Girl und Panzer: The Yankee's in Tank

Chapter 16

It was a beautiful day in Houston and his Vice Commander Jefferson's world as they stood under the showerhead, finally getting a chance to clean up after weeks of strenuous missions with their unit. Jefferson had recently recovered from an illness and was itching to get back into action, so he eagerly joined Houston in their mission to secure the supplies line for the joint American and Japanese schools' city.

As the water cascaded down on them, Jefferson couldn't help but hum a little tune, a sign that he was back in high spirits. Houston, on the other hand, was diligently scrubbing himself with a bar of soap.

Houston turned to his Vice Commander and remarked, "Hey... won't you take your sunglasses off?"

Jefferson blinked, as if he had just realized something, and promptly removed his sunglasses, placing them away. "That's why it's still dark in here, huh, Commander?" he said, grinning.

Houston chuckled. "Yeah... So, it's finally finished, huh?"

Jefferson raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion in his expression. "What's finished?"

"The new room," Houston replied, making Jefferson suddenly aware of what he was talking about.

"Oh! You mean the Sauna?" Jefferson asked, his eyes lighting up with realization.

"Yeah," Houston said, nodding. "Isn't it a bit extravagant to have a sauna here in our base? Do you realize how many boys and girls are going to use it?"

Jefferson shrugged playfully. "Well, Boss, you were the one who approved it behind Marshal Commander Maho's back."

Houston sighed, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Yeah, I changed my mind during the mission... It's too expensive, and it will drain our water supplies."

Jefferson grinned mischievously, countering, "Look, sir, we're using water from the beach and saving energy. It's kind of like an economical move, and I thought we had some tired people, just like us, who could use a morale boost."

As Houston contemplated the unexpected addition of the sauna to their base, Jefferson caught him off guard by tossing a bar of soap in his direction. Houston tried to make a quick catch, but the slippery soap slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground, causing him to sigh in mild frustration.

Jefferson, undeterred by the soap fumble, continued his sales pitch for the sauna. "I heard saunas are really popular with the folks who use them, you know. You wait until it gets hot, then you pour water to create steam. It's just like a Finnish sauna! Twenty people can get in here."

Houston raised an eyebrow and asked, "Jeff... I heard people got injured in here."

Jefferson chuckled nervously. "Oh, that... That was just a bruise."

"Just a bruise?" Houston pressed, a skeptical look on his face. "And he's been recovering for over a month? Who was it that got hurt?"

Jefferson hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Armadillo."

"Were you here when it happened?" Houston inquired further.

"Um... He, uh... He suddenly slipped... Probably on a soap," Jefferson replied, his answer sounding increasingly dubious.

"Slipped... Armadillo... That guy is built like a tank, even though he drives our M4A4 Sherman," Houston mused, sensing that there might be more to the story than Jefferson was letting on.

As Houston gazed at the sauna, clearly perplexed by its presence, he finally voiced his concern. "Because of the sauna..."

Jefferson started to explain, but Houston cut him off. His tone shifted, becoming more serious as he moved closer to Jefferson. "Jefferson..." Houston's voice was low and probing. "Is there something... you wanna tell me?" he asked, searching for answers.