happened that would be relatively difficult. In that case, he would have to make something happen.

"Alright, enough playing with our food - It's time to dig in."

Code-lingo which he had prepared in advance. This particular phrase ordered the majority of forces in a general assault. The code phrases actually saved him somewhat, as earlier not all of the grenade launchers were hitting their mark due to some of the scouts being taken out and the enemy taking control of their radio equipment, sending false reports and co-ordinates. But with a quick couple words…

"Ready, steady?"

"Uh… Go?"

"... Thank you, that's the last we'll hear from you." He cleared it all up and took out the false reporters off the comms. For most this would be a shocking event, but for Kureitan, it was predictable behaviour from an unpredictable bunch.

In fact, this whole match was somewhat an enigma for the man. They were meant to be the erratic ones who go with the flow, and thinking that a fluid defence made sense, provided there was some quick reaction force to come. But it had been ages since they started shelling the town, and that quick reaction force was showing no signs of arriving.

'In a way, that is somewhat unpredictable…' Kureitan thought as he watched his men kick doors in, guns blazing. There was still resistance in some buildings, but not all of them. It was efficient, clean, and not too awakening.

Kureitan yawned, "I'm going outside for a stretch."

"Sure." Responded the commander of the Bradley. Her mind still focused on covering the infantry and the Bradley, but this small moment of respite gives her a little bit of leeway to pay attention to miscellaneous stuff, like how eager the commander is to just have a little bit of fun actually doing something other than sitting his ass in the vehicle all day long commanding. He never seems to be the kind to sit there and dish out orders anyway, he likes to get involved instead.

He clambered out of his Bradley and stepped out into the open. Fresh air filled his lungs as he took a deep breath to re-oxidise his brain and wake up again. The gunfire had basically died down now, aside from the occasional burst and exchange every time there was an answer to the door being kicked.

Then, he heard a scream - "NOW IT'S ALL UP TO YOU, ALEX!"

Suddenly the ground ruptured in an earth shaking roar. Entire walls were thrown into the air as if they were weightless, debris falling like rain across the area. The first flash of light was so bright that Kureitan took a step back and caught his breath, covering his eyes on instinct. Then, he coughed and coughed as if diseased, before looking up. His legs gave in. The particles of dirt and dust made their way into his eyes and nose, clogging the senses, but it didn't take too long for Kureitan to figure out just what had happened.

"Delta, status?" He asked, and thankfully the guy reported back, though the news was nothing happy to begin with.

"D-Delta here!" The other squad leader sounded scared shitless, and a little delirious too. He was likely one of the more unfortunate ones that got caught near the blast source. "Shit, they played us like a damn fiddle! Fucking Marines up here rigging up IEDs like they're insurgents!"

"Solid copy, Delta. Command is now moving onto you." Kureitan then switched to his squadmates. "This is Creighton speaking, rally up at the Southwestern entrance of the town. Our mission is to sweep the town and clear it of IEDs. Be advised of sporadic hostile units in various structures, and watch your sixes."

"Solid copy, Creighton."

"Gotcha."

"Yes."

"Copy that."

"Understood."

"As for the Bradley, you two slowly crawl the thing forward. I'm fairly positive they now have no more AT to effectively counter you, but they may have more ambushes waiting. Be on the lookout."

"Understood, Captain Creighton. Bradley is crawling up now."

The commander soon gets behind the Bradley and covers for it as it slowly moves forward, providing cover for him in return. He then rallies up with the rest of his squad, and starts his small operation of sweeping through the town.

It was even more odd. To rig an entire town with IEDs is not the type of thing that you do on impulse - It's the type of act that takes careful training, planning, and deliberation. Kureitan smirked - This was going to be a real fight.

And there were still more surprises the marines had for them in the bag.

The Bradley ahead of Kureitan and his squad suddenly jolted back, procuring a white flag, as a sudden metallic slam resounded through the streets. Judging from the angle it was hit, it seems to have been eliminated by a side armor shot.

"Well, I'm lucky today, aren't I?" He muttered to himself before getting the news to his squadmates. "Friendly Bradley is down. I repeat, friendly Bradley is down! Suspected hostiles at Bravo 4 keypad 6. Continue with previous orders, but be aware of enemy side attacks, over." The boy then continues to march into town to rally up, the occasional gunfire still not ceasing by the sounds of it.

---

"Yeah, show them who's boss, Marines!"

"Live up to your name, Soudainakyoukoku! Aren't you better than those crayon munching confederates!?"

"The hell you mean confederates!?"

"Well… The Confederacy were splintered away from the Union, right? Didn't the same happen, which caused the formation of Inu no Akuma?"

"But it wasn't over slavery!"

"It was over state rights though."

"Over state rights to own slaves, that is! I don't remember Inu no Akuma supporting that!"

"But they support the right to consume crayons, yes?"

"Like it was illegal to consume crayons according to Soudainakyoukoku's curriculum!"

A silly argument broke out between multiple spectators as they watched the fighting from a bird's eye view shown on the TV screens in a café, catching the attention of customers there, including Kei also. The people there are humored, to say the least, but the employees are rather quick to intervene, hoping the situation won't escalate further. Still, the blonde girl can't help but to chuckle and comment. "He really wasn't wrong about the 'Derby' part. It's like back in the States with football all over again, huh?" Her mind then races back to some time ago, when she was little and her family was still staying in the US. The situation that appears before her is like the fans at a football match, cheering for their own team and denouncing the opposing one. Was there even a bit of good faith in it? Probably not, but it always made for a spectacle to witness.

Meanwhile, the footage on the TV shows a big, green vehicle that looks kind of like a tank smoking up black at the front and raising up a white flag, and it seems to be such a big deal that the commentator goes all ballistic. "Oooooh, that was such a bold play coming from an AT soldier of Inu no Akuma there, taking out one of the Bradleys! Even with such security provided by Soudainakyoukoku's unit, a Marine was able to remain undetected until he made his shot! And a clean one at that too! No wonder they have the best average accuracy of the entire league!"

To say it riles up everyone in the place would be understating the impact it has. The people, upon hearing the update on the match, all fall into complete silence for a moment. But right after that, they all stand up in chaos and scream out on the top of their lungs. Various provocative statements are thrown around, and yet again the staff have to step in and stifle the aggression that both sides' fanatics emanate. "No wonder he doesn't want me to bring a cheerleading team along." Kei muttered as she continued seeing the events transpiring before her eyes, sipping her cup of cola in an oddly loud fashion "Ah, nothing hits like cola, right?" She suddenly shifted her head to the right, where another person also sat.

"Yeah, that's right." The person answered, not really displaying much attention towards the girl. The only thing he seems to pay a close eye to is the match itself and a note he has on his hand, likely to write down something relating to the battle. The way he shows no interest in the bar fight that will likely happen sooner or later in this space he also occupies intrigues the blond girl to no end. Why does he have to be so attentive of the battle in the first place, and with such apathy to the world around him too? That is the question Kei raised with the intent of answering it herself.

"So, whatcha doin'?" Kei playfully asked and carefully took a closer look at the guy she was curious about at the same time. He seemed a little younger than her, but roughly her age. The hair color is a typical shade for a Japanese person. The choices of clothing are uncannily similar to the wear she sees on soldiers that participate in formal events with shades of black, blue, yellow and white. The inner shirt and the tie are like that of Saunders though, that's for certain.

"Taking notes." The boy responded briefly, still paying attention to the TV. Great, this one seems to be one of those tough nuts to crack, huh? At least she knows that he's a part of Soudainakyoukoku Academy with the uniform. That should be another avenue to engage him with.

"So, you're from Soudainakyoukoku?"

"Uh huh." He coldly responded again, with a nod this time. Still, another avenue of attack has been shut down. If only there is ano-

"You're a local around here?" The boy all of a sudden snapped back at her.

"Hm? Yeah?" Kei answered, her brain still lagging behind from the previous thought.

"Never saw you in town before though."

"Well, the Earth may be round, but it ain't that small."

"True." The boy then turns his head back to the broadcast, his hand fickling with the pen. "Who the hell are you to talk to a student of Soudainakyoukoku anyway? Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Ah, uhm I… I'm just curious, that's all."

"That's no excuse! Why are you being all so casual anyway!? Again, do you know who the fuck you're talking?" Kei was discouraged from the boy's elitist attitude to say the least, but she pushed on with humbleness.

"I know, I know! You don't have to be so agitated!" She soon pushes the cola jug to him. "Here, if you want."

He takes notice of the offer, and looks at the jug with great judgement. His gaze of judgement then shifts to the blonde herself. "Why? Planning to sweet talk me?"

"No reason. I just wanna talk, that's all." Kei propped up a super big grin, and a dumb one at that. But it is that grin reeking of dumbassery that manages to make him lower the invisible fence he created.

"Fine." He sighed, then took a sip of the cola also. "So, who the fuck are you anyway?"

"Nakada Kei, but you can call me Kei."

"Kei, Kei, Kei…" Something promptly appeared in the boy's mind. Mere moments after, his eyes widened. "Wait, no way. No fucking way."

"Hm? What's the matter?"

"Don't tell me… You're that Kay the girls keep talking about."

"Heh? What do you mean?"

"You know, overall commander of Saunders University High School's Sensha-do club? Absolute girlboss? Total girlboss that rivals even the likes of Hasemoto-senpai himself?"

"Huh, I guess my fame is a bit more far and wide than I initially thought."

"That's a fucking definite, yeah!" The boy then turns his body towards him and bows down so deep he smacks his head onto the table. He pays no mind to it, however. "I apologize for having been rude to one of the greats here, Nakada-senpai! How can I hope to repay you!?"

"Woah woah, chill there, mysterious boy!" Kei tried getting him to simmer down, but then figured this would be a good opportunity to get to know him more. "Just tell me who you are. I'm okay with the rudeness you display, it's not something I find offensive."

"Really!?"

"Really."

"Alright then." The boy takes a moment to collect himself. Afterwards, he gives his introduction. "My name is Watanabe Omaru, currently a 2IC of Captain Hasemoto himself alongside another guy!"

"2IC?"

"Second in command."

"Okay then… Well who's that other guy?"

"I… I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Why?"

"He keeps screwing with me, that's why!"

"Well, at least you can let me have the pleasure of knowing him. Not like it will hurt him, right?"

"I guess…" Omaru then sinks down to the chair and turns to the TV once again. He quickly takes more notes of how the match has transpired, before speaking to Kei without turning around. "The dude's name is Kato Takashi, by the way."

"Takashi?" Kei's eyebrows raised at the name. "Don't tell me it's the same Takashi that Alisa keeps ranting about whenever things don't go her way."

"What?"

"Ah, right… Is the name 'Alisa' familiar to you, Omaru-san?"

"It…" Omaru paused, his mind being showered with a sense of déjà vu. "It doesn't. Why did you ask?"

"Because well, that girl named Alisa? She once had a deep crush towards a guy named Takashi, until well… recently when she had a fallout with him."

"Huh, sounds familiar indeed… Yeah, Takashi did tell me about a thing he had with a girl too. It was a crush also, he said. And also recently, he had a falling out with her. Worst of all? It is right when the falling out happened that he was aware of the girl's feelings too!"

"So then…"

They both pause amidst the chaos around the bar, their eyes meeting each other as they come to a realization. But then, Omaru suddenly crosses it out. "You know, let's leave that for another time. I need to focus on the match."

"Alrighty then. I guess I'll enjoy the match also." Kei soon took back ownership of the cola, and sipped a big portion of it away. They both pay great attention to the Civil Derby displayed on the broadcast for quite some time, seeing all the close combat actions happening. But as the climax is being gotten over with when Soudainakyoukoku completely cleared the town of any remaining opposition, Omaru absent-mindedly asked the blonde. "What are your thoughts on Hohei-do?"

"Hm? Why did you ask?" Kei lowered her gaze and directed it towards the young boy.

"I think some different perspectives would be useful, especially coming from a Sensha-do practitioner like you."

"Huh, I see… Well, would you mind if I say stuff about Soudainakyoukoku too?"

"It's alright. I can see it being useful for today's objectives too."

"That is?"

"To understand the captain's mindset, and his thought process towards combat as a whole. I think this is what he wants of me, and is the reason why he benched me for today's match."

"Oh yeah, you're part of the club too, if you are a second in command as you say."

"Yes, so please, tell me everything you think! About Hohei-do and about Soudainakyoukoku's fighting style in it!"

"I see…" Kei takes a long while to think, her eyes now also glued to the TV screen to muster something of worth to the boy she just met today. While she has no obligations to do so, a kind girl like her never has the heart to disappoint anyone, especially those that look up to her like Omaru here. But soon enough, she manages to answer.

"Well, it seems more fun, I guess. Sure, burns a lot more cardio compared to Sensha-do, but I feel it would be good at stimulating the senses more than Sensha-do does. More stuff to digest, more 'grounded' action, and, ehh… teamwork feels more or less equal. Overall, I know this'll probably get me in trouble with everyone back at Saunders for me saying this, but I think I like Hohei-do a bit more. Just more colorful and all that.

With Soundain's style, well, I'll admit Saunders tends to fight more like Inu. We come up with a plan, try to develop it as much as we can, but allow everyone to wing it. Meanwhile… well… When you think about it, Soundain doesn't really seem to have an equal in Sensha-do when it comes to planning. I chanced upon Kureitan last night and he was still in his study, planning his rear end off. Seriously, you gotta make sure he has a life outside of Hohei-do…"

As Omaru notes down all the things Kei has said, he dismisses her concerns. "Heh, don't worry, he does. Well, he's not the most extroverted person, but he's quite social. Definitely not interested in girlfriends yet, though. About your points, yeah, that's some good analysis, I guess. Now, for Sensha-do… you want me to go over it, or nah?"

"Sure thing! I'd like to keep things equal between us. I've spoken my thoughts on your sport, I'd like your thoughts on mine." Kei picks the cup up and shakes it around, seemingly fiddling with it for a little.

"Sure thing." Omaru then turns, looking face to face with Kei. He takes a moment to think of an answer also, putting the pen and paper down to the table, before speaking again. "Well, I'd say it's not as complicated and easier to grasp, though I'd argue it's not as 'stimulating' as Hohei-do is. Sure, there's chaos and moving around and all that, but unless you're really burning cardio, running around, hopping over stuff and all that, yeah, it's not gonna be that exciting. Expect me to say pretty much the opposite of what you said about Hohei-do."

"Mhm. How 'bout Saunders? What do you think of our Inu-esque approach to things?"

"I like it, honestly, mostly if you're the commander. You make plans, but don't really devote too much into it, just winging it when necessary and all that. I will admit it heavily depends on your subordinates' skills when it comes to just how well your winging will do, which only proves how superior the Hasemoto style is as a matter of fact. Speaking of which, don't you have a tournament right now?"

Kei sighed, the memories of the first round of the tournament coming back to her. Alisa really had to end the whole run from that, didn't she? And it wasn't even late into the tournament. She was, needless to say, still miffed about the whole affair. "Yeah, but we're out, first round, too… ugh."

"Huh?! I thought you gals were some of the best!"

"Supposed to be, but we got outclassed by a minor school with a top-tier commander, named Miho Nishizumi. School's called Ooarai Girls' Academy. We outnumbered them both in material and experience, too, they had just restarted their team, but a subordinate of mine just had to cheat. I had to play fair and downsize after that, and, well, they won."

"Good on them, I guess. Some good sportsmanship on fighting equal after that cheating stuff, though. Boss might just be proud of ya."

"Yeah, I suppose."

"So, what now? Who's winning and all that?"

"Well, Ooarai has been doing pretty well. Beat us, and they just beat Anzio, though that wasn't as hard of a match. They're toast next round, though. They're facing the champ of last year, Pravda High School."

"Oh, dang. I heard they are some top notch schools in terms of Sensha-do, at least from how the girl speaks of them. Consistently scoring high on the tournament and only being stopped by the walls of Kuromorimine's heavy armor."

"Yep. What's even worse is that Miho will probably have some trauma to deal with." Kei let out an offhand comment, of which Omaru took notice.

"Really? Did she get into some incident with them or something?"

"Unfortunately… Kuromorimine, that is, the champs from the year before last year, pretty much had last year in the bag. It would've been their tenth consecutive win, and Pravda was just about doomed. However, one of Kuro's lead tanks fell into a river, and Miho jumped in to save the crew before they could drown. Very noble, but caused the flag tank she commanded to be knocked out, winning Pravda the match."

"What the f- what?!" Omaru was shocked, but other people didn't seem to share his reaction. They are all simply too focused on the match at hand.

"Yeah…"

"Why didn't they just stop the match right then and there?! A crew is drowning, another person jumps in to save, why not just… I dunno, not recognize the last two minutes or whatever?!"

"I have no idea, man… I'm not connected to anybody with deep knowledge of how Sensha-do works. They probably had their reasons."

"Well, they might as well have had some stupid reasons. I'm telling you, if that happened in Hohei-do, say, someone accidentally got their leg actually blown off and they continued the match with other students trying to administer first aid and getting fired at by the enemy, presuming the enemy doesn't really know what's going on, or, even worse, are heartless, then that's gonna rouse up a massive scandal that gets a bunch of the HRs removed, or something as severe. How was the aftermath of that incident?"

"Addressed by all parties involved and swept under the rug. Only one who really got in trouble was Miho. What she did was honorable, though because she did cause the defeat of the school, she felt pressured into leaving and joining Ooarai."

Omaru paused to shake his head, his stomach turning out of disgust at the sheer injustice that was present in what he was hearing. He seemed to think of what to say next, trying to make it so he wouldn't come off as condescending or harsh or mean, but, seeing he was unable to, he decided to just be as blunt as he could, and it didn't take too long to find the words he wanted to say, though, recognizing the severity of those words, he needed to make sure his converser wouldn't take offense. "Hey, mind if I say something bad to you real quick? It's not against you, but… just a massive hit at that sport of yours."

"I won't take any offense, go ahead." Kei then takes another sip of the refreshing cola, though it tastes worse now because of the story they are discussing.

"Read my lips. What are those schools… oh yeah. Pravda can burn in hell, and… uh… that Kuro-somethingstupidname can burn in hell. And whoever was the referee of that godforsaken match can go to hell as well. They can all burn in hell. Damn them all, those retards, Satan's belly laughing at their evil right now, I'm telling you."

Kei expected something bad, but definitely not something like this, at least not from someone other than Kureitan. Staring wide-eyed, she was frozen in shock and fear, which Omaru noticed. "Sorry if I offended you… but I did warn you."

"N-no… it's… fine. Kuretain has said worse things, to be honest."

"Yeah, always a lovely potty mouth he is… But I'm just saying, with schools like that, who needs a red-skinned manlet with a tail, horns, and pokey trident strutting around in a land of fire and brimstone? Hell might as well take residence in those places."

"I… understand where you're coming from…"

Omaru, seeing how badly affected Kei was, slapped himself to snap him back to reality, before addressing Kei again. "Sorry, sorry, I just… get that worked up sometimes. In fairness, though, who won't have their blood boiling from hearing that?"

"Yeah, fair point."

"So… how's Ooarai now?"

"Got more tanks, they number at… six, I believe now? Six or seven, somewhere around that number."

"Got it. And how much does hell itsel- I mean, Pravda have?"

"It's a semifinals round, so fifteen."

"Oh, hell no."

"Yep. Welcome to Sensha-do."

"Sucks to be part of that sport, then."

"Maybe."

As the television continued to broadcast the news, and the crowd split into cheers and shouts of disappointment or anger, Kei continued to indulge in her meal as Omaru observed in silence, going over each aspect of the battle, though their moods were far different from before. Omaru now struggled to focus on the action going down before him, now having to deal with all that he had just learned from Kei, the injustice and unfairness of what went down, his negative perception of Sensha-do, and so much more. He felt ready to mutiny, gather as many as he could to join him, and with all the materiel and weapons he had, raid every single Sensha-do institution he knew, to raze them all to the ground, and utterly destroy them. He was going to make Sensha-do howl, and there was nothing anybody, even Kureitan could do to stop him. Even if he had to shed blood he would-

"Omaru, come on. It's not that serious."

"Huh? Wait-"

"Come on, I see your face. Just let go of it. What happened last year, or all that's wrong with Sensha-do doesn't concern you."

"Well, it very much IS going to be with me after hearing that. I feel like praying day and night for that sport's collapse now."

"You're really taking it that seriously, Omaru? Come on, please!"

"Kei, you don't get it. We here in Hohei-do get taught the value of life, because, well, we're freaking foot infantry! We actually get hit, well, not really, but still! We care about each other! We love, non-romantically, each other! And to think your sport doesn't really care about life, or doesn't really care about being fair, well, I'm sorry, but your sport is a joke! Actually, scratch that, it wouldn't even be a joke, because I can't even laugh at how incompetent it is!"

"Alright, I admit that! I admit it… Our sport may have a bunch of problems… But… It was just… an isolated incident and…" Kei was about to give more excuses, until she realized what she was doing - acting like the Sensha-do Federation shouldn't be held accountable. And so, she sighs, exasperatingly so. "Yeah…"

"Well, I'm glad I've made that clear to you. At least you, being pretty up there with everyone else, might be able to get a little revolution going and all that."

"Maybe…" Kei bit her lips, conflicted at the idea. It should be obvious enough to Omaru that this whole thing they have between them is too negative.

"Well, you wanna cut this? I think this is dragging on a bit too long." Omaru suggested turning his body back at the televised program.

"Yeah… let's end it here."

Both eyes turned back on the big screen as the battle was dragging on. The fight now seemed to reach its end, but, as has been proven many times before, wherever a human is in extreme pressure, he is at his most active and capable. So, although Inu may seem on the back foot, they were still fully able to pull off a comeback, and everyone in the venue was holding their breath, anticipating with excitement, or stress, or a combination of both, for a closing act of this match.

---

Pockets of gunfire rattled around inside the strategic village as Soudainakyoukoku set out to clear the ruins. As the fight drew on, it became incredibly clear to Kureitan that the task he set upon himself wouldn't quite be the cakewalk he thought. Dirt splashed up beside him as he waited for a moment to peek out and return fire, but the endless stream of bullets was... Well, endless. It wasn't like the enemy's accuracy was worse either, just a continuous set of accurate rifle fire.

"Fuck..." He muttered, distancing himself away from the wall to avoid a surprise present of frags. "This is Creighton speaking, I'm pinned here! Have you located their direction of fire?"

"Positive, Creighton!" One responded.

"Me too!" Another one joined in.

"Well then, why the fuck aren't you getting to work?" The captain angrily remarked, peeking inside his gun's chamber because in his position, there was nothing better to do.

"We don't have an effective angle sir! They're shooting from the debris, we can't do jackshit!"

"Plus we're busy covering the alternate angles too! You would have been toasted by now hadn't it been for the gunner guy with me here! His muzzle is about hot enough to grill a patty well done, sir!"

"Why did you have to say that? My M249 can't be that worked up over me just laying down some hate!"

"Your 'laying down some hate' has used up your entire 6 nut sacks you have on hand! Be thankful I'm here to give you more ammo!"

"Whatever!"

"Shut the fuck up!" commanded Kureitan. "Save the shit talk for later! Assault fire team and I are in huge fucking trouble! Mind lending a hand?"

"Can't! Still keeping the flank in check! Where are your smokes anyway?"

"We literally used all of it to even get to where we are currently!"

"Well… sucks to be you then, cap!"

"It sure fucking does!" Kuretain shouted into the radio before taking his left hand off his ear to assess the situation again. If not for Inu No Akuma's insane strategic decision, he would be in an urban hellhole right now, but as it was, the town was basically piles of rubble with rough open fields between them. Across open ground and towards another house crouched a squadmate of his, still stuck with his head down to keep himself in the fight. In the open ground ahead lay another squadmate of his, lying to the side and stuck to the ground, unmoving.

A fallen grenadier and a suppressed medic. If he could relieve the medic, the medic could get the grenadier back up into the fight, which could lead to a breakthrough if played properly. But with the constant stream of lead headed his way, the chances of that happening were...

Kureitan looked around, seeing if there was anything to exploit to gain even the slightest edge over his opponent, hopefully living to see Kato's Motorised reinforcements. His eyes quickly glanced over everything - Rubble, rubble, bodies, guns, rubble, smoke... Looking around wasn't doing any good.

"Man... I've had it this time, I suppose..." Kureitan muttered, clutching himself, but as he did so... He felt something rough. A full pouch. His adrenaline clearly was so insane that he couldn't feel the weight of anything anymore, including his equipment.

He unraveled the pouch, revealing a grenade, and his eyes lit up. He held it up in the air and made eye contact with the suppressed medic. Confused by the manner at first, the medic's face seems to liven up as he sees the grenade. He nodded, knowing what the captain was about to do, and crawled to the remainder of the wall's edge, ready for the next set of actions.

Upon seeing the maneuver, Kureitan backed away from the higher cover and clutched the grenade with both hands. The pin was pulled, and his right arm swung back.

"Fire in the hole!"

The grenade escaped his hand and flew over the house, piercing the air and soaring towards the enemy's direction of fire. As expected, just seconds later, the dirt rose from the ground up in all directions.

"IT'S GO GO TIME!"

The medic rose and made a mad dash across the open field, even with the shockwave from the grenade still felt in his body, before lowering himself to a crouch and grabbing the unconscious grenadier by the collar to pull back to where he ran from. Not a single bullet flew during the whole action, but he didn't care, the only thing that mattered now was getting his stupid teammates up and gunning again. But unfortunately, he couldn't pull both the boy and the gun.

"Cap, mind getting this dumbass's gun!?" He pleaded, still pulling the guy as quickly as he humanly could.

"Loud and fucking clear, man!" Kuretain rushed out of cover, quickly retrieving the grenadier's weapon to his possessions before running towards the medic. As the dust began to settle, the bullets once again began to whizz by as Marines recovered. Kureitan flinched, but undeterred he ran like his life depended on it, darting across the crossfire just in time before his suppressors could get a proper shot on him. The medic's job was also a success.

"There we go. I got him, sir."

"Nice work out there."

"Same to you. Good thinking on using the grenade to break the crossfire, by the way."

"Whatever, thanks. Now just get the motherfucker up. I'll cover you while you're at it."

"Ten four." The medic placed his medical supplies down and dug for the magical tool known as an epipen, while Kureitan checked whether or not his newly retrieved weapon still worked. He pulled the charging handle back and checked the chamber, seeing it still loading leads properly, before letting go of the handle and slamming forth the assist.

"His gun is good, thank goodness." He muttered, checking what he really cared about, the underbarrel attachment, which thankfully was also in working condition. No matter how rugged a weapon is, it never hurts to check - Anyone would rather have a malfunction right now than right in the middle of a firefight. Once all the checkboxes for the weapon were ticked in his head, he placed it next to the unconscious grenadier with a sigh.

"You tired, cap?"

"Perhaps." He sniffed. "But in a good way."

"Yeah…" The medic then carried out the typical combat aid procedure, stabbing the epipen with precision. "So anyway, do you think that 2IC of yours sends reinforcement anytime soon?"

"Yup." Kureitan confidently answered. "In fact, they should be here riiiiiiight…" As the captain stretched the word, another hail of lead and grenades all of a sudden manifested, startling the medic and the newly awakened grenadier. However, with their eyes following the bullets' trajectories, they realized those volleys were not meant for them. Instead, they are gifts for the Marines. And these packages were properly delivered..

"Now."

Kureitan's dramatic remark had a meaning. He'd held out long enough for then - the yanks have come. His left ear exploded to life with sounds of his lieutenant reporting.

"Takashi reporting in. Sorry for being late there."

"Nah nah, you were right on with the timing there. That should give the Marines a shock and awe."

"I see. Should we take over your work, sir?"

"Feel free to. Go level the fucking village if you want to. We mech guys are gonna pull back to do security in turn then."

"We go full force, cap?"

"Full fucking on!"

"Solid, sir!" Takashi ecstatically replied, before going off the comms.

"That should do it…" He noted, glancing at his squadmates who by now were unleashing all their held up aggression from being pinned down earlier. "Hey, you boys."

"Yes sir?' They looked at the squad leader, stopping their relentless shooting, and to that Kureitan brought up a stop sign.

"Fighting retreat?" The grenadier asked, to which the captain nodded

"You heard me talking to the lieutenant."

"I got you, cap."

They replied, sending their last flurry of bullets before hiding behind cover again and reloading their guns. Kureitan and his men grouped up alongside the other fire teams that split up to secure the remains of the town, and performed a retrograde maneuver towards the supposed location the logistic truck was at. It is time they got a change of pace, and it's not like they could mount any more offensive movement with the Bradley out of the game anyway... Well, it should be easy enough, they think. But for captain Hasemoto, he knows that may not be the case at all.

---

Having to slog their way back on foot to the predetermined rendezvous location without a proper transport is already bad enough with the amount of gear they have to carry, but what comes after that relaxing boring march is worse, for there was a big trail of black smoke flying up into the sky. Its source seemed dangerously close to where Takashi ordered the logistics truck to hide in. The smoke was easily noticeable due to its contrast with the relatively clear sky, and its sight made even Kureitan grimace a little, expecting the worst.

"Say it ain't so..." Hoping to confirm a better truth, the squad quickened their pace.

But when they reached the point and saw the source, their hearts all sank. Behind the thin foliage of the forest, they could see their most important objective of the match now taken away from them, the white flag still fluttering in the soft blowing afternoon winds of the coast along Sasebo.

"Of fucking course." Kureitan groaned under his breath, his heart pounding even harder as frustration compounded with exhaustion. But if there is anything the boy had learned from his old man, it is that lashing out didn't do any good to resolve the issue. And it's not like he didn't crave for this feeling also. This is what he lived for, moments of things going sideways, even if just a little to spice up his perceived monotony of Hohei-do after all those years meticulously abiding by the teachings his family has passed down for generations. There were more pressing matters at hand than his own emotions, though.

"Creighton reporting in, we've made it to the rendezvous point. Those devil dogs got there first though, and they…" The captain paused to assert the present happenstance in more detail, before continuing. "They have just left here a little while ago, over."

"Takashi here, I heard you loud and-" An odd pause occurred during the feedback call, coupled with a sudden boom in the ear of commander. "Fucking hell. Heard you loud and clear, cap."

"What's happening there?"

"Combat, some hot combat, that is. A little busy right now on the frontlines, so…"

"I understand. Keep pressuring them while you are at it. I want the town secure, even if it's barely a town anymore. There's something important in it."

"Right, about that 'something important'..." Gunfire could be heard through the radio, clear crisp yet distorted at the same time, followed by clicking. Kureitan could also hear some heavy breathing and a thud to boot too. "We found a little something."

"Hm? What is it, Takashi?"

"It's a destroyed logistic truck belonging to the Marines, likely caused due to their own IEDs rigged throughout the town. Most of them are cleared now, but we are still very much on our toes so as not to-" Another sudden pause occurred. "Shoot, now is not really the time to talk, huh?"

"You know you can stop reporting right then and there, yes?"

"I know, I only have myself to blame. That IS the important thing you're talking about, right?"

"No, but it's certainly reassuring!"

"Right- Anyhow, gotta focus on the action. Takashi, out!" After that, there were only static noises.

"So, cap… Where do you think we should go next?" One of the squad members asked.

"Hm…" Kureitan got to thinking and talking to himself. "The other logistic truck should be with lieutenant Kato by now, so there's no worry about it being fucked over like this one here..."

Suddenly, Kureitan grimaced again. "I need you to quickly secure the perimeter! I have to check something!"

Various positive affirmations came out from his men as they spread out to fulfill the captain's request. He pulled out his comically cluttered map of Sasebo's Hohei-do arena and flattened it on the grass. With a quick glance, he could see the village area, of which he has circled it over and over again to stress its importance onto the match's result, proven with how fiercely Inu no Akuma launched their counteroffensive operation to take it back despite it being reduced to rubble. The intended procedure that Kureitan had informed to Takashi is that he and his goons - the motorized platoon - will take over and do the main fighting, bringing along a logistic truck to work as a bait and keep the Marines funnelled, thus eventually wearing them down enough so that a counterattack to punch through their line is possible.

His operation was going as planned, just like how Soudainakyoukoku would have wanted, and yet, a gut instinct tickled his stomach. It was TOO good to be true, especially after what happened. This tickling forced him to look at another avenue of movement that he deemed less important than the route through the village - the winding scenic route that went along the coast, gluing itself to bases of mountains. It would take longer for the logistic truck to get to the finish line if they chose to go there, whilst being extremely vulnerable to ambushes along the crests. He'd left a flank guard there which had already countered an enemy offensive without causing or taking any casualties, but they hadn't seen the enemy's logistics vehicle either.

"Stalemates all across the board..."

Takashi was having the fight of his life right now. But all attacks have to be supported, right? A good offensive warranted cover and supply, and currently it seemed like the Marines had an immense wealth of supply... But their logistics vehicle in the town was already destroyed. Inevitably they'd run out of supplies, and the town would fall into his hands.

Then what? He didn't have the ability to bring back the insane losses he suffered at the hands of the IED, with him losing almost half his force in that one strike. Some losses are illegal to reverse due to the sport mimicking the nature of wounds in that sense. Because of the insane disparity in forces, he wouldn't be able to mount an offensive past the town through open ground or woodland either. Moving his logistics truck was therefore impossible so he'd have to keep it protected with the others... Or potentially even pull it back to keep it far from the fighting, so it wouldn't end up like the other one.

All that he could do was take on the enemy objective. But where could it be? The Marines wouldn't be crafty enough or greedy enough to put two in the same place, so that left the logistics truck being far behind the town, or on the other flank...

...And being on the other flank would explain the fact that his radio, which he'd been drowning out for the past few moments with his thoughts as he tried to think, was shouting and screaming with reports from the flank of an attack.

An attack. An enemy attack. They were attacking the flank. Attacks need cover and supply.

The enemy logistics truck was supplying their attack.

That's the new target.

But how to get there...? The flank was barely a few men in a very small set of buildings, and whilst they could hold off the attack, they would inevitably be surrounded and cut off. There was no danger of the logistics vehicle flanking them as the terrain around the area made it impossible, but the men themselves couldn't be directly reinforced without the reinforcements being intercepted...

"...Which is why we won't directly reinforce them."

"Uhh... Cap?"

Kureitan suddenly grinned. Finally, it was all coming together. The hours upon hours of analysis he'd prepared was paying off. The time for Kureitan to reveal the final ace up his sleeve had come.

"Right! Remember when I talked about that important thing in the town...?"

"Well ladies, I think it's time for you to see just exactly what that is..."

The squad members glanced at each other excitedly. It was rare to see Kureitan get this riled up and energised, and it was also rare for something new to be introduced that they hadn't been fully briefed on before.

"Fucking hell, I didn't think we'd actually resort to this!"

A squadmate's retort echoed and reverberated off the close walls and long channel. Splashing footsteps coupled with the clinkering of equipment could be heard as the men trudged on through.

"Neither did I! This was contingency plan Xray!"

"Plan Xray!? What happened to all of the others!?"

"They literally turned to dust, along with that city!"

The boys could hear the energy in Kureitan's voice. His walking pace was a bit quicker than usual too.

"But really, of all things, a sewer..."

Kureitan had taken them into the sewers of Sasebo. That 'important thing' in the town was the easiest entrance to the sewers he could take, where he and his men would actually fit. The man had taken the liberty of planning out an entire array of potential attacks through the sewage system, one of which led straight to just behind the enemy's attack on the flank. Behind being... Behind their lines, where they would think they would be safe. The exact place to supply an attack from. The exact place to put a logistics truck.

The commander had also briefed Takashi haphazardly on the plan, with the man now tasked with securing a solid perimeter around the entrance to the sewers. The logistics vehicle was also ordered to retreat into a specific designated safe spot, where it would be covered in foliage. Its supplies would be transported into the town through a troop transport going to and from the truck to the defence perimeter.

Before embarking on their adventure, Kureitan also ordered everyone to resupply, with a special emphasis on grenades for the logistics truck. This taskforce would comprise a handful of well equipped and prepared men, ready to do whatever it takes to take on the enemy truck, but it could only be a handful - Everyone else was needed at the front. Kureitan's reserves were all deployed - A force to guard the final logistics vehicle, a force to guard the town (and entrance to the sewers) and a force in the flank on the only other possible route the logistics could go down. There was no one left to stay back.

This was it- all or nothing. But with a plan like this? Going through the sewers? No one would even think about it - Basically a guaranteed victory.

"CONTACT! FRONT!"

A panicked shout echoed on the cold wet walls of the sewers, followed by bursts of gunfire and shouts of affirmation. Kureitan's men quickly hit the ground, hugged the sides, or crouched before taking aim and pouring rifle fire at the direction ahead.

"What the- They're here too!?"

Gunshots reverberated and bounced off of the walls as blinding lights and smoke messed up everyone's vision. Inu No Akuma clearly had also sent a contingent forwards through the sewers, likely to carry out the same operation Kureitan had planned.

Sasebo's sewers weren't just an average set of sewers - They were narrow, winding, rectangular and looked more like the underground passage of a bunker line or Fort Vaux more than anything else.

Kureitan's men were however static to a fault. The Marines ahead of them surged forwards, taking whatever corner they could, pushing angles whilst slowly enveloping Soudain's forces.

Kureitan every so often tried to take a glance round a corner to try and find a feature to exploit, but every time he did, a bullet would fly by and send dust flying in front of his face. His natural cover-seeking instinct had worked against him and his men.

"We need to move!" Kureitan shouted, steadying his rifle.

"How!? We can't make an angle!"

"Fire Team Two! I need you to grow some balls and make a move! The section to our right needs to be clear! Then Fire Team Three will go, with the section ahead of it! We need to be decisive! Think fucking fast, or don't think at all!"

"Yes Cap!"

An organised chaos ensued. Under the cacophony of intense gunfire and weapon-cocking, squelching footsteps and heavy breathing could be faintly made out by those being enveloped. A couple of men rose and ran towards the section to their right, braving the storm of steel endlessly sent their way. Kureitan's strike team had secured an entrance into another room. The Fire Team then began opening up, answering to the hailstorm that was ahead of them, making way for the next group to go. Kureitan slowly began to dictate movements and orders, micromanaging the squad forwards and around his perceived enemy even amid the heat of combat, a testament to his leadership no matter the circumstance.

But there were a lot more Marines here than Kureitan predicted.

"MASAOMI'S DEAD!" A report rang out, catching the commander's attention. He glanced over towards the shout, before seeing another volley of rifles open up with a blinding flash.

His men's arms ached, as sweat began dropping at the same rate bullets flew. Kureitan found his gun much heavier now, as he continued to pull the trigger and slam more and more magazines in.

"S-Should we withdraw!? We still have an ave-"

"We can't! For now we'll hold them here! We need to expand the sectors under our control and hold some corners! Renji, I need you to run back and fetch Takashi, and guide some reinforcements here!"

"Yes sir!"

His wish was their command. Renji made a break for the rear whilst Kureitan's reduced squad formed a perimeter, peering down their sights.

The wait for reinforcements was agonising. The Strike Force from Soudain would quickly be running out of ammunition if it kept up, considering they were fighting a more numerous foe than them, and they were defending. Suppressive fire burnt through stockpiles, especially when 'Fire and Manoeuvre" was the doctrine that they were following. It felt like hours, but after what was really a few minutes, a report came over the radio that Kureitan really did not want to hear.

"THEY BROKE THROUGH!"

It was Takashi - The enemy had managed to concentrate a supreme mobile rush reliant on speed straight towards the entrance of the sewers. Takashi himself co-ordinated the perimeter around the entrance, but it was too late - The assault force had already pushed the man himself into the entrance.

They were now being pincered within the sewers.

"We're running out of ammo Cap..."

The gunfire from the entrance could be heard growing louder and louder. Barked orders from the Marines became more and more audible, and more and more daunting as Kureitan continued to lose men. Bodies piled up in the water, splashing and throwing the sewage onto the heated sweaty faces of all the men there.

"I GOT NO MORE ROUNDS CAP!"

"We need to do SOMETHING!"

Kureitan clenched his rifle tight, biting his lip. "... You only need one grenade to kill a truck, right? Right..." And with that, he made a decision.

The commander himself threw his rifle over his shoulder before reaching into a pouch. He pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, and chucked it through one of the openings. Then he did it again, and again, and again.

Kureitan's squadmates recognised the idea, and copied it. Barring a few that Kureitan ordered to keep firing, they all shouldered their weapons and started a new kind of war underground.

The nature of the fight then entirely changed.

The Marines were ready for anything. The shooting became more and more sparse, as the harsh pounding of the explosions became the only audible sound, if audible at all with how deafening they were. Every so often, the Marines would lose control of an area for a moment, through people diving for cover or simply being caught in the blast. When a breach was made, Kureitan's men inched forwards, securing the flanks alongside the front. Then the tossing war began all again, and sometimes the marines would push back.

Every man in the sewer had his ears ringing as blast after blast sent shockwaves which bounced off each and every wall. Off the water, the roof, the men, any surface - The booms wouldn't stop.

Eventually the crackling and rattling stopped altogether. The only sound that anyone could hear were screams and explosions, and the high pitched tone of their ears crying for mercy. As they dove for cover. some covered their ears whilst others covered their eyes - Some couldn't react in time and stopped moving for good.

Occasionally the sound of dust and dirt trickling would infiltrate the throbbing, as well as some debris of some sorts falling down - But the soul-crushing shockwaves wouldn't stop.

They kept going off

And off

And off

On

And on

And on again.

Kureitan had boxed himself in a position hoping to get some fresh numbers to throw with a massed charge, but those numbers were holed up in their own war of explosions behind them, getting closer and closer. Takashi soon ended up in the exact same section that Kureitan did, and the enemy's explosive breaths could be felt down both of their necks on all sides. His mini-breakthroughs weren't showing any progress. He'd have to make a decision.

"Make it stop! Please just make it fucking stop!"

"I can't.. I can't h-hear my-myself..."

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!"

"It's no good... It's no good! We can't move!"

"IT'S ALL USELESS!"

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY-"

Kureitan chucked another grenade into another doorway, but when the blast occurred, he grabbed his rifle and ran. But this time, he didn't stop at a specific spot to secure the section- Instead he surged forwards like some god of war, a force of nature, undeterred by the many Marines all around him.

And as always, his men followed him.

Kureitan stopped speaking. He actually stopped looking at his men at all, instead his eyes only pointed forwards. He was getting closer and closer to the end, and he knew it. All he had to do was keep going - Keep pressing forwards.

There was no other way.

His heart knocked and bashed against his ribcage. His muscles pulsed and throbbed. His skin was as hot as the sun. His teeth were clenched. Rounds zipped by as comrades around him fell, dropping one by one as they ran, powered by nothing but pure fury.

And then they reached the exit. Kureitan nodded at Takashi, who nodded back. His face was stern as he turned and crouched, staring down his ACOG. A few more that remained, joined him, leaving Kureitan with a team of four people to take on the logistics truck.

Takashi let his gun sing, and Kureitan sent another bomb outside, that being his last, before leaping out of the exit and into the light.

The sunlight would've blinded him if he hadn't subjected himself to an entire heavy metal lightshow whilst underground. The gunfire around him forced him to dash for the nearest cover, a small piece of wall, taking three of his men with him. One of them didn't make it.

The commander scanned the area, keeping his head down, before grinning like mad. There, in front of him, so close yet so far away, was the enemy's second and final logistics truck. Remove that from the game, and it's a win. It's a full victory.

Like instinct, the man glanced at the ground as the rounds flew overhead. He could make a mad dash for it, with three people it was unlikely he'd get anywhere though, so he could set one man to deliver covering fire whilst the other two ran. then, he cou-

"This is the Logistics Cover Group! We're under assault! They know the truck is here! We can't hold them for too long, perhaps around five minutes before they blow it all!"

Kureitan tensed his muscles - No time to plan anything in-depth or spend any precious time thinking over anything.

"RENJI! COVER ME! RENTAROU! COME WITH ME!"

Renji immediately chucked a grenade over the top of the wall. The moment it burst, he brought his head and rifle over and began sending rounds down towards the general direction of the enemy. Rentarou and Kureitan simultaneously made a dash for a small ditch where they could set up another position of covering fire, before running for the truck.

There were at least five defenders.

Kureitan patted himself down - He was out of bombs. A slap on the back instead made its way to Rentarou, as well as some words of encouragement.

"You've got this. Go out there and give 'em hell!"

Kureitan then brought his weapon over the ditch and began opening fire. Rentarou preemptively pulled out his grenade and sprinted with all his strength towards the Logistics truck.

He pulled the pin and lobbed it.

It fell short.

Rentarou attempted to grab a second grenade before being put to sleep by concentrated rifle fire, and at the sight of the man falling, Kureitan's heart sank to the floor.

"Shit, shit... Shit! You want something done right, you do it yourself, I know this...! Damnit!"

"Then do it yourself!" Kureitan looked to his left where he found Renji, right next to him. Renji nodded at his commander, before suggesting that Kureitan grab the grenade from Rentarou to chuck at the truck whilst Renji draws their fire through covering fire and then a charge.

"...It's the best thing we have. It's the best bet. Alright, let's do it. On the count of three..."

Kureitan took a deep breath.

"One... Two... Three!"

Renji popped over the ditch and clenched the trigger with all his fury, screaming to prove his emotions. Kureitan on the other hand, ditched his rifle for Renji to use instead of reloading, and sprinted with as little gear on as possible for the body of his fallen comrade.

For a second Renji's covering fire stopped, but it was only for a second, as the rattling opened up again quickly. Kureitan's idea had worked.

He grabbed the grenade and pulled the pin.

He swung his arm back.

Renji's firing stopped. He'd probably been shot. Kureitan didn't care though.

He flung his arm forwards and lobbed the grenade, which soared through the air in a beautifully perfect arc, directly towards the Truck.

But as Kureitan tracked the projectile's motion, he suddenly felt his entire body assaulted by an array of stabbing and ripping sensations. His knees gave in, and his arms went numb. He dropped to the ground, but forced his eyes open with all his might.

The last thing he saw before they closed, was a warm vivid explosion, a puff of smoke, and a white flag flapping in the breeze.

"Jesus, Mary, Joseph…"

Darkness.

---

"Uuuuuuaaaaahhh." As his senses gradually came back to him, Kureitan groaned a long-winded one. The sense of touch was the first sense to return to him, to which he took notice of the surface he was laying on. No longer was he on the rough, dusty ground of the battlefield. Rather, he felt a smooth, soft texture, similar to that of a bed. He was lying on his back too, as opposed to his belly flopping position caused by, quite literally, getting shot in the back. The next sense to reactivate was his hearing, his ears picking up all kinds of stimuli in the environment around him. Sounds of people talking, walking, rolling in their beds, he could now hear it all. But in the midst of it all, he could hear someone calling out to him.

"Well, well, well. Welcome back to planet Earth, Kureitan." A playful voice indeed, though it's definitely not high pitched enough to be from a woman. Yeah, Kureitan can kind of guess who is talking.

"Alex… that's you, right?" The commander of Soudainakyoukoku asked, slurring his words a little as he started opening his eyes and temporarily giving himself a flashbang. His vision recovered quickly from the shock though, and he could see Alex sitting on his bedside, still donning Inu no Akuma's combat gear with MARPAT camo coated all over.

"Duh." Alex rolled his eyes like it was a matter of fact. It seemed he didn't get shot, or else he wouldn't be here to begin with, unless he was secretly superhuman.

"You look too pristine to be out there in the field, Alex." Kureitan quickly took a jab at him.

"Sure, as if I wanted to be in the first place. Would be nice if I got some backshots on me also but… you beat me to the punch in that."

"Oh… Fuck that!" Kureitan rose up from his bed a little to get closer and swear at the Marines' commander, but his back all of a sudden flared up. "Ow! Shit!"

Alex exhaled through his nose with great humor upon the act, his lips smirking up a little. "Yeah, maybe it was for the better I didn't get backshots in the first place."

"Yeah." Kureitan lied back down again, his eyes now looking at the ceiling of the medical tent. "So… how did the match go, Alex?"

"Hm?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't there when the red flare was fired, you know. Too busy being 'dead' on the ground then."

"Ah, right. Didn't know that." Alex then clicked his lips. "Shit, that's another thing you beat me to."

"I'm guessing?"

Alex sniffs through the nose. "Well… Congrats man, you got us. Soudainakyoukoku won!"

Kureitan sighed with relief upon hearing the news. "Phew, at least my screwed up back wasn't for naught."

"It wasn't, man!" Alex pushed Kureitan. "That was bold of you to be attacking from the sewers! I never thought you would be going through that!"

"Well, it's not like it took much part in most of my contingencies anyway! It wasn't until the town was practically removed from the face of the earth that us Army guys had to resort to that. Again, it was no adaptation or whatever you Marines like to do, it was also planned."

"Like it was anything but that, Kureitan! Of course you had to plan that sewer incursion too!"

"You know me too well already, Alex. Or well, the Hasemoto style for that matter."

"Yeah…" Alex took a pause as one of his men notified him to return to his side of the med bay.

"Captain."

"Yeah?"

"I understand you are having… personal matters currently, but our side of the med bay finally has men coming out of recovery. Perhaps if you don't mind-"

"I understand. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Thank you, captain."

The guy got out of sight after the fact, leaving the two commanders alone again.

"So, Inu no Akuma is sailing tonight?"

"As always. We do it like the Sensha-do League's schools, you know."

"Right, you and the carrier you had ever since that one uprising over crayons or-"

"OH FOR GOODNESS' SAKE, KUREITAN, FOR THE FIFTEENTH TIME! IT WASN'T OVER CRAYONS!"

"Right, right, not over crayons… whatever dumb reason that was. Anyway, you and by extension Inu no Akuma gave me one hell of a good time today! As expected, you gave me a pretty fucking hard time, and I loved every second of it!"

"And so did you too with your insane predictions! Seriously, it felt like I was playing into your cards all the fucking time!"

"But at the end of the day, I won, you cunt!"

"Yeah, you won indeed, at least for this year. Maybe not the next one though."

"That's right, keep telling yourself that. Yup, that will definitely get you Marines to beat us Army guys. Not like we fucked you over for 3 years in the row already!"

Alex could only chuckle bitterly as Kureitan started to get on his high horse again. "You're such a piece of shit at times, Kureitan."

"And you can do jackshit about shit!" Kureitan dropped a shit-eating grin. And he was right, Alex couldn't do much about it.

"Well, have fun winning this year, I guess. Hope you meet opponents worthy of your attention like I am, Kureitan!"

"It better be so, dammit!"

And in no time, Alex got out of the tent to go do some of his school's post match businesses, as Soudainakyoukoku's captain was still high of the joy he had for today. That was one menace down for him, after all. However, his mood immediately crashed the moment he realized the opponent for the next match. His face became disgusted as he thought about the semi-finals against Krasnaya Zvezda of all schools.

"Guess the next opponent I had will be a complete pushover." Kureitan spoke to himself as he gave more thought about them. Honestly, to say they had a fall from grace would be flattery still. Sure they were definitely a good rival to Soudainakyoukoku in the early years of Hohei-do, but they soon fell off. They fell off so hard, Soudainakyoukoku literally removed them from the near peer list years ago. Especially since last year too, with the Russian school being eliminated right from the get go in the rounds of 16. It was against Kościuszko - the black horse of Hohei-do, sure, but it didn't make it any less embarrassing for the Russkies.

"Can't wait for it to be an absolute snoozefest." He rolled his eyes as he stared a thousand yards into the tent's ceiling, muttering to himself. "I guess Hohei-do is still a sack of shit of a commitment like I thought ever since I got to be Captain."

And as if to add to his annoyance, another menace got into his field of vision. In particular, it was a blonde girl who had her head on a swivel, seemingly looking for someone in this medical tent. By the moment she laid her gaze on him, he knew who it was, and he knew it was over for him.

"There's my 11 Alpha!" Kei shouted loudly, before she made a beeline straight to where Kureitan was resting at. She then immediately pulled him up and hugged him really tight, so tight his back started flaring up again. To describe it as excruciating would not be doing him any justice.

"Shit! Stop that!" He swore, but Kei ignored him and kept on holding his torso tightly, like if she saw a loved one of her coming back alive. "It would be nicer if she actually stopped." He thought to himself, his face showing how much pain he was in. And given how expressive he was, Kei eventually had to take notice.

"What? Do you need personal space?" Kei tilted her head.

"No! I mean, yes! I mean…" Kureitan grunted from Kei's hand touching all over the sensitive spots. "Just get the fuck off me!"

"Woah woah, alright Kureitan, calm down! I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable!"

"I wasn't just feeling uncomfortable, you numbnut! That fucking hurt!" Kureitan angrily shouted. "Don't make the backshots any worse than it fucking is, please Kei!"

"Okay okay, sorry!" Kei took a step back, showing hesitance in making such close contact with Kureitan again, though not because he minded it. "I didn't know it hurts that bad."

"It definitely hurts that bad, Kei! Believe me, eating some of that lead will make you feel compelled to flop to the ground." Kureitan raised both of his eyebrows up along with his voice.

"Yeah…" Kei trailed off, looking away from the person she wanted to see. She seemed a little downcast, which made Kureitan regretted for being so mean earlier. As such, once he lied back down again, he lowered his voice.

"Okay, okay… Don't make it personal, alright Kei? I didn't mean to."

"I know. It wouldn't be you not to cuss around anyway."

"But still…" An invisible barrier managed to find its way between them, blocking the two from further communications. But thanks to Kei, it wasn't up for much long.

"Congratulations on winning, by the way."

"Oh right… Yeah, Alex already told me about it."

Kei looked at the entrance upon the mention of a name. "Don't you mean that guy who just left?"

"Probably."

"Makes sense, he looks rather American compared to the average person here."

"Says the Nisei."

"Whatever," Kei retorted, rolling her eyes. "So, with that out of the way…"

It was here that Kureitan's high spirits from the match that just happened all but disappeared, his tone shifted from joy to bitterness. "It's the Russkies next and…" He sighs. "Man, it would probably be a complete roll, I think."

"Why? Are the Russians in Hohei-do not up to par?"

"Worse, they fucking fell off. They were our rivals in the earlier years of Hohei-do, but since then… They were, and I guess are, a disappointment."

"Hey hey, don't just be so confident. We also thought the same with Ooarai, and look at how Saunders turned out."

"Well then, Soudainakyoukoku ain't that. We fucking dominated Hohei-do, unlike you who still keep on being fucked over by commies and krauts."

"Even still…" Kei shook her head in disapproval, feeling a bit insulted. He was still right though, but the delivery left much to be desired. "You shouldn't underestimate your opponent, Kureitan."

"I'm not underestimating them Kei, I'm stating the fucking obvious. They just suck arse now." Kureitan got aggressive with his manner again and accidentally pushed himself up. His pain receptor definitely reminded him of that though. "Fuck!" He soon lied back down, and honestly, it should be about time he winded himself down. The match was all said and done anymore, and it would be quite some time until the next one. This was not even considering how easy it would be in Kureitan's eyes to send Krasnaya Zvezda back to Aomori empty handed. As such, he looked at Kei directly for longer than needed, thinking of something else to do other than the usual stuff he does all the time. In the end, he managed to settle on a suggestion.

"Do you wanna get ice cream later, Kei? This pain ain't gonna go anywhere anytime soon if I keep staying on the bed like a disabled person."

Like she had all but waited for that to happen, Kei's lips curved upward, her eyes sparkled with life as she turned to Kureitan again after absent-mindedly looking around. "Sure, why not!" She put her fist forward, to which the captain on bed replied with the expected response of a fist bump and a shit eating grin of his own.

"Why fucking not indeed, Nisei girl."

"Come on, now, you can stop calling me that." Kei was starting to get sick of the guy, to which the boy kept up that stupidly punchable expression of his.

"Unfortunately, as a best friend of yours I have the right to say whatever I want!" Kureitan responded with jest. By that point, Kei knew it was best to stop getting so worked up. So, with a sigh and a smirk, she muttered to himself as she took steps away from the guy.

"Kids never change, do they…"

"I heard that!"