"Strawberry shortcake is awesome..." a young girl snored. The morning sun glimmered through her curtains. A stuffed bear lay next to her with bandages covering it. On a table next to her bed, a dolphin-shaped alarm clock started buzzing. The light brown-haired girl snapped up and fumbled her way to the alarm clock. Once the buzzing had stopped she quickly folded up her blankets on the bottom of the bed and gently laid the wounded teddy bear on top. "Oh right, I'm not at home anymore!" she exclaimed. Miho Nishizumi had recently transferred to Ōarai from her old school. Rules had been much stricter at home for her, but now that she lived away from it all, she finally felt free.
She quickly changed into her school uniform, a white sailor-style uniform with green trim and a black ribbon. The uniform's green skirt also matched the trim.
After double-checking that her apartment was locked, Miho made her way to her new school. It was clear outside, with only a few clouds dotting the skies. She hummed to herself as she passed a bakery where fresh bread was being laid out on display. "Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread!" She exclaimed happily.
Everything was so bright and vibrant. With the Japanese school year starting in April, the cherry blossom trees were blooming and the air was fresh. People passed by her chatting about lunch or their classes. "We don't have any of those around where I live," she stated while passing a convenience store, "I'll have to check it out after-" She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and ran straight into a lamppost with a sign on it headfirst and fell backward. "Ow ow ow," she groaned while holding her forehead. Miho looked up at the sign and saw that it had an adult and a child on it with Anglerfish antennae. "That's kind of cute," she noted cheerfully.
"Are you okay?" Someone asked her from behind.
Miho looked up with surprise. "Oh me? Yeah, I'm fine!" She turned her head to the person who spoke, revealing a boy with auburn hair wearing the boy's version of the Ōarai uniform, being a simple white button-up shirt with green buttons and cuffs and black slacks.
"You sure?" He asked with concern.
"Yeah just a little dazed," she replied with a slight blush and a smile.
Ross held out his hand to pull her up, which she accepted. After pulling Miho to her feet he introduced himself, "By the way, I'm Ross, what's your name?"
"I'm Miho," she replied, "Thanks for helping me up." She dusted off her skirt.
"Not a problem, I assume you're going to school in Ōarai as well," he guessed.
"Yeah I just transferred, how long have you been here?" Miho asked as they began to walk together.
"I transferred here as well, all the way from America."
Miho looked surprised, "What's it like there?"
Ross shrugged. "It's alright I suppose, we don't have massive school ships. I'm still trying to take it all in," he replied.
"It is quite impressive isn't it?" Miho asked, "So why did you transfer here?"
The two's conversation was interrupted by a shouted greeting. "Hey, Ross!" Joseph called as he ran over to him before unceremoniously crashing into the ground. "Damn curbs..." he muttered while dusting himself off.
"Joseph you should be more careful, you don't want to get hurt on your first day," William advised, "So Ross, it looks like you made a friend, could you introduce us?"
Miho bowed. "My name is Miho Nishizumi, it's nice to meet you, William and Joseph," she greeted.
"How do you already know our names?" William asked curiously.
"I tried to familiarize as many students' names as I could to try and make friends easier..." Miho explained, a little embarrassed, "Although your western names did stick out a bit..."
The four passed the school's gate, while a member of the Public Morals Committee marked them "On-Time" on her trusty attendance tablet. "Well, we've got to get to our classes, it was a pleasure to meet you Miho," William said and walked off with Joseph in tow to their first period.
"Would you like to join us at lunch later?" Ross asked.
Miho stopped for a moment. She wouldn't have expected to get such an invitation on her first day. Nobody had been so friendly at Kuromorimine, especially after the tournament. "Thank you! That would be nice," she exclaimed, accepting his offer.
"Perfect, see you then!" Ross said as he walked off to his first class, leaving Miho to go to her own first class.
000
Miho looked at her school supplies laid on her school desk, before adjusting her notebook a little. This action however knocked her pink pencil onto the floor. She crawled under her desk to grab the pencil when she bumped into the desk. The movement caused her ruler to clatter onto the floor. While picking up the ruler, her pencil bag fell off the desk behind her. By the time Miho had her school supplies back on her desk and neatly arranged, all the students had left to go to the cafeteria, leaving Miho alone.
"Having some trouble?" Ross asked. Miho looked from her desk to see the boy from this morning in front of her with a small smile.
"Oh hey Ross," she replied meekly.
Two girls approached them from behind Miho. One had long silvery black hair and calm dark blue eyes. The other bright ginger hair and brown eyes. While both wore the traditional girl's uniform, the ginger-haired girl's stockings went up to her thighs. "Hey, you two wanna grab some lunch?" The ginger-haired girl asked loudly.
Miho jumped out of her seat and nearly bumped into Ross, who stumbled back a couple of feet. "See that Saori, you startled Nishizumi, you'll make a bad first impression," the girl with the black hair explained.
"Sorry I was just trying to be friendly," Saori apologized.
"Anyway to repeat the question, if you two would join us for lunch, we'd both be delighted."
Ross folded his arms and thought for a moment. "I don't see a problem, I think William and Joseph are busy anyway," he replied.
In the cafeteria, the four joined the large line of students collecting their food. "To be honest, as soon as we saw you, we wanted to try talking with you Nishizumi," the black-haired girl explained.
"Really? But why?" Miho asked.
"You're jittery all the time so we thought that might be interesting," Saori said, "So anyway I'm-"
"Saori Takebe, born June 22nd, and Hana Isuzu, Born December 16th," Miho started.
Ross raised an eyebrow curiously. "So Miss Barbarossa and Miss Watch on the Rhine huh?" He joked.
Saori looked at him with confusion. "What's that mean?" she asked.
"June 16th is when Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began. December 16th is when Operation Watch on the Rhine, the Battle of the Bulge, began," Ross explained.
Miho spoke up, "You've got a historical birthday to Ross, March 21st, the beginning of Operation Michael."
"Okay, okay we're all historians aren't we?" Ross questioned rhetorically.
Saori and Hana smiled. "See I knew you two would be interesting, would you two mind if we called you by your first names?" Saori asked.
"Miho and Ross are fine right?" Hana followed.
Miho's face broke into a wide grin. "It's like we're friends already!" She exclaimed and spun around excitedly, nearly falling over before Ross and Saori caught her.
After they sat down with Miho and Ross on one side of their table and Saori and Hana on another, the conversation began again. "I'm glad I was able to make such great friends today, I moved here to Ōarai all by myself so I was kinda nervous."
"I see, well you never know what could happen right? Like a complicated love triangle, or someone says they don't like you right before you confess your undying love, or your boyfriend cheats on you, or maybe-" Saori rambled.
Ross cut her off, "I think that's a little too far, after all, it's just the first day."
"Did something bad happen that caused you to transfer here? Perhaps family infighting or an inheritance conflict?" Hana suggested.
Miho smiled. "No nothing like that," she replied.
"What about you Ross, why did you transfer here? You're clearly not Japanese," Saori interrogated.
"Well, my friends and I got a generous offer to transfer here and help restart the Sensha-dō team," he explained, "Our club back home got shutdown, but they extended their offer to us and our crews, so I guess the Schwarzadler team lives on in a way."
"Schwarzadler? Was that like the name of your school?" the ginger asked.
"Yeah, it roughly translates to Black Eagle. Pretty intimidating right?"
As Ross told the girls across from him about his home, they failed to notice Miho staring at her plate with a hint of distress. Sensha-dō team? I thought this school didn't have Sensha-dō. Maybe I just misheard him, Ōarai doesn't have a Sensha-dō club, that's the whole reason why I transferred here...
000
In the Student Council office, William and Joseph stood in front of the three girls who made up the council and wielded a powerful influence in the school. "Wouldn't that be a bit manipulative?" Joseph asked uneasily after hearing their latest recruitment plan.
The President of the Student Council sat behind her desk and her short but intimidating figure was backed by a massive black leather chair. Although she had a playful smile and demeanor, the intentionally dark lighting made her appear like a corporate queen who bowed to none. "It'll be fine!" Anzu reassured with her artificial cheer.
William quietly stood off to the side of Joseph and contemplated the proposal the council has essentially forced them into. Although he deferred his reaction, Joseph spoke up. "But you have us already, why do we need Nishizumi so badly?" the former sub-commander asked.
Momo glared at their American advisor. "You may have extensive experience with American tankery, however, Japanese Sensha-dō experience is still needed. Nishizumi has extensive experience in Sensha-dō, including participation in last year's nationals and being the previous sub-commander of Kuromorimine Girls Academy. Having her on the team would be invaluable," she explained angrily.
"But you can't just force people to join the team. Doing something like that would only harm the team in the long run," Joseph countered.
Anzu held up her hand to intervene. "Now now, we aren't forcing her to do anything. I'd say it's more like... extremely persuasive encouragement!" she declared.
William put his hand on Joseph's shoulder and stepped forward. "All you need us to do is stand behind you and look... extremely persuasive?" he asked.
Anzu finished off another one of her delicious dried sweet potatoes and laid her feet up on the desk. "Yep! It'll be simple. Nothing too hard right? I'd say you two look pretty persuasive already!"
"If that's what you think is necessary," William replied, ignoring a glance from his sub-commander.
"We'll be talking to her today during her free period to convince her to take the Sensha-dō elective," Yuzu explained.
Momo spoke up again. "We'll handle all the convincing, so just stand back and don't say anything."
000
"So I've got a question," Saori revealed. She knelt in front of the desk Miho sat at while Hana stood behind her. Ross sat at a desk flipping through his folders. "I've been thinking about something, I'm a terrible woman you know," she continued.
"This should be interesting..." Ross muttered.
"Not this conversation again," Hana complained.
Saori just ignored them and continued, "A lot of guys have been approaching me and it's getting kinda awkward, they're all like 'Hi there' and 'you're as cheery as ever today. I mean I'm not looking for any drama you know?"
Ross had to restrain from dying of laughter in his little corner.
"They're like totally coming onto me! Miho, what should I do?" Saori asked.
"You're easy to approach and you've got a great personality, no wonder people are approaching you, you're just really friendly and cheerful!" Miho explained.
Saori blushed and hid her cheeks in her hair. "I never thought I'd make such great friends so soon!" Miho exclaimed with a smile.
"I think you're pretty great yourself Nishizumi," Hana spoke up.
"Huh?!" Miho stuttered, "Oh no way, I'm totally lame, but Isuzu, you're cool-headed and confident and smart, you're so mature! I'm really jealous."
Their conversation continued until the sharp clattering of shoes dampened Miho and Hana's discussion on flower arrangement. At the front of the room stood the student council, along with William and Joseph behind them.
"Hey, Nishizumi!" Anzu shouted as they approached.
Miho suddenly grew nervous as the pigtailed president approached her, followed closely by her assistants. "Yes?" She asked nervously.
"We need to talk for a moment," Momo stated while looking over the nervous girl.
"We do?" Miho asked nervously.
Ross looked over at his friends who were partially obscured by the Student Council escorting Miho out of the room. With a loud and audible sigh, he stood up and walked over to Joseph, who had remained still and quiet like a toy soldier. "I think we need to head to the nurse's office. You know just so we can ensure that any injuries that occur on the team are well treated," he told his friends.
"I would join you, but I've got to discuss transport for our tanks down in the lower decks, you guys go on without me," William explained. Ross nodded and led Joseph out of the room. Instead of heading to the nurse's office, however, Ross led Joseph behind a corner where they secretly watched the conversation between the council and Miho.
Back in the classroom, the leader of the boys sighed. "What is Anzu gonna do?" William wondered.
In the hallways, the Student Council had surrounded Miho. "I don't know what you were gonna choose for your mandatory elective, but sign up for Sensha-dō! Easy right?" Anzu demanded.
The Student Council's victim widened her eyes. "Sensha-dō?! I thought this school didn't have a Sensha-dō class!" Miho exclaimed.
Momo leaned down to Miho's level, "We didn't, but we're starting it up this year. That's why those American students are here," she informed.
"But the only reason I transferred here is because I wanted to get away from Sensha-dō!" Miho explained with distress.
Anzu, who had wrapped an arm around Miho's shoulder, grew excited. "Sounds like fate to me!" She declared.
"I thought we could choose whatever elective we wanted," Miho tried to reason with the pressuring council.
The president however did not care. "Anyway, thanks a bunch!" She thanked Miho as the council walked off. Around the corner, Saori and Hana watched as Miho's face fell, and she only stared at the ground as she re-entered the classroom.
Around their corner, Ross turned to Joseph, "Alright, you've got some explaining to do, what's with you and William being with the Student Council?" he interrogated.
"It was all their idea. They called for us during class and wanted us to help them convince Miho to join the team. They got all bent up about the differences between Japanese Sensha-dō and American tankery when we suggested that they didn't need her. Why are you so concerned anyway Ross?"
"I want to become friends with those three girls. I think if we're able to expand our friend group, then we can get more crew members for the Sensha-dō club. It's not that hard to figure it out," Ross explained flatly.
"Man and here I was thinking we'd have some fun romance drama," Joseph teased with a smirk.
"You're gonna be sorely disappointed then, now let's get to the nurse's office. We do have to complete the federation's medical facilities check. I doubt the Student Council is even aware of even having half of the stuff we have to get cleared."
"For the next question, Nishizumi?" The teacher called out.
The classroom fell silent, as Miho blankly stared into nothingness. A few seconds passed before Saori whispered over, "Hey, Miho."
Miho snapped up, looking around confused at her surroundings. "Is something wrong, are you not feeling well?" The teacher asked. "You should go to the nurse," she advised.
Quietly, and shakily, Miho got up and began a slow, forced march to the nurse's office. Away from everyone, away from tanks... she thought like a zombie. As the girl left the room, Saori's hand shot up, "Ma'am my stomach doesn't feel so good!" She complained.
"I'm experiencing chest pains," Hana followed.
The two followed Miho out of the room in a fake groggy and pained stupor. They were quickly admitted into the office and laid in cots to rest. On the other side of the office, Ross and Joseph patiently waited for the nurse to return, but not without noticing the three girls Ross had gotten to know during the day.
"Hey Joseph, keep her occupied for a moment, I'm gonna go talk to the girls," Ross whispered.
Joseph snickered. "Yes General Huot," he mocked with a salute. Ross only gave him a side glare. "Anyway Miss what is the school's policy regarding delimbification?" Joseph asked.
With the nurse occupied, Ross snuck over to the patients. "So what's up girls? It's a little sudden to get sick, and on the first day as well," he stated.
"Miho, what's wrong? What did the Student Council say to you?" Saori asked.
"I bet we can help with whatever is troubling you," Hana reassured.
Miho stiffened under the covers and gripped the sheet. "T-they said they would bring back the Sensha-dō team, and they pressured me to join..."
"Wow, a Sensha-dō team!?" Saori exclaimed.
"And they want you? Are you a war hero and were too afraid to tell us? You don't have to be so humble about it you know," Hana said.
"I'm not a war hero, but... my family comes from a long line of tank commanders who practice Sensha-dō. The issue is, I'm not much into tanks myself, so I came to Ōarai to try and get away from it," Miho explained shyly before hiding under the covers.
Hana and Saori looked at each other briefly before smiling at Miho. "So that's what happened, if you don't want to then why force yourself. High School girls don't really do the whole tank thing anyway," Saori assured
"I'm surprised they're bringing it back at all," said Hana.
Ross shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Well if you don't wanna do it, then you don't wanna do it. It shouldn't be that big of a deal," he followed. "I'm sure if we all tell them off, then I bet they'll back down."
Miho pulled down the sheet over her face as the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. "Thank you guys," Miho said.
Before they left, the intercom turned on over the ringing bell. All students please report to the auditorium, repeat, all students report to the auditorium at once. That is all, the electronic voice of Momo Kawashima ordered.
In the large auditorium, hundreds of students had gathered as per the student council's orders. They sat in long rows on the floor, while at least a dozen Mortal Committee guarded the stage where the student council stood. "So what's going on?" Joseph asked, having rejoined them.
"I'm not sure, this is just how our student council does things," Hana explained.
"Quiet everyone, we will now begin our school's mandatory elective presentation for this year. Although students may select whichever they choose, they must select at least one to be eligible to move onto the next year or to graduate," Kawashima explained.
Although most of the students just listened and nodded. Ross shot a mild glare at Momo. "Hypocrite," was all he muttered as the lights dimmed and the screen behind the student council shined as they walked and moved out of the way.
Several images of World War I tanks showed up on the screen, including Schwarzadler's own A7V Nixe II. "Sensha-dō is part of our culture with a long history. The heat of battle is said to forge girls into ladies, and promote our own growth and maturity. It is a sport enjoyed by girls and women all across the world," Yuzu explained.
Miho looked downcast at the images of tanks and the blatant propaganda while the video continued. "Sensha-dō is a strong and elegant art, which aims to make girls and women polite, empowered, and gallant."
In the video, a group of five women operates a Panzer III as it rolled into battle. As the tank rolled past the camera, Yuzu's dialogue continued, "To learn Sensha-dō is to armor the heart of a maiden, which becomes as strong as a tank's iron, as lively as the clattering tank tracks, and as passionate and precise as its main cannon." The Panzer III's 5 cm gun roared to life with a resounding bang, causing some freshmen to gasp, while a black-haired girl with a white headband looked up tiredly.
"If you practice Sensha-dō, you will become a better wife, a better mother, and a better worker." Rows of identical Panzer IIIs drove in a parade formation. Miho continued to press her head against her knees, hoping the presentation would be over soon. Saori gasped as flower petals rained down onto the girls and their tanks.
"This is your chance, embrace Sensha-dō and better yourself on the fields of battle!" Yuzu encouraged while the video ended.
The lights returned, and numerous groups in the audience were completely enamored. One was an obvious pick, the history club was completely engrossed in the presentation. However, it seemed clear to William, who stood behind the student council that most weren't tank nuts or history buffs, such as the remaining members of the defunct volleyball club and a group of freshmen who seemed quite close. William scanned the male section of the audience, which was quite small, taking up less than one-fourth of the crowd. Needless to say, they were unimpressed.
The former commander of Schwarzadler walked onto the stage, causing some confusion in the audience. "Hello Ōarai Co-ed Academy, my name is William Valentine, an American transfer student and I'm the former commander of the Schwarzadler Sensha-dō team. I'm here to advise and participate in the Sensha-dō team," he began, causing some girls in the crowd to be confused. A boy in Sensha-dō? The video seemed to imply that it was a female-only sport.
"Now there is no rule against boys in Sensha-dō, although it is female-dominated. But gentlemen of the audience, do not be dissuaded by my partner's video. We are welcome to anyone who wishes to practice this exciting art," William said. This did little to change the uninterested faces in the male audience, but a small handful did look more open to the idea. As Yuzu started her benefits spiel to get more people on board, William was silently agitated at the girl's recruitment strategy. "Alienating the boys is only going to make recruitment harder," William complained, but nobody heard.
000
"That decides it! I'm totally in!" Saori declared on their way home from school. Miho and Hana joined her.
"What?!" Miho exclaimed with a look of shock.
"If Sensha-dō is popular, it'll make you popular too, right? Plus imagine all the boys I could impress!" Saori explained with excitement as the group stopped walking. She continued. "You should do it too Miho. Your family does it right?" she exclaimed.
Miho stepped back from Saori. "I don't think so... I'm not really all that good," she mumbled.
"I understand, it's a little overwhelming isn't it?" Hana asked.
Miho nodded and looked to Hana for some support against Saori's prodding. "But Sensha-dō does sound rather wonderful, doesn't it?" Hana asked.
Now surrounded on two sides, anxiety caused her to freeze, "I-I..." Miho stuttered.
"You know I'm in a similar situation myself, my family does flower arrangement, but Sensha-dō does sound rather wonderful," Hana explained.
Memories of her time at Kuromorimine Girls Academy came flooding back. The long barrel of a tank gun, the screams of the engine, and the smell of burning petrol came roaring back. "No! I can't! I can't do Sensha-dō!" Miho shouted, "I won't do Sensha-dō!" The shout contrasted her earlier quiet and friendly demeanor. "Why is everyone so insistent on me doing Sensha-dō!?"
Hana and Saori stood stunned at their friend's sudden outburst. Miho's face glared red with anger until she realized what she had done. Her anger stopped in its tracks and her heart dropped once she saw the shocked and concerned faces of her two friends. Feeling regret swelling up in her chest, Miho quickly took off with tears in her eyes.
"Miho wait!" Saori shouted, but it was too late. She was already gone.
Hana placed her hand on Saori's shoulder as the ginger-haired girl looked sadly at the ground. "Just let her work it out, then we'll apologize, okay?" Hana consoled.
"I didn't think she would respond that badly," Saori muttered.