Chapter 11: The Final Act of Love

"Alright, that's a good game to end on." Fernanda's exhausting groan blasted on three headphones. On the screen, her and Heidi's username stood at first and third from the top respectively, next to their tank name, the T110E4 and the E-50M. Fernanda almost broke her back getting there, but Heidi pulled her own weight despite running an absurd ramming build and zooming around the whole game.

"Yeah, I have more Senshado practice tomorrow." In contrast, Heidi said casually.

"On Saturday? That's brutal, but I believe in ya!" A sympathetic affirmation from Masala. "See you later Heidi, good luck!"

"T-Take care." Heidi left the call befuddled, still a bit unused to the friendly vibe.

"Farewell Ferny. Enjoy the festival."

"You know I will come crawling to you afterwards, right." Fernanda joked. Masala rolled her eyes. She knew her best friend too well.

Fernanda left the voice call shortly after, but Aurelie stayed.

"So, just the two of us now, huh?" Masala said.

"Seems like it." Aurelie replied.

They readied up their tanks and joined the queue again.

"…that day." Aurelie broke the silence. "I've never said thank you. Thank you."

"That day?" It took Masala a few seconds. "Oh, the festival?"

"Mhm."

"No need. But thank you too."

"For what?" Aurelie piqued her eyebrows.

"For trusting me. I imagine it was difficult for you to open up."

Aurelie sighed, the sound not making it over the voice call. "It was…"

No further explanation was necessary.

"I hope you've found some measure of peace in me. If so, I'm happy."

Aurelie let out a sniffle. "Can I…in the future…"

"Of course." Masala knew what Aurelie was struggling to say. "In fact, it's not just an open invitation. Come to me if you wanna vent. Don't worry about bothering me, I'll make time."

"Thank you. I'll make sure to repay your kindness."

"Don't feel like you need to." Masala said warmly. "I do it because I want to see you smile and laugh, not for rewards."

Her words would prove prescient.

"I hope you think the same way too. When I'm down, you'll be there to bring a smile back to my face. And if not either of us, then it's Fernanda or Heidi. That's what friends are for, right?"

"…You're right."

Aurelie muttered. Before her held the picture frame of her, Masala, Fernanda and Heidi. Taken with the breathtaking Mt. Fuji behind them, this was their last trip together. Within a few months, Masala would be dead.

"That's what friends are for…"

The mountain was the attraction, but the spotlight belonged to Masala. She stood in the middle of the four with a bright grin, her arms hugging and pulling the other three close together. She was the glue their friendship was built on. With her gone, someone had to prevent them from drifting away.

That night, Aurelie cried until her eyes were dry. The next morning, she was back to being the confident charismatic captain of Japan's most prestigious Senshado team.

Friday is always the lazy day in the eternal grind, and this job was no different.

Fernanda had her class in the morning, while Heidi would have just returned from St. Gloriana. Since she didn't show up, Ricky figured she was taking her deserved rest. The day was just him in the hangar, reorganizing the data he filtered the day before, and reading the research papers Fernanda collected.

When lunchtime came, he packed up and left for the cafeteria. The other cook at the cafeteria today had already predicted his order.

Ricky saw Aurelie sitting at a table alone, so he came over.

"Good afternoon." He smiled. "Mind if I join?"

"No, please. Accompany me." Aurelie said flirtatiously. "How are you doing?"

"Friday mode, I suppose." Ricky shrugged.

"Any plans for the weekends?"

"Not really, no. How about you?"

"Not much this weekend, but I'm taking Alice to Bokoland next Saturday."

"Is that the amusement park on the other side of the city?"

"Yeah, it's a little far, but Alice really wanted to go and I promised her."

Ricky's eyebrows piqued. "If you want I can take you both there. I have a car."

"Aww, thank you." Aurelie beamed. "That'd be great, but I'd need to check with Mrs Shimada if that's ok."

"No problem." He gave a thumbs up. The conversation moved on, and soon enough, it was time for Safety Team's work.

The weekend came and went. Monday arrived and it was time for a progress check.

"On Thursday, I was able to filter this data set using Fernanda's criteria. On Friday, I did a little housekeeping on that data, and we have this." He rotated the monitor around. The 30 million data points had been reduced to slightly above 7 thousand, and they were split into 62 groups.

"After grouping them by time proximity, sensor 15 detected shots at least 62 times." Ricky read. "I don't know if that's a lot or not."

"Depends on the tank guns. Lighter tanks fire fast but cannot scratch the mantlet, so 62 hits would have been normal." Fernanda said. "However, this is Kuromorimine. They only use heavy guns."

"There was a lone Panzer III in our lineup that day, but it was eliminated early on by St. Gloriana's scouts. I don't think it would have contributed." Heidi said. "So we can assume all shots came from 75mm cannons minimum. For me, I remember shooting her tank three times, twice on the mantlet's left and once on the right side of the turret."

"What tank were you in?" Ricky asked.

"Jagdtiger." She responded. "So 128mm caliber cannon."

"There should be at least two 128mm shell impacts registered then." Fernanda followed up. The three glued their eyes on the computer screen.

The computer wasn't smart enough to list out which shell was from which tank like a World of Tanks game. It also wasn't as simple as the biggest numbers equals the biggest gun caliber. Things like distance to the vehicle, the angle of impact, and shell types also affected the numbers and needed to be accounted for. But they could discern which number group was one of Heidi's shells: the last one.

Filtered through Ricky's algorithm, the numbers in group 62 started at the minimum threshold given by Fernanda, shot up rapidly, passed the value needed to disable the Churchill, continued to rise, stopped at a certain value and repeated fifteen times, then ended. Those fifteen numbers weren't just the final values recorded in group 62, but for the entire 30-million-point dataset. The recorder ceased operation there.

This group was easy to interpret. This was the final shot that pierced the hull and killed Masala. The recorder stopped recording from impact forces tripping the circuit breaker, and the numbers repeating fifteen times was the maximum value the recorder could record, as anything beyond it was deemed impossible.

Even though they were just logs, it was unsettling to know what was happening when these numbers were recorded. They were a snapshot of the final minutes and seconds before disaster.

"Are we going to recreate the conditions for this?" Ricky said. "Do we have the materials?"

Heidi looked to Fernanda. The logistics girl replied with confidence. "We do. There's a lot of training Panthers to simulate the 75mm. We also have several Tigers, all models and variants."

"There are? I haven't seen them yet."

"You should see it soon then, because we'll be using them for the upcoming Olympiad."

"Remind me to give you a tour of our tank reserve someday." Heidi snapped her fingers. "As for the simulation, we need a Churchill VII as a test bed."

"We do have one in our reserve I believe, but let's not use it." Fernanda said. "If our hypothesis is correct and the armor fails, we'll be busted. I'll buy a mantlet and ship it in. We'll need the Finance Team to cover it up."

"That's a sound plan. Before anything though, we need to analyze the data more. We barely skimmed it." Ricky said.

"I'll do that then." Fernanda volunteered.

"Good." Ricky turned to Heidi. "Any luck on Thursday?"

"You should receive the documents via email already." She reported.

"Is that so, let me check then…" Ricky opened the mailbox. "It's here! Just an hour ago. Thanks Heidi. You're awesome!"

Heidi chuckled. "You want me to read through it?"

"That'll be great! I'll help you out." Ricky said. "As for me, I've also talked to Aurelie on Thursday and she agreed to help us with manpower. However, she won't be joining us, for 'personal reasons'."

"That's...a little surprising." Fernanda expressed.

"Right?" Ricky concurred, wondering the same thing. "She said to me she wasn't particularly bothered, so I thought it would be just as simple as asking."

"Oh," Heidi responded despondently. "She was lying."

All eyes turned on Heidi as she pondered. Fernanda was Aurelie's friend. She deserved to know. Ricky struck her as a thoughtful person. Hopefully he would understand.

"Masala wasn't the first person Aurelie lost in her life."

Aurelie, the La Petite Caporale, Maginot's greatest captain, All-Stars terror. She would trade all of that for a quiet life with her parents by her side. But it would forever be a 'what if' question.

Airi grew up with two parents of boundless love. Their story was a fairy tale. Her mother, Namiko, was a successful Anzio tanker. She met Airi's father, Yasunari, at a school festival. They dated, he proposed to her at the same festival years later, and got married. Airi was their greatest pride and joy.

Airi inherited Namiko's smile. Airi learned cooking from Namiko. Airi was taught how to read by Namiko. Airi's best friend was Namiko. Airi's greatest fan was Namiko. The first person to greet her home everyday was Namiko. For Airi, Namiko was her whole world, and she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps: study hard, get a good job, and send the money she made to Namiko as repayment. She never got that chance.

Namiko was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 38. By the time it was discovered, it had already spread too deep. Nothing could be done. Airi was only 14. Within a year, Namiko passed with her family by her side.

Airi did not cry during her mother's funeral. She already expected this day when she dropped out of the school year to spend the remaining time by her mother's side. She already went through the stages to arrive at accepting the life she would have without Namiko. But grief is odd. No one's griefs are identical. It often comes in waves, and not when Airi stood solemn at Namiko's wake, umbrella in hand, awaiting the tears.

No, it came when she went to clean Namiko's room and found old receipts from years ago. There would be no more receipts under her name.

It came when she went through the old text messages, the well wishes, the jokes they shared. That number would never be active again. Whatever came next would be messages into the void.

It came when she smelled the French vanilla Namiko loved. It would have one fewer fan. It came at random, when her wild train of thought on a completely beautiful day arrived at her mother, and the tears would flow.

Yasunari had, in a way, also died with Namiko in the hospital. He remained stoic and soldiered on for Airi, but the jovial smile he used to have was gone. He too had too much love with no places to go. Airi didn't blame him, but throughout the years, she was left to survive the shipwreck alone.

It was lonely. It was confusing. It was debilitating.

14 is a horrible age to lose a mother. No peers could understand. Some kids mocked her as a crybaby, who were swiftly dealt with by the school. Most others were compassionate, but walked eggshells around her. They understood grieving, they just didn't want to see it. Friends Airi thought was close to her slowly drifted apart. They moved on with their lives without her, and she was expected to catch up. In her saint-like compassion, Airi didn't blame them either, but her relationship with them she also had to mourn. From then on, she was careful in choosing who she let into her life.

Anzio High School, a school known for carefree joy and friendly smiles now stood as a reminder of her late mother, thus she went for Maginot – the other school that based their school ship in Shizuoka. And overtime, she learned to suppress her emotions and when she might break down, so she could avoid burdening others with seeing her miserable state.

"Geez. I never knew…" Fernanda muttered sadly.

Ricky didn't respond, instead sobbing quietly.

"And yet she always tried to support and keep our spirits up."

"She looks well put together, but she is still coping with the loss." Heidi crossed her arms. "She understands how lonely grief is better than any of us."

"How did you know this, Heidi?" Fernanda asked.

"I lived with her for a while." Heidi replied. "I was effectively kicked out of Kuromorimine after graduation. She let me stay at her house before both of us were given the scholarship."

It was a gesture Heidi could never thank enough. Her loyalty to Aurelie was rock solid from then on.

"She almost certainly believed that the sight of the broken Churchill would be a grief trigger, and I do not doubt that."

Silence descended. It was hard to find a proper response to this revelation. For Fernanda, she was stunned, while for Ricky, no expression would do.

"Regardless, we'll respect her decision." Ricky broke the silence. The two nodded. "If nothing else, let's get our hours in."

The day continued on as planned, but the mood was definitely dampened by the story.

At some point in the shift, Ricky felt a buzz on his thigh. A message from Aurelie:

A: Hey Ricky

A: Mrs. Shimada says it's ok, as long as I'm with her

A: So I'll see you this Saturday~

R: She has a lot of trust in you huh?

R: I'll see you then

Ricky looked up and around. Fernanda and Heidi were still immersed in their work. He suddenly had an idea.

"Guys?" He got their attention. "Are you both free this weekend?"

"Yeah. Why?" Fernanda replied.

"I plan to study, but what's up?" Heidi said.

"There is something I will need your help with."

The dawn of Saturday came, a day Alice had been longing for. It was reprieve. No tanks, no private tutoring, no Shimada heiress stuff. Just her and Boko today.

"Alice!"

There was Aurelie too, but she was nice. And she liked Boko.

"Good morning Alice! How are you doing today?" As Alice neared, Aurelie cast a long shadow over her, but her warm smile shined through. She was out of her uniform today in her teal sleeveless blouse and blue jeans.

"I-I'm ok." She replied.

"Are you still upset about Thursday?"

Alice shook her head. They had another spar that day. Aurelie was just as ruthless. She was also equally supportive, giving the young Shimada detailed debriefing on what she did well and what needed to do differently. It was hard to be upset.

"I was worried about being too hard on you." Aurelie said. "It's tough for one so young."

"Are you also an...heir, Miss Aurelie?" Alice asked.

Aurelie found the wording a little amusing. "Strictly speaking."

"Mhm." Alice hummed softly.

"Your mother is strict. She's adamant about learning from defeat." Aurelie patted Alice's shoulders. "But I believe I speak for everyone in the team that we understand your position. Just let any of us know if you're not feeling well."

Alice looked past Aurelie for a second.

"Can we...not discuss this today?" She requested.

"For sure." Aurelie agreed. Today was supposed to be fun. "If you're ready to go, let us."

Alice nodded, clutching her satchel strap.

"No no, this way." Aurelie pointed towards the parking lot. "Mr. Ricky will take us there today. Have you met him?"

"I have." Alice replied. "...He was inside my tank."

"He must've been inspecting it." Aurelie clarified. "He's a very nice person. If you need help with homework, come to him."

"Does he know Boko?" Alice asked.

"...I don't know." Aurelie thought. "I'm sure he'll like him. Come on."

They arrived at the parking lot a few minutes past eight. Only a few personal vehicles were present, so it wasn't hard to see Ricky's white Toyota. When they came closer, Aurelie was surprised to see her two colleagues and friends accompanying him, both in their casual outfits awaiting.

"Good morning!" Aurelie's eyes widened. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to join you!" Fernanda exclaimed like a kid on a school trip.

"I wasn't told." Aurelie looked over to Ricky for an answer.

"I told them about our trip and they asked if they could come. I don't want to say no…" He kept an innocent face. At this point he was fairly adept at these kinds of white lies.

"I see." Aurelie said. It was more surprising to see Heidi

This was unexpected, but Aurelie wasn't forbidding them from joining. To the contrary, she would love their company. They used to hang out like this in the past.

"Alice, are you ok with Miss Fernanda and Miss Heidi to join us today?" She turned to Alice.

Alice touched the tip of her chin. She wasn't strangers to these two. Miss Heidi strictly coached her extensively on Senshado and team rules, while Miss Fernanda was the nice and friendly role model Alice had to shadow for a few weeks before she was retrained on her personal Centurion. She owed both of them so much for helping her through the first few months.

Fernanda gave Alice a warm friendly smile. "I'm really excited for Boko's Grand Adventure! I'll buy you a ticket for it today!"

That brightened Alice immediately. "Really?!" She squealed. Fernanda nodded. "Thank you big sis Fernanda!"

"I will take that as a yes." Ricky concluded, seeing her happy smile.

"Alright, you two can come." Aurelie said. Fernanda audibly cheered.

"Alright, let's go!" Ricky said enthusiastically.

The car was filled in, with Aurelie at the front seat, while Alice, Fernanda, and Heidi sat at the back. Ricky double checked his vehicle and booted up the GPS.

"May I have the full address?" He asked, was given and inputted it into the computer. It quickly threw out a route, and he was on it.

The Saturday morning commute was a much calmer breeze than the days before. Roads were a little more crowded, but the sky was clear and the sun had yet to shine too bright. And he wasn't in a rush to get to his destination on time. A welcoming change, he turned on the CD player. The playlist consisted mostly of acoustic guitar jingles and piano solos.

"Isn't this from that popular rhythm game?" Aurelie asked, as the CD switched to a new song named Wings of Piano.

Alice perked up too. "…Yes it is." She answered.

"You two know the game?" Ricky turned up the volume a little for them.

"I don't play it, but I listen to the songs." Aurelie said.

"…I played it." Alice's response was hesitant. "…do you play it too, Mr. Ricky?"

"Call me Ricky or Riki, whichever you like. No need for formality." He smiled. "I did play it. Beautiful music, really sad story."

"I should get it then." Aurelie said.

"It's really good. I'll buy it for you Miss Aurelie." Alice offered.

"Thank you Alice!" Aurelie turned around beaming. "But you don't need to. I'll help myself."

"But I want to repay your teachings the past few months…"

"Haha, she looks up to you quite a bit." Ricky laughed.

"Miss Aurelie is really kindhearted. She teaches me everything, and says one day I will be just as good." Alice rained praise before Aurelie could respond.

"That's sweet." Ricky said.

"...It's true." Aurelie replied. "Mark my words, one day you'll surpass me. By then, I'll be there cheering for you."

"Mm!" Alice nodded with her fists in front of her chest. It was quite adorable, Ricky thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Heidi knocked on Fernanda's cheek several times, then pinched it.

"Stop drooling." She scolded once Fernanda woke up from her shoulders. "You're staining my shirt."

"Huh…" Pinched out of her dreamy trance, Fernanda met a face with unequal eyebrows, naturally projecting an aura of disappointment.

"You usually wake up at 6. What happened?" Heidi asked.

"I've always been a night owl. I'm a creature fueled entirely by sleepiness. You just never noticed." Fernanda shrugged.

"If I may suggest something that might help: a double espresso." Heidi said dryly. "A triple if you're adventurous."

"No, I don't want to become a coffee addict like you." Fernanda stretched herself. Heidi's 'Really?' look intensified to epic proportions. "Ricky's music is way too soothing."

"…what is espresso?" Alice asked. "Is it coffee?"

"Mhm." Heidi confirmed.

"C-Can I drink it?"

"If they sell it at Bokoland, yeah."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Fernanda quickly intervened. "Heidi, she's ten! What happened to being strict?"

"There's no rule against coffee consumption, right Aurelie?"

"...No, but I don't know if she should." Aurelie looked to the back seat. "Why do you want to try coffee?"

"That's what mom and everybody around her have." She replied. "Miss Heidi too…I'd like to have some but mom forbade me. She said it's adult's drinks."

"Ahaha, some things never change." Ricky laughed, remembering his mother saying something similar. "Let her have a sip or two."

"You too? Come on, man…" Fernanda protested.

"It's not cyanide. She's not gonna die!" Ricky responded. "Let her try it out, with moderation of course."

"You restrict something from a kid, they're gonna want it more." Heidi concurred. "She's old enough to decide if she likes it or not, right Alice?"

Alice nodded, Fernanda unsure if out of agreement or out of instinct. Regardless, big sis Fernanda seemed to be in the minority here.

In a few minutes, Bokoland was in sight. Alice would have risen from her seat if not for her seatbelt. Her excitement was palpable.

"This is it." Ricky turned the vehicle toward their destination, the GPS concurring with the visuals.

It was hard to miss. Bokoland stood at the convergent point for three road. A huge sign of the original Boko design – a brown bear with a blackened left eye, stitched up right ear, and bandage on his arms, left ear – waved them greetings. It was also dusty and some of the poles showed obvious rust.

"Did they close up shop?" Ricky's first thought was that, as they rolled past the gate.

"No, it's open." Aurelie replied. She was right, it was open. But there were virtually no visitors.

From the parking lot, his car was literally the only one there. By the time they arrived at the ticket booth, there was a family of three on their way out already.

They were cleared through after buying their tickets. The first attraction meeting them was the fountain of Boko, with a gray-scaled Boko standing triumphantly, albeit on a crutch, atop the fountain, with water sprinkling from the tip of his paws. It looked rather plain but thematic.

There were two directions they could take: left or right. Stretching the roads were crowds of nothingness. No visitors in sight. For a Saturday, this was rather depressing.

"According to this map, if we head right, we'll get to the rides and the amusement park stuffs. If left, we'll be at the shops and theaters." Aurelie said.

"What would you want Alice?" Fernanda asked.

The Senshado prodigy dashed her eyes between the four, indecisive at first.

"Can I go to the rides first? Then we can have lunch before the movie." She then said.

"Sounds like a plan." The three agreed, Alice followed along.

Alice dictated the show, and her first attraction for her four upperclassmen were the ghost train ride: 'Beated-up Mansion'. A pun, but it was also very literal, as the riders in the cart took the perspective of Boko as he traversed through a haunted mansion, often running into other menacing stuffed animals, who'd beat him up. Rinse repeat.

"You can do it Boko!"

"Don't give up, stand and fight!"

The level of enthusiasm for Boko was sorted perfectly. In the top row, in front of the miniature Boko, Alice was ceaselessly cheering on her favorite bear. Second row was Aurelie, whose encouragement were frequent and earnest. Third row were Fernanda and Ricky, just sitting back and enjoying the show. The last row was Heidi, who only had two postures: arms crossed or cheeks resting on palms.

"I gotta say, I don't know if it's incredible willpower or incredible delusion," Ricky whispered to Fernanda, with Heidi leaning forward to listen, "That this guy literally has two broken limbs and is still trying to fight."

"Half of these fights are also caused by him, I noticed." Heidi commented.

"The line between both is pretty thin…" Fernanda watched as Boko broke free from the grasp of the bullies, but then tripped over something, fell over, and got stomped on again. The cart shook a few times to simulate the effect.

Boko was advertised as a strong-willed bear who never gives up. A good message in theory, but this arrogant and stubborn behavior really undermined that. In a way, Boko was like Jerry Mouse, a character to root for when you were kids, but by adulthood you realize they weren't that good.

"I didn't know she was into Boko though." Fernanda smiled.

"Me neither." Heidi looked ahead with a smile. "At least they're having fun."

Aurelie for a second looked like a little cub bewitched by all the spectacles around her. Birds of a feather flock together. The two captains, one current and one soon to be, shared more in common about Boko than Ricky, Fernanda and Heidi thought.

"No, Alice, let's choose Boko-the-Kid. He has a cool gun!"

"But I like Bokonichov! He has a bear-like attack!"

"Guys," Standing on the opposite end's arcade machine, like a lame duck, Ricky tilted his head to look at both, "just pick one. They look the same."

"No, they're not!" They scoffed in unison. Ricky shrunk away from the outburst.

"Boko-the-Kid is an American 'cowbear'! He has a hat and always misses his shots!" Aurelie aggressively corrected him.

"Bokonichov lives in the coldest region of Siberia! His skin is white, and he knows ballet!" Alice joined in.

"That's a lot of lore for a Doraemon rip-off." Fernanda whispered. Heidi rolled her eyes, looking on Ricky with amusement, as he found himself pummeled by Boko facts in a rather Boko-like fashion.

The amusement park trip continued with roller coasters, rides, museums, etc. Alice got to try out espresso as promised and hated it, so Heidi gladly finished it. Fernanda proved to be an absolute killjoy spoiling magic tricks. Ricky was discovered to be fond of dad jokes, of all things, after he exchanged some with a bored employee in a Boko cosplay. Alice remarked that he reminded her of her middle-aged father, which made him die a little inside.

"Boko's Grand Adventure is…an hour from now."

They had just finished their lunch, but most of the attraction had been visited.

"Do we want to go to the Ferris wheel before the movie? I don't know if we have time." Heidi looked at the map.

"We can but it'll be a little rushed…" Aurelie turned to Alice. "Do you want to go?"

"Mm…"

"You can say no if you don't like."

Alice thought for a moment. "I don't want to miss the movie. W-We can go after."

"No problem!" Aurelie and the group happily accepted. "You can check out the souvenirs in the meantime."

"Do you want to come, Miss Aurelie?"

"I'm good. I don't think I'll buy anything."

"Same for us." The three said.

"Let's meet here at 12:45 PM, and we'll go to the theatre together. Is that good for you?" Aurelie said.

Alice nodded, and headed off, leaving the four conveniently alone. This was the perfect opportunity.

"Aurelie." Ricky began. "I'm sure you wondered why Fernanda and Heidi wanted to go with us today."

"We hoped to have a get-together like this." Fernanda said. "We're told…"

"You've been through a lot." Ricky said.

Aurelie's eyes widened, looking at Heidi. Heidi returned a tight-lipped smile.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I can't bear to see you like this anymore."

Aurelie looked conflicted, but then Fernanda reached over the table and showed her the old text messages, the conversations they had over the months after the accident. Many of which were Aurelie asking if Fernanda was doing alright, a simple 'How are you feeling?' or 'Thinking about you', or an offer to help in some ways. And this was just text messages. Aurelie had checked in on Fernanda personally too, flying provinces away to keep her company.

"You've helped me so much. My grief is much more bearable because of you." Fernanda's tender voice touched Aurelie's heart. "Let us help you through yours."

"You gave me a place to stay and someone to talk to." Heidi joined in, her voice also significantly softened. "But you don't have to play the heroine. We are friends. We take care of each other."

"Only if you're okay with it, of course." Ricky acknowledged. They did entrap her here without her consent. She had an out if she wanted to.

But instead, the barrier was lowered.

"I'm fine with it. Thank you everyone." Her gaze now softened.

"Right. Let's be clear, we'll be open forum here. Nothing is off-limit, don't be afraid to share our stories, but don't make this all about yourself either." Fernanda looked at Heidi and Ricky, trusting both of them to have tact. "Any objections?"

"Mm-mm." Aurelie hummed, shaking her head. Ricky shrugged, no objections.

"No." Heidi sealed the rule. "Do we want to drop our Senshado names? I figure, since this is personal."

"Good idea." Tohru agreed. "So, Airi, Hatsu, Tohru, and Riki."

The four nodded.

"Right. I guess I should start." Hatsu took a deep breath. She never instigated these kind of conversations; it felt a little weird. "Your mother, Airi. I don't know much about her, aside from her name, Namiko. What's...maybe...your favorite memory about her?"

"Hmm." Airi thought. "I'd say when I was ten. She showed me how to cook. We made tomato omelette together."

"Tomato omelette!" Tohru perked up. "That's good comfort right there!"

"I know." Airi concurred. "I regularly have that for dinner after school, even now. It's so good."

"Nothing beats a mother's cooking." Hatsu said.

"Is that what you cooked for me last week?" Riki asked.

"Yeah, it's basically unchanged from what she taught me." Airi responded.

"Oh man, two generations of culinary brilliance." Tohru exclaimed. "Which school did she go to?"

"She went to Anzio. In case you ask, yes she did Senshado. She commanded the Semovente M43 105/25, back when the school still had those." Airi said. "In case you are wondering, Riki, it's a tank destroyer with a 105mm gun. Big gun. On a boxy hull."

Riki nodded, not really getting it but chugging along anyway. Airi continued. "She was an excellent shot back in the days. At a distance of over 700 meters, she only missed ten-something shots in her career."

"That's impressive." Said the sniper of giant guns, from the Kuromorimine Jagdtiger to the All-Stars T30E1. "I've heard the players from the late 1980s, early 1990s were all good shots. Shiho, Chiyo, now Namiko too."

"Schools back then had more powerful tanks, I think." Tohru theorized. She heard of a downsizing period in Blue Division's history a few years before she joined, but she wasn't sure what caused it.

"I don't know about that. What I know is that I did not inherit that trait from her. I'm a terrible sniper." Airi laughed deprecatingly. "People always say I'm so like my mother in everything but her Senshado skills. Granted, that was before my second year."

"Tch, it's these fools," Hatsu scoffed with crossed arms. "Always yapping about family lineage."

Both Airi and Tohru giggled. "A little side-track, Hatsu." Airi said. "Were you able to find anything about your family name?"

"No…" She sighed sadly. "It seemed to be just a random name given so I have one. At this point, I've already moved on. I grew up without a family, my world has been created without them in it. It doesn't matter if they decide to show up."

"That's tough…" Riki offered consolation. Hatsu shrugged. To her, it is what it is.

"Seems like we all grew up without at least one parent. My father left us for another woman." Tohru said, almost forgetting Riki. "Sorry, I mean three of us."

"Don't worry, I can relate..." Riki looked nowhere in particular.

"But in the end, you surpassed your mother, in your own unique way." Tohru steered the conversation back. "She would have been so proud of you."

"I am proud of you too." Hatsu smiled, with Riki and Tohru smiling and nodding in affirmation.

Airi's tears welled up. She almost burst out crying. It had been so long since she heard that. Even longer since anyone ever talked about her mother's life. The image of her pale body on the hospital bed in her final moments had fragmented Airi's memories. It was all she could think of. It made her forget who Namiko was – how much she was addicted to French Vanilla, that she was quite a stargazer in her adult years, what acts of random kindness she would do for her neighbors, from cleaning their front yard to buying groceries for them, how her and Yasunari would spend their Sundays. Namiko was beautiful – a story worth telling over and over again – and now her friends got to know too.

The river continued to flow. There were twists, there were turns, away from the topic, then back to it. Airi wasn't conscious of it but she was flowing with it under the serene gazes of the autumn trees. Neither did the others. When emotions flowed so freely, they weren't resisting. The conversation gradually evolved to be more than just Namiko.

"This might actually be the most emotions I've seen Hatsu outside of anger or perpetual seriousness." Riki noted.

"Is that a compliment, or?" Hatsu briefly reverted back to the Heidi he always knew.

"It is, it is." Riki assured her. "I've been scared of you before, but now, I think it's kinda cute…"

Hatsu stared in amusement, while Tohru and Airi giggled loudly. He was adorable when he tried.

"You haven't seen Hatsu play games yet." Airi jested. "She's a giant goofball."

"That's an understatement!" Tohru declared. "I don't know if you play our games, Riki, but Hatsu's a massive memer. You have to see the stuff she does. It's genuinely sacreligious."

"That's the fun of it." Hatsu glanced at Tohru dryly. "Imagine losing to a double barrack Conscripts rush as a Cryo Turret pusher. Who would ever do that?"

"Yeah yeah, who would ever…" The 'I'm not mad' tone Tohru made wasn't going to hide it.

"We should play games together again. Hook Riki in and we'll have a grand old time." Airi suggested.

"I'd be careful getting him to play strategy games, but otherwise I agree." Tohru said. "Someone else would have to host. Riyo always hosted for us back then."

"Is Riyo...Masala?" Riki asked hesitantly.

"Mhm." The three nodded. "Riyo…"

Everyone mourned this loss, but Tohru grieved the most.

"Riyo Satake is her full name, Riki. I want you to know it." Tohru declared.

"It's a strong name. A beautiful name too." Riki's voice softened.

"Indeed." Tohru nodded. "Riyo was strong. She grew up poor. She had to skip meals on some days. But she kept moving forward with a smile on her face everyday. It's more of a nuisance to her than anything."

"One of my fond memories with Riyo was when I spilled the salad I made on the table, and Riyo ate them like nothing happened." Airi reminisced. "Hearing what you said explains a lot."

"I think it is also kindness." Hatsu stated. "A mistake shouldn't discredit your wholehearted effort."

"I know Tohru and Riyo are childhood friends. How did you come to meet her, Hatsu?" Airi asked.

"I gave her some advice after our battle, and she invited me to tea." Hatsu replied. "I didn't think it would go anywhere, but here I am."

"Oh yeah, you were such a sight!" Tohru remembered. "Riyo brought together the strangest of types. And she keeps them too, like a natural leader! She'd host parties, tea parties, camping trips, gaming sessions, or anything that we mutually like. We always feel welcomed."

Both Hatsu and Tohru were the best examples of that. Airi too found a home in Riyo's found families.

"But then…just a damn shame." Tohru cursed, her fist tightened. Instincts got Airi holding onto her hand.

"Just from your anecdotes, it truly is." Riki lamented. "I remember reading the letter she sent to you. It's just so unfair..."

"Mhm." Tohru sighed in resignation. "Riyo and I were going to move in afterward, go to college, have a job, maybe even buy a house together."

Hatsu and Airi braced for what was coming. "When she died…the best way I can put it is that I died with her. The one that came before me." She said. "There was a Tohru Hatano before the accident. She died there, and I was born, same memory but aged 3."

"That's…I know exactly how you feel." Airi responded, following a subconscious cue. "I regularly pondered what would have happened if my mother lived on. I ended up creating a version of myself completely different from who I am today."

"One's happier, one's more scarred, I would assume." Tohru said.

"You can say that." Airi trailed off. "I was two school years late when I decided to rejoin society. The friends I had already moved on. I was left longing for companionship, and that's when Senshado suddenly became appealing. I wasn't a tank nerd or a history fan. I just wanted friends again…"

"I see." Hatsu rested her cheek on her hand. "In that world, if you decided to join, you would've been an Anzio tanker, not Maginot."

"Yeah, and I wouldn't have been so dedicated." Airi said. "I might not have met you both. I'd like to think fate would tie us together despite it all, but even just the thought of not befriending you two..."

"I get ya." Tohru acknowledged. "But back in this world we three found ourselves lost and confused in. Since you've experienced loss before, Airi, were there any differences this time around?"

"...No, not really." Her voice was fragile. "It hurt just as much. Maybe I expected it better, but could never get used to it. It still tore holes through me each time, but…" a long silence trailed "…I guess I don't want to get used to my loved ones dying."

A red maple leaf fell onto Tohru's hand. Her fingers curled inward, caressing it.

"They say grief is the final act of love." Tohru said, staring into and through the leaf. "If getting rid of my grief means not ever loving her, then I don't want to."

"We bought it, now we pay the price." Hatsu concurred.

Silence befell the group again. The park held its breath for them, but it wasn't awkward. The four found a small measure of comfort under the serene canopy of the maple trees.

"Do you think Riyo's out there?" Tohru asked, spinning the maple leaf at its root. "Do you think she's looking at us right now?"

"I'd like to believe," Airi looked up. "they're both out there somewhere, in a place no pain exists, all illnesses and injuries healed. They're happy, just missing and waiting for us one day to…"

She stopped herself. The three nodded in acknowledgment.

"I…don't." Hatsu felt a pang of guilt following up with this. But the group only looked at her with curiosity. No judgment.

"I believe she's gone. She's not in eternal bliss somewhere, but also not suffering. There's just nothing, like how we all were long before. But I take solace in the fact that inbetween the eternal nothingness, she was so much to all of us." She said. It was a more secular view to Airi's, but a belief nonetheless. Both Airi and Tohru could find beauty in it.

"That reminded me." Riki, mostly silent thus far, spoke up. "I apologize if I diverge from Riyo. I once had a physics teacher. He passed away last year."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Airi condoled.

"It's fine, I don't think it compares to you guys', and especially yours." Riki replied.

"It's not a competition, Riki. Every grief is valid." Hatsu said, every word she said prosaic.

"Understood." Riki nodded. "We bonded over a jigsaw puzzle in the teacher's room. Before then, I only knew him as a harsh grader and a stern teacher. But underneath it all, he's actually kinda awkward, and I mean it lovingly."

"Like you?" Tohru joked. Airi and Hatsu chuckled.

"I guess so." He laughed too. "I could see he was lonely, so I liked to keep him company during lunchtime." Riki smiled, looking at the eternal blues above. "In turn, he would share things with me, sometimes life advice, others hobby and family stories. His children are all grown up. One even died before him, which I wondered made him act so serious all the time."

"Aww…" The three murmured.

"To this day, I still sometimes think about what he had taught me. What would he do in this situation? What would he expect me to do?" Riki said. "In a way, he's still out there: in my heart. I'm sure the same can be said for Riyo in your hearts."

"...That's well-said." Hatsu complimented. "I never thought of how important Riyo is to me until now. I knew what friends truly are."

"I'm grateful having met Riyo. I found life to be worth living. I inherited her sunny ways." Tohru said.

Airi nodded. "I'm grateful too. I never thought I would discover my second family. Really, I cannot express how cathartic this conversation has been. I wish it never ends but," She checked the time on her phone. "Alice's movie will start soon."

"I don't think we should." Tohru said. "For today, yeah, but these conversations, we should have it more freely, more regularly. We don't have to be uncomfortable or embarrassed. Hell, I cried on this guy's shoulder about it before. It felt good!"

Riki's eyes snapped to Tohru, followed by a surprised and a suddenly giddy gaze. He knew no topics were off limits, but he did not expect she would just drop that out there.

"Did you now?" Airi teased.

"…Y-yeah. I just happened to be there, that's all." He tsundere-ed, his fingers scratching the table.

"Mhm mhm." She nodded up and down exaggeratedly. "But seriously, you're right, Tohru. Thank you both so so much for doing this today."

Tohru and Hatsu looked at each other then simultaneously at Riki.

"You should thank this guy." Hatsu gestured. "This conversation was his idea."

"N-No...well, yes, b-but it was mostly you three talking." Riki stammered. "I don't need the thanks."

"'Hearing her story breaks my heart. I hope this will help her find some peace.'" Tohru quoted, completely ignoring his protests. "Talking openly about it with others helped him deal with his own grief of his old teacher. That's why he wanted us to do the same."

Riki bashfully looked away. A hint of pink colored his cheeks. Airi's face softened, her eyes brimming with affection.

"Come here." She stood up and came around the table. She pulled him into her arms and embraced him tightly.

"Thank you Riki. You're a sweetheart."

Riki stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed into the embrace.

"Always, Airi. Always."

The hug wasn't as long as he felt. It was very rewarding to see not just Airi, but Tohru and even Hatsu smiling so earnestly.

"Welcome to the pod, Riki. You're one of us now."

His heart fluttered, it was so worth it.

Alice returned just before due, a bag in her hand. Her four companions were awaiting, cheerfully chatting in the distance.

Alice had only known her three upperclassmen in Senshado, and met Ricky only once. She was taught to always respect and obey adults like them, but never once she felt like she belonged. There was always a distance between her, a 10-year-old prodigy who wished nothing but to grow up and be free, and adults like her mom, who were always discussing boring subjects. But not today. It was strange, even though they were the adults Alice expected them to be, she felt comfortable around them. They were fun, they never harangued her about her Shimada heritage, they allowed her to enjoy the same things they do. They weren't the bullies that beat Boko every day, that was for certain.

She bought four stuffed Bokos today. They would be good additions to her collection.

The week after...

A text message arrived in the middle of his supervising shift for the engineering team. It took until the break to find out it was from Aurelie:

A: Hi Ricky. Hope Arwen and Ermelinda aren't giving you headaches

A: There's something I want to ask

Ricky texted back.

R: What is it?

A: I've been thinking if I should join you with your investigation.

A: Do you think I'd be of help? I'm not good with math like you guys are

R: Any helping hand is great. Don't worry about math, it's not important.

R: You're okay with seeing the tank though?

A: That's what I'm hoping

A: I'm not very stable when it comes to these sort of things

A: But at the same time, I don't want Riyo's death to be in vain

A: I just want to do something

A: Or feel like I'm doing something

He thought for a moment.

R: I'm not doubting you, but do you want to maybe visit our office first?

R: You can choose to back out if it's not what you want

A: Good idea

R: Let's meet at our office tomorrow at 7

A: 7 is good

A: See you

As planned, Aurelie was in the office the first thing in the morning.

"Aurelie?" Ricky peeked in from behind the door.

"Ricky, I'm here." She called.

"It doesn't seem like Mrs. Shimada is here today." He beckoned.

The two made their ways to the secret hangar. Just outside, Ricky locked his worried eyes with Aurelie's.

"Are you ready?" He spoke softly.

"Mmm, I'll need a breather." Aurelie grasped at her shirt. Her entire body tensed up.

Seeing this, Ricky reached over and held her hand. His tender touch soothed her heart.

"I'll be right next to you. You won't be alone." He gave her a warm smile for company.

"Thank you, Ricky." She gripped back tighter. "I'm ready now."

"Right." He scanned his access card and pushed the door in.

Inside the hangar, the broken Churchill sat despondently. It led generations of captains through fire until the accident, when it was the center of all the attention, the tears, the blood, and the drama. Then as the drama died down, it was left here. Alone. Still.

Its guns had ceased firing long ago, its ammunition stripped bare, its engine forever silenced. Its only companion were the computer, the whiteboard, and the pile documents detailing its death. The world had abandoned it, while it solemnly guarded the memories of its last owner.

For a moment, Aurelie gazed into its void. Ricky was close enough to her to feel her rushing breath. His hand was in lock with hers, hoping his warmth could dispel the cold reality before her. To his reassurance, she gradually loosened her grip, her body gesture relaxed.

"...That wasn't as bad as I thought." She sighed with relief.

"I'm glad to hear that." His smile was like sunshine. "So here we are."

"It's a lonely place."

"I know. But not as bad when others are here. I'll catch you up on what we're up to."

He explained again, from start to finish, what had transpired in the last few months.

"That's a risky undertaking." Aurelie remarked about the secret pact.

"Yeah, but the two said there's not much for them to lose. The Olympiad is their parting tournament, right?" Ricky replied.

"Yes, but there is always a chance for pro-league recruitment." She said. "But I'm talking about you. You have something to lose, don't you?"

From what she knew, Ricky came here because he was desperate for a job experience. Losing this internship could be a huge setback for his career.

"...I forgot about it." He chuckled softly, laced with hints of melancholy. "It started when I felt for Fernanda's grief, then Heidi's, and now yours. Before I knew it, it became more than fulfilling an assigned duty."

"What compelled you to go along?" She asked.

"I already gave you my reasoning." He replied.

Aurelie really liked that response. She expected something like he felt pressured or some deep-seated curiosity, but no. He really was a kind person.

"I see." She extended her hand. "In that case, I've made my decision. Please, let me join you."

Ricky accepted her handshake with both hands and brimming enthusiasm.

"Thank you Aurelie!" He exclaimed.

"No no, thank you Ricky." Aurelie shook with both her hands as well, now all their hands were joined and locked.

It wasn't just about Masala. Although Ricky never was and never would be under her command, he showed as much strength and courage as her comrades. As far as she was concerned, he was her brother-in-arms, and she would not leave him, nor Fernanda and Heidi, out there alone. Aurelie was captain. A true captain stands in front of her subordinates.

A/N:

This is it, the conclusion (for now) of Aurelie's story chapters. After several revisions, it's not as heavy as I thought it would, but your mileage would vary. I find it sentimental writing some scenes in this chapter, being someone who's been through the same process. While it seems like Aurelie has moved forward with the ending part for story purposes, I do acknowledge that in real life, grief resolution most likely will not be this easy. I may bring this back in future chapters but it's not something I have in mind yet.

Now that you're hopefully familiar with our key characters, the investigation shall now kick into high gears. Stay tuned to see how they will solve this mystery, why Chiyo wanted to restart the investigation, and Ricky's complete backstory. I once considered making him a girl before, unlike the previous iteration's protagonist, but I decided to keep him a guy for one reason that I will get into in these future chapters. I'd love to hear (or read) your thoughts on the fic so far, or anything. All comments are loved and appreciated.

Once again, thank you for your continued readership. Enjoy the new chapter, and stay tuned for more!