Turtles

Learning Experiences

Immediately after the haulers dragged the knocked-out 38t back to the hangar had seemed like a golden opportunity to broach the subject. Or, at least, as close to a golden opportunity as there was ever going to be. After all, Miho had just spectacularly given a glimpse of what she was capable of, and the Council had seen it firsthand. Surely she, at least, had earned a little respect from them?

Still, Koume very deliberately did not wait until Miho had returned to the hangar to request that the two of them be given their own offices, befitting the Captain and Vice-Captain of a Senshado program. This was bound to provoke yet another squabble with the Council, after all, and she knew that Miho would much rather keep dragging all her ever accumulating paperwork and other paraphernalia to and from her apartment than instigate a fight.

Koume had prepared her arguments, while sitting in the 38t waiting for the haulers to pick them up. This had nothing to do with some sense of self-importance or pomposity. The offices of a team Captain and Vice-Captain were the headquarters of the whole program. They were the place where copies of paperwork, practice and match film, and other such things were kept. They were the first place any official visitor would look for. Many of the things that were currently addressed to the Council themselves could be removed from their plates if Koume and Miho had their own offices. Every Senshado program had offices for its Captain and Vice-Captain, and for good reason.

She knew she'd need every one of those reasons and more to convince these three to voluntarily give them anything. Koume braced herself for a tough fight as she followed the Council out of the 38t.

***

"Sure. Fine by me."

Koume blinked in surprise. So, for that matter, did Kawashima and Koyama. She hadn't needed to do anything more than state what she wanted. No argument required.

"Really? I mean... you don't need to be persuaded?"

"Why would I? It's a good idea. The Captain and Vice-Captain should have their own offices. The three of us will look at the available spaces on campus and pick the one that's the most suitable over the weekend, and we'll give you the keys on Monday. I assume you'll want business cards and all Senshado-relevant communications rerouted to your new spots?" Kadotani balled up her empty sweet potato chip bag and casually threw it in the trashcan by the entrance to Hangar D.

Koume blinked again. She'd never even thought about business cards. "I... yeah! Yeah, that'd be great! If you could do that for us, we... I'd be really grateful!"

"Then consider it done. Kawashima will see to the cards, and Koyama will be more than happy to turn over the communications and such to you two. We'll see you back here on Monday." Kadotani turned and strode off, heading towards the distant main school campus, though practice wasn't technically over. Kawashima and Koyama, after exchanging shocked looks, followed her.

Koume stared after them. She'd thought she more or less had the measure of them by now.

Was it possible that being proven right like she'd been in the skirmish had been enough to actually gain some respect from the Council President? Did this mean that suddenly, there weren't going to be as much resistance to her in the 38t? Might it perhaps even go away entirely? If Kadotani accepted her authority in the realm of Senshado, then Kawashima and Koyama would surely follow, right?

Koume wanted to believe that. Deep down, despite all the Council had done and the way they'd been acting since day one, she didn't want to fight with them any more than Miho did.

But a little voice inside her whispered at her, one she'd first heard in her first year at Kuromorimine Middle, a voice filled with bitterness and cynicism. The voice that she knew her brother and parents wanted her to stop listening to. But how could she, when it had been proven right so often in the past?