Prologue: Finding a New Sanctuary

Ayumu had just finished her first day at Ooarai Girls Academy. Despite only being there for a handful of hours, she already got the nickname "Osaka" from her peers and even the teachers. Such a strange school, she thought to herself. After all, back in Osaka, she never got to see any carriers... Let alone school ships that bring in the ocean's breeze no matter what month or day it is. Such a remarkable thing to smell the air of the sea as the fields bloom in the warm sunlight. She couldn't help but lift her hands to feel the wind blow past her and immediately, she recognized that she was somewhere different from just a moment ago. Kasuga looked all around to see that she's nowhere near the school nor the dorms and is in the middle of some meadow or something. She noticed something slightly submerged in the ground. It looked like a train that might've gotten lost. The Osakan grabbed a stick and proceeded to poke at it and momentarily waiting for it to react. The mechanical creature stood still.

"Hello?" She called out to the lifeless metal. She wandered around it until she spotted a cannon pointing out of the ground. "I wonder if this was one of those treasure tanks the pirates buried."

Kasuga put her books aside and began to dig out the dirt on top of the cannon until she spotted some words. "Toguh? Two?" She resumed her digging and before she knew it, an hour passed her by as dirt and mud began to stain her face and clothes. "Never head o' ya," she said as she grabbed the hatch and attempted to pull it open. No luck so far as the door won't budge. "Maybe you're one of them lost trains that never found your parents." She tries once again to pull that hatch open and she felt it move just a little bit. "Quit bein' so stubborn."

With one last pull, the hatch came open and Osaka's surprise caused her to fall backward and off the dirt mound. She landed on her back and began to gasp for air as the wind got knocked out of her. A few seconds of attempting to get her lungs back in order, Osaka began to feel the proper airflow once again. "Scary."

She climbed back up the the mound and saw the opened hatch. Even outside of the tank she could smell the massive amounts of dust and cobwebs from inside. "Smells just like grandpa's shed." She hopped in and began hacking and coughing from the excess dust she's kicked off. She took a moment to look around. There were seats, strange levers, and dials she didn't understand. A periscope sat in the commander's position, coated in grime. She reached out and ran a finger across one of the panels, leaving a clean streak behind.

A small smile crept onto her face. "This here's kinda nice," she said to herself. There was something cozy about it. Sure, it was old and musty, but it was quiet. Peaceful. Almost like a secret hideout, a place where no one would think to look for her. "Yeah... reckon I could make this my lil' clubhouse." She climbed into what she assumed was the commander's seat, crossing her legs and rocking slightly. The walls of the tank seemed to muffle the outside world, leaving only her and her thoughts. Osaka grinned. "Maybe I'll fix 'er up... give 'er a name..." She tapped a finger against her cheek, thinking. "Old... Bessie?"

No, that didn't feel right.

"Sir Toggington the Second," she tried, puffing out her chest like some noble commander.

For the whoever knows how long, Osaka just sat inside the tank, making herself at home. She imagined great battles, heroic last stands, and even a scene where the tank somehow became a submarine. She fiddled with the levers, half-hoping something might still work, but everything was rusted stiff. Still, it wasn't about that. It was about the feeling of discovering something hidden, something forgotten. And for now, this was hers. Her secret tank sanctuary. She didn't think much else after all that and rested her head on the dusty wall and proceeded to take a nap.

She stirred when she heard muffled voices from outside. Couldn't remember her dream aside from it being black. Her eyes fluttered open, still half-dreaming.

"...weird find, huh?" one voice said. "A Tog II, of all things? What's it even doing here?"

"Well, it was never used in combat," another voice added. "It was obsolete before it even rolled off the production line. Way too big, way too slow. If anything, it's more of a land battleship than a tank."

Osaka blinked groggily. What's all that racket? Still half-asleep, she instinctively reached for the hatch, gave it a shove, and—

CLANG!

The heavy metal hatch swung open violently. Sunlight poured in, momentarily blinding her.

Outside, a group of students jumped back with startled yelps.

"Eek!"

"AHH!"

Miho Nishizumi took an instinctive step back, eyes wide in shock. Nearby, Erwin from the Hippo Team had already half-raised her hands as if expecting enemy fire, while Caesar and Saemonza looked like they had seen a ghost.

Osaka, still drowsy, rubbed her eyes and peeked out. "Huh? What's all the fuss about?"

The group stared at her in stunned silence.

Miho was the first to recover. "...Kasuga-san?"

Osaka blinked a few times, processing what was happening. Then she gave a small, sleepy wave. "Howdy."

Erwin was the first to break the silence. "Wait—how long have you been in there!?"

Osaka yawned, stretching her arms. "Hmm... couple days, maybe?" She tapped her chin. "Or maybe just a few hours. Hard to tell in here."

Miho exchanged glances with the Hippo Team. "You've just been... living in this tank?"

"Yup." Osaka nodded sagely. "This here's my secret hideout. Sir Togginton the Second. Good place for nappin'."

Caesar muttered under her breath, "This has gotta be the weirdest thing I've seen all week..."

Saemonza, however, was looking at Osaka with newfound respect. "Hiding away in an ancient relic of war... How poetic! It's like you're a lone commander awaiting the return of battle!"

Osaka tilted her head. "Ehh... I just thought it was cozy."

Miho sighed, realizing this situation was going to take some untangling. "Kasuga-san... you do realize this is technically a school tank now, right?"

Osaka's eyes widened slightly. "Huh. That so?" She scratched her cheek. "Reckon that means I gotta share 'im now."

"More importantly," Erwin interrupted, still in disbelief, "how did you even find it?"

Osaka shrugged. "Ah... found it."

Not much of an argument could be made, this was Osaka they're talking about. A girl who kept either falling asleep or daydreaming throughout class today after getting introduced.

Miho sighed again but smiled. "Well, since you found it, maybe we can get it working again." She turned to the Hippo Team. "What do you think? Can we restore it?"

Caesar adjusted her glasses, looking over the rusted hull. "It's gonna take a lot of work, but it is an interesting piece of history. And seeing as it somehow became Kasuga's tank, we kind of have to try now."

Osaka beamed. "Guess that means ol' Togginton's got a second chance."

Erwin smirked. "Then let's get to work."