Girls und Panzer: Downfall

New encounters

"You need to head to school as of now, room 113, first floor. That's where you'll have your tankery test. You'll be given your timetable after that, and you'll be a full fledged member of the school starting tomorrow. For today, you are free to go around and do whatever you like. You'll receive a special permit that'll make everybody know you're new." 
Michael tried to remember everything Maho had said, and nodded. 
"I got it. Thank you for your help, Commander." Michael said kindly. 
"Don't sweat it. I will see you on the battlefield tomorrow." 
Maho nodded at Michael and walked off. Michael on his part headed to school, room 113, first floor. It wasn't hard for him to find it, since the whole school overall was very well organized. 
"Such efficiency…" Michael muttered, kinda surprised. He stepped in room 113 and found himself in a neatly organized classroom, with 4 rows of 6 desks each. He walked to the teacher's desk, where a teacher gave him the permit Maho had talked about, after registering his name and everything. He then told Michael to sit down and wait. After another 10 minutes, every seat in the class was full, so the test began. 
"These are all strategy questions…" Michael mused to himself. The questions mainly described various kinds of combat situations, and asked what the better maneuver would have been. Michael didn't have any problems with it, since his father had taught him about so many battles and tactics that the boy had started being called Rommel. The test was still hard, and some of the questions were very complicated. Michael didn't know for sure how to answer to every question, but he tried his best anyway. He turned in his paper for last, and walked out of the classroom, happily whistling. He knew what his destination was, again. He wanted to go to the shed where all the tanks were stored. He started trotting at a sustained pace, and he got where he wanted in about 10 minutes of singing and running. The shed was huge. It looked exactly what a barrack should look like, but a lot bigger. And the doors were open. Michael immediately walked in and he froze in place at the enormous amount of tanks in front of him. 
"Oh my God…" He whispered, in amazement. He wanted to see a Panzer III above all. He looked around for a minute or two, and he finally found one. 
"That's an Ausf. J…" He whispered. 
"Yes it is! You're new here, aren't you?" Michael heard a female voice behind him say. He turned around and saw a girl in a black uniform in front of him. She had light brown hair and light brown eyes, and a broad smile on her face, unlike Maho. 
"Oh, I…don't believe we've met…" Michael stuttered. 
"Oh, I apologise, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Miho Nishizumi, I'm a first year. And I believe you are as well, if I'm not mistaken." The girl named Miho started.
"Ah yeah, I am…wait…Nishizumi? I think I met your sister a few hours ago…" 
"Maho?" Miho asked. 
"Yes, her. You two look very alike." Michael answered with a smile.
"Thank you! So did you sign up for tankery?" 
She received a nod in response. At that point, a question mark popped up in Michael's head.
"That's the tankery uniform, right? How come you have it and I don't?" He asked curiously. 
"Oh, well…first of all, all the boys are going to receive it tomorrow, if I'm not mistaken…and second of all, um...my big sister was involved, let's say." Miho explained with a cute smile. She felt a little guilty about having those kinds of privileges.
"Ah, I got it, don't worry. Your "secret" is safe with me, Miss Nishizumi." Michael said winking. Miho giggled and winked back.
"Thank you. And…oh, jeez, I'm so rude! I forgot to ask your name! I'm sorry!" Miho said lightly bowing her head. 
"Ah, it's fine. I'm Michael, by the way." Michael said pronouncing his name in the way it was pronounced where he was from. 
"You're not from here, are you?" Miho asked.
"You noticed. I'm actually half German. My dad is Japanese and my mother is German, but I live in Japan. My home is pretty far from here though." Michael explained. A thing that annoyed him very much when was somebody would call him Michael pronouncing his name the English way and not the German way. That's what his "friend" always did, which was another reason why he had gotten tired of her. Michael was a picky guy, but he wouldn't have changed himself by the slightest, if he'd had the chance.
"Ah, I got it. Did you…have anything to do, Michael?" Miho asked pronouncing Michael's name the right way. 
"Ah, no…except drooling over these Panzers, no." Michael joked, smiling broadly. He'd finally met a person who had gotten his name right at the first try. Miho laughed happily at Michael's joke and nodded. 
"Well, let's drool over these Panzers together, shall we?" Miho suggested. 
"I'd be glad to." 
The two walked around the shed, talking a bit about the tanks, a bit about their families, and a bit about themselves, until the sun started to set. At that point, they decided to go and have dinner together. 
"My throat got sore, with how much we've been talking…" Michael said at some point, as the two reached the cafeteria. 
"Mine too! By the way, do you have any idea on what tank you'd like to operate, and with which role?" Miho asked as the two were picking up their food.
"Ah…well, call me crazy, but I'd like something…that isn't one of the classic "big cats", if you catch my meaning. I'd love a Panzer III or IV. But I know that you only use Panzer IIIs for recon and such, so I'd absolutely love a Panzer IV." Michael explained, very energized. The two in the meanwhile picked a table to sit down and started eating. 
"Interesting choice! I'm probably going to be assigned to a Tiger, just like my sister!" 
"Hey there, Miho." 
Speak of the devil, Michael thought. 
"Good evening, Commander." Michael and Miho said at the same time, saluting. Maho was surprised by their synchrony and almost cracked a smile.
"At ease." 
Maho didn't recognize Michael at first, but after taking a more careful look at him she remembered he was the first year she'd mentored the same day. 
"Ah, look who's here. Michael, was it?" Maho asked, pronouncing Michael's name wrongly. 
"Ah, sis…I-I mean, Commander, it's pronounced "Michael". He's half German!" Miho said. Michael told himself to remember to thank her later, since he'd never have found the courage to tell Maho himself. 
"Ah, I see. Then I apologise for my mistake, Michael." Maho said correcting herself. 
"Ah, it's not a problem." Michael muttered with a gesture of his hand. 
"Miho, I need to talk to you later. Come find me after dinner, alright?" Maho asked laying a hand on her sister's shoulder. 
"Of course. I'll see you later!" Miho answered smiling. Maho smiled back, to Michael's surprise, and walked off.
"What would she want to talk about with you?" Michael asked distractedly once the commander was gone.
"Ah, maybe about the tanks, I don't know. She's always got a lot on her head." Miho guessed. 
Michael couldn't wait for the next day. He wanted to get into tankery straight away, but for that moment he was good with making new friends. 
"I bet. She's got a big burden to carry, being who she is." 
The boy finished his food quickly and stretched his arms out with a moan. He was very tired. 
"Hey Miho, do you mind if I head home? I'm kinda tired…" Michael said feeling a bit guilty. 
"What block do you live in?" Miho asked. 
"Uh…I think it's…" 
Michael searched in his pockets for the keys to his apartment and read the small writing on the keychain.
"...Block F." He finished.
"I'm there too! You go ahead and start making your way there, I'll catch up with you after I'm done talking to my sister." Miho said. 
"Ah, I'll just wait for you outside the cafeteria, how's that sound?" Michael proposed. 
“Alright then! I’ll try to be quick!” Miho said walking to her sister. At that point, Michael had no choice but to walk outside and wait. It was pretty cold outside, and he wasn’t exactly dressed for that weather. 
“Sh-shit... so this is what a poor Wehrmacht soldier must’ve felt in the winter of ‘42... “ Michael muttered to himself, blowing hot air on his hands. He didn’t have much to do, except wait and hope not to freeze to death. Seconds passed, and they quickly became minutes. Michael was about to go back inside not to get gangrene on his fingers, when the door to the cafeteria opened and a happy-looking Miho walked through them. 
"I've got good news!" She announced.
"Oh, g-good. What?" Michael asked feeling very curious, and cold. 
"Maho wanted to talk to me about my tank…and she gave me the Tiger. Plus, since I was there, I mentioned her what you'd told me earlier about your "dream tank". And, get ready, she said your Panzer IV will be ready by tomorrow!" 
Michael at that let out a "ooooo" and smiled happily, looking at Miho with the face of a 5 year old in a toy shop.
"Wow, thank you so much…this means a lot to me." He whispered. 
"You're welcome. So…should we go? You look like you're about to freeze to death!"