Exercise Rubicon (CLOSED)

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

Imperial Britannia College - Vienna; the Kingdoms and Lands in Reichsrath Represented - Day One

Nicole Pennington, the deputy head girl of Imperial Britannia College was pacing fretfully back-and-forth inside the northern portico of the school's main building. Observing with some amusement at this exercise was a tall, slim figure currently resting against one of the pillars, a cup of tea in her hand. Head Girl Friederica Gräfin O’Donell von Tyrconnell could not help but smile ruefully at her deputy when she heard again Nicole ramble, obviously deeply worried about this entire affair their school was supposed to be hosting.
"The coaches are due in fifteen minutes right? We did send out the mails about lodging arrangements correct? And the rules on no magic use in the dorms? What about the food? Is the kitchen ready yet? Have they got everything they need?"
Sighing, Friederica took a few moments to savour her tea before answering calmly:
"Yes Miss Pennington, they are due in fifteen minutes, and yes, we already sent the mails long ago, and everybody replied that they're fine with it. The kitchens says they're fine and have everything they need." Swallowing as she took the other girl's confident answer to heart Pennington still couldn't help but be a little sceptical:
"Are you certain about the mails?"
"Very sure. Now stop worrying so much and calm down." Nodding but still relatively worried, Nicole hesitantly decided to halt her pacing and instead took up position against another pillar to wait.
Looking at her nervous deputy reluctantly stopping her pacing Friederica could not help but let out a discomforted sigh. Deciding to spend her time better than worrying about the cloud of pessimism next to her, she decided to fix her attention outwards to the granite-paved driveway, and towards the Georgian entrance gates far away instead, framed by the darkening skies of the Austrian autumn. All in all, it was a sight which the head girl was quite taken with.

Still in the middle of her nervous thoughts Nicole Pennington took pause at the sudden silence and finally noticed that her head girl wasn't quite listening to her, and looked up to where O'Donell was looking. "Isn't that a sight?" She heard her comment off-handedly, "The Georgian gates, the skies and the burning autumn tree-line?" Puzzled slightly now over the head girl's sudden enamourment, Nicole glanced at O'Donell to see if she was serious with that comment or not. Saying nothing, she decided to let Friederica continue.
"Ten minutes until the first school arrives, right? We should be ready for assembly soon." Friederica noted, looking at her watch. "How many coaches did they say were coming again?" She asked.
"Six schools spread-out over the next two days. Approximately four to five coaches per school."
"Three days until the match starts right?"
"That is correct Head Girl."
"Everyone's prepared for the reception? Including our Senshadō team?"
"Yes Head Girl. In fact, I think that the team should be assembling behind the front doors as we speak."
"They are?" Friederica raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Weren't they still in practice an hour ago?"
"Yes, but they've finished the practice session already. Should be coming out... right now."
As if on cue the wide doors to the College building swung open, and girls clad in green, then red uniforms proceeded out of them in two neatly arranged files. Leading them was their two school bands, on the occasion dressed in their full dress uniforms, the scarlet and green smartly framed by the rest of the scenery.
Head Girl O'Donell finished up her tea as everybody filed past her and followed behind the last girls coming out. Confirming that the other schools were still five minutes away, she and Pennington took up positions at the head of the lines Team "Wellesley" now formed. Again, as the students settled in their positions the silence returned, interrupted only by the steady winds blowing through the grounds.

"They should be here approximately, now..." O'Donell, checking her watch for what must be the umpteenth time broke the silence. As if on cue far away behind the Georgian gates, a line of coaches appeared.

[Wolfenium]

Imperial Britannia College

Approaching the college along the pristine paved road, the coaches of the Ronanpfalz-Metz Armoured Regimental Academy high school branch were already in spotting distance of the academy. Dressed in their distinctive black winter uniforms, most of the coaches ringed with noise as the younger students distracted themselves with campfire songs and idle talk. Even the teachers were joining in the song, clapping away or singing as the infectious cheer spread. But sitting at the front of the lead coach, the mood was a lot less bright. At the very front row with an empty row separating them from the rest, a couple seemed cut off from the revelry, particularly a short, sour-looking girl with a bob-cut.

Staring out into the window as the scenery flew by, the sulking girl appeared bored, even irritated by the isolation. Much more annoying to her was the singing at the back, with the girls actively ignoring her in favour of their singalong. Not even the teacher, a rather young woman more fit for a kindergarten than a high school, seemed inclined to silence them. Glancing back at the educator twirling her fingers like a conductor, the highborn girl could tell any protest was a futile futile.

"Let them sing, Cecilla," the girl beside her stated, her long blonde hair tied to a ponytail as she enjoyed the music, "it's going to be a stressful week ahead. Just let them loosen up."

"Hmph," grunted the commander, "you say it like they'll listen if I told them to cut it out."

"Well, they will if you try to be nicer," the blonde tried to explain, "you don't want that to happen again, do you? The girls are already very angry with you."

Pouting a bit, Cecilla found the advice rather piercing. Had the person been anyone else, she might have lashed out by now. However, she knew the blonde enough to know she did not do it out of malice. Sadly, her friend did not think Cecilla could tell the difference for anyone else.

"Shut up, Gloria," griped the girl, "they picked to fight me first. Whose side are you on? If not that woman, my club wouldn't have been dissolved!"

However, before she could continue her berating, the coaches began to slow at the porch. Looking towards the window, the young teacher clapped her hand as she called out, "ok, girls, we're here! Everyone start getting down and form ranks so we can do a head count, ok?"

Watching the girls of the tankery club and their affiliates squeal in approval and rushing out, Cecilla von Rhein could only scoff at the naivety. This was not the club she wanted, certainly not the undisciplined rabble that her rival Alya allowed to run wild. Her current position as team commander was certainly tenuous as it was, only snatching Alya's position through her relative's influence in the school board and the threat of bringing the matter to the far-right dominated Defence Ministry. Even then, most still refused to acknowledge her, with training devolving into spitting contests between her and Alya's 'cronies'. Even Alya's own assurances fail to calm their nerves, much less Cecilla's mistrust of her. All that was clear to her only friend Gloria von Reihendorf. The only person to stay with the old tankery club after Alya pulled all its other members to her own protest camp, she had to see the ugly politics tear the tankery club apart. She only hoped that her hotheaded friend feel some shred of gratitude for being allowed to continue tankery in the first place. Knowing most of the club members, she was sure they would rather have her expelled from the club after what she did.

"Let's go, Cecilla," she told the shrimp, "time to see our hosts."

"Ah," the girl stubbornly said, "let's hope the rest know what they're here for. Because I do, if I'm going to get any respect from the whelps back."

Hearing her words, Gloria's heart could only sink in relent. It seemed nothing could stop Cecilla from being so competitive.

[Nachfolgia]

Schneider Air Field, outside Athens, Reichsmilitarstrat der Nachfolgia.

One week ago.

Home of the JG 363 " Athenians", Schneider Air Field was always a important hub of military activity. Schneider Field as well as Wehrmacht Operations base # 35 designation " Speerspitze" and Kriegsmarine Port Hrönn, were the sole defenders of Athens and the surrounding islands. The Air Field was also responsible for sending troops into the Middle East to colonize the region. Since first opening in 1923, Schneider Air Field remained an intricate part of the war machine in the Mediterranean. Today things were a little different. On this particular day, a dozen or so Panzers lined the runway. These Panzers belonged to the Waffen-SS, the 32nd SS Panzer division to be exact. This wasn't a staging area for an upcoming battle, which was to be expected from the Reich. No, these Panzers and its crew were competing in the Sovereign's Cup, an international tank tournament where tank crew battle one another in mock battle to determine who's panzer skills were better.

The team hand picked by the Obersterfuhurin herself to represent the Reich at the tournament was Team Edelweiss from the nearby SS-Reiches Akademie der Panzer und Strategie in Athens. Edelweiss is led by Johanna Von Brauchitisch, a young SS cadet from the school. She was picked by the school officials and the Obersterfuhrurin to spear head the Reich's participation in the event. Johanna's tactical brilliance earned her awards and prestige among her fellow cadets and The Reich hopes that the same brilliance will bring glory on the international stage.

Johanna and her Panzer crew were busy doing maintenance on their command Leopard 2. Dressed in SS fatigues, the girls made sure their Panzer was in working order and that the necessary equipment was added for the tournament. Johanna was tucked away in the commander's hatch, making sure everything was working properly. She closed her hatch and adjusted her seat so she could see clearly out of the commanders window. Able to we clearly out the windows down that the hatch could easily be opened, Johanna turned her attention to the electronic side of the Leopard 2. She turned on her commander's display, a map illuminated on screen. It showed an arial view of several blue dot lined up across the runway, indicating Team Edelweiss' position. The screen also showed longitude, latitude, cardinal directions, elevation, temperature in Celsius, wind speed and wind direction. Using a stylus, Johanna swiped across the screen using different strokes to zoom in and out, pan horizontally or vertically, and high light an area.

Seeing that everything was working properly, she turned off the display and turned on the communication system. She put the wireless headset over her ears and began tuning to the right frequency. Finding the right channel, Johanna talked into the radio. "[ This is Edelweiss. Radio check, over.]" "[ This is Herzog, read you loud and clear.]" a voice responded. "[ This is Nachteule, read you loud and clear.]" Another responded. Each platoon heard the call and replied accordingly. With the important operating systems in check and working properly, the tank commander decided to check up on her crew. "[ Frau Rantzau, how is the turret?]" Johanna said, seeing the gunner through a small opening. Kerrolyn was sitting in the gunner seat, looking at the aiming display screen.
"[ Frau Rantzau, how is the main gun?]" Johanna called out to her. "[ We have 360 degree turret rotation, gun elevation maxed out at 60 degrees high and 20 degrees low. Hydraulic pressure is nominal and the aiming computer is functional. I'd yay she's in good shape, Frau Cadet Hauptmann. ]" Kerrolyn said with a smile, turning towards Johanna. "[ Excellent. Time to check on the other two. ]" Johanna replied as she climbed out of the commander's hatch.

Once outside, Johanna immediately saw her loader, Adelaide Meckel, attaching the MILs gear to their Leopard 2. "[ Make sure that MILs gear is tightly secured. We don't want them falling off during the tournament.] " Johanna said as she stood up on top of the panzer. " [Yes, Frau Cadet Hauptmann.]" Adelaide said as she pulled down on the strap to tighten it. Johanna then walked towards the back of the Leopard 2, right above the engine. She looked over the back and saw two legs sticking out from under the panzer. The legs belonged to her driver, Lorette von Werth
"[ How does it look from down there? ]" Johanna called out. "[ Nothing serious, Frau Cadet Hauptmann. Just have to tighten some pins on the tracks to keep them together.]" Said as pinging noises resonated from under the panzer. " [ That's good. We have a long trip ahead of us and I don't want anything to go wrong. We hold the pride of the Reich on our shoulders, let's not fail them.]" Johanna said in a loud, booming voice.

Suddenly, something caught her eye coming from a little bit down the runway. It was a group of about 10 people, mostly dressed in black. The blonde woman in the center with the long over coat was none other than the Obersterfuhrurin. She wore her trademark grey Heer overcoat and short black dress. Walking behind her were three Academy officials dressed in the traditional black SS uniform. Walking on the outer edges of the group in two straight lines were eight women clan in high tech armor and full faced helmets. These women were the " ShieldMaidens", the personal body guards of the Obersterfuhrurin. Johanna spotted the group of high ranking official and quickly assembled her crew into one line. When the Obersterfurhurin and her entourage got close, the girls snapped to attention and saluted. "[ Good afternoon, My Obersterfuhrurin. Good afternoon, Herr Commandant.]" Johanna said loudly. " [ Ah... Good afternoon, Frau Brauchitisch. Come walk with me.]" The Obersterfuhrurin said with a smile as she wrapped her arm around the young cadet's shoulders, leading her away from her crew as everyone else. "[ Commandant Retzloff has been telling me that your team has been very busy preparing for the tournament?]" The Obersterfuhrurin said walking alongside Johanna.

"[ That's right, my Obersterfuhrurin. We've been triple checking all primary systems on the panders to ensure they are in perfect working order. Tomorrow we will start our maneuvers and practice our strategies. I have no doubt that we will perform perfectly.]" Johanna said in a calm, serious tone. " [ Wonderful! That's what I like to hear."] The Obersterfuhrurin replied with glee. She then stopped walking and the two turned to face each other. "[ I don't need to remind you how important this tournament is for our folk and the Reich itself. This isn't another war of conquest we're dealing with here. This is diplomatic and peaceful in its intentions. All in the name of sportsmanship and friendship. We need to show the world that we are not always hate filled and murderous...or at least pretend like we're not. I want you and your team to extend an arm of friendship to all the other nations, am I clear?]" The Obersterfuhurin said in a serious tone, looking Johanna right in the eyes. "[ Yes, my Obersterfuhrurin. ]" Johanna replied meekly. " [ Good. I have no doubt in your abilities as a young cadet. I am certain you will bring us glory in these tournament. This is going to be your last victory as a cadet. Come next year, you will bring glory to the Reich as a young tank commander. Who knows...you might even win victories in Minroz. Victories so grand that they will sing about your exploits in the halls of Valhalla long before the Valkyries take you to gaze upon it.]" The Obersterfuhrurin said with a sinister smile.

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

Imperial Britannia College - Vienna; the Kingdoms and Lands in Reichsrath Represented - Day One

It was with a slightly bemused expression that Imperial Britannia College received their first guests from the distant continent of Astol, who were forming up out of their coaches to apparently do an... enthusiastic head count. The Britannians let nothing else of their amusement show though, as befitting of one of the most prestigious schools in Cisleithania, but kept their postures ram-rod straight in their lines while they waited.

Watching the Wolfeners complete their head count in due time, Tatiana Newbury, Officer Commanding Team „Wellesley“, standing on the far right of the line brought her team to attention as their band struck up Valkyrie is Thy Courage, an anthem that the school band played for the first time in any official capacity. They followed it up with Gott erhalte their national anthem, and as they finished Tate looked to the head girl and moved forwards as one with her.
As they came within four paces of their guests Head Girl Gräfin O'Donell put a smile on her face, stretched her hand out towards who she believed to be the Wolfener counterpart and greeted with: "Good afternoon and welcome to Imperial Britannia College, Miss Toncheva. I am Head Girl O'Donell. I hope you found your journey pleasant? If you would follow me please I believe we have lodging arrangements to conclude over the afternoon tea."

Adjusting her black beret, Tate moved forwards to take the welcoming ceremony over as their seniors moved off. With one hand proffed towards Cecilia she made the introduction: "Good afternoon Miss von Rhein. The name is Tatiana Newbury, Officer Commanding Team „Wellesley“, pleased to meet you. I hope you shall find the arrangements to your satisfaction. Would you and your team like to join us for a spot of tea?" Finishing off with a smile Tate signalled behind her that all was ready for the march back in.
Watching their team commander and head girl start leading their guests back, the lines of Britannian students turned as one inwards and to the strains of Rule Britannia, the school anthem they slowly marched back up the stairs of the portico, leading their guests through the opened doors and into the very heart of the school.

---

Dining Hall, Imperial Britannia College - Day Three Morning

Wilhelmina Mildred Somerton, Head Prefect of Albuera-House, and Deputy Officer Commanding of the official Senshadō team of her school woke up at sixty-thirty AM in the morning with I'm 95 in the loudspeakers and a decidedly dreadful feeling of exhaustion. The entire story began as her school took in six foreign schools in-between their six boarding houses over the past two days, with a total headcount that ran up to several hundred students and staff, some of them quite culturally antagonistic with each other.
Naturally then, the task of arranging them all into suitable lodgements with the least amount of possible friction had preoccupied her and the Imperial Britannia College's not insignificant Prefect's Council for the better part of the two last evenings, and her House just had to end up with the lot with the worst reputation ever, the Nachfolgians.

Kept up by what she thought was the worst bunch of racist, haughty and unruly guests she had ever seen Mildred Somerton, Head Prefect and involuntary hostess had been unable to drop dead into her bed until it was of an utterly uncivilized hour of the day. Having then barely slept five hours she was roused again for breakfast and the first period's classes, the hour now decidedly uncivilized in the other direction. Morning routines were completed in a stupor, as she discovered upon leaving her dormitory room, her part of a two bunk bed left in the state it was in when she woke up, and her shirt inside out.

From Albuera-House it was but a five minute walk to the dining hall, and today it was completely stacked with hungry people, Mildred noted with a measure of unhappiness. Manhandling herself through the gaggle of girls blocking her way to the food and salvation she served herself a cup of tea, toast, bacon and eggs and corn flakes. Now escaping the congestion, her breakfast firmly in her possession she spotted Georgiana Nugent von Westmeath, the Senior Prefect of House "Copenhagen", and Senshadō teammate at a table by herself and moved over, settling down with a single sarcastic "Slept Well?"

[Nachfolgia]

Team Edelweiss, House Albuera, Imperial Britannia College.

Johanna woke up to the sound of her alarm going off. Having arrived in lower Austria yesterday, Team Edelweiss was restless from the long trip. The Nachfolgians wanted to go out and see Austria themselves, but they were confined to the college. To pass the time, the Nachfolgian girls told stories, talked about the boys back home, and fought each other. You know, girl stuff. Well...the last part seemed to be a Nachfolgian thing. Nachfolgians, whether they are boy or girl, likes to fight...a lot. They take every opportunity they can to show off their strength, either by Krav Maga sparring matches or by Lausatök. Lausatök is an old wrestling style deriving from the style Vikings used over 1,000 years ago and employed by the Nachfolgians to this day. Lausatök is by far the most aggressive style used and last nights match resulted in a broken table, much to the Head Prefect's displeasure. A couple hours in AustrAustria and they were already on their bad side, though as a Nachfolgian that had already happened a long time ago.

Johanna rose from her bed and turned off the alarm. She was wearing a black tank top and dark grey short shorts, both with her school emblem on it. She quickly stretched and yawned for a few moments before it was time to wake the others. "[ Edelweiss!!! Time to wake up! Time to face the new day like Nachfolgians!" Johanna yelled out. Team Edelweiss quickly hopped out of bed, all except Kerroyln, Johanna's bunk mate. " [Frau Rantzau, get your big ass out of bed.]" Johanna said as she yanked the covers off of the bed. Underneath was a completely naked and completely vulnerable Kerrolyn. Kerrolyn quickly tried to cover herself with her hands. "[ Gah! Why do you insist on sleeping naked all the time, Rantzau.]" Johanna said as she tried to block the view with her hand. "[ It's comfortable, Frau Cadet Hauptmann. Plus the tank top they keep giving me is too small.]" Kerroyln said nervously. "[ I wonder why...with those two zeppelins of yours.]" Lorette commented a few feet away, causing the rest of the team to bust out laughing. "[ Cut that out! Hit the showers]" Johanna yelled out.

It took about 20 minutes for the entire Team Edelwiess to shower and get clean. Being as the house had communal showers, it didn't take long for 64 girls to shower themselves. Once finished, it was time for Team Edelweiss to get dressed. It took them about another 20 minutes or so to get dressed in their SS uniforms, considering their school was under the jurisdiction of the Waffen-SS education system, a militaristic system that has been in place since WWII. Finally ready to go, Johanna got her entire team lined up outside and they walked to the dinning hall, with Johanna and her team up front. As the large mass of black uniforms walked through the campus, many of the other schools attending the competition stopped and stared at them, all out of hatred. This is what the Nachfolgians were used to whenever they go out of country. They had manage to make a reputation out of themselves as hate-filled warmongers. The Nachfolgians didn't mind though, they wore their reputation with pride. As they walked, some of the Nachfolgian girls took noticed of the gawking and decided to make fun of them. They began to make obscene hand jesters and make rude remarks in their native tongue. Johanna heard all of this, but decided to do nothing about it, letting her girls have their fun.

In a few minutes, the Nachfolgians were at the dinning hall. The sea of black walked into the building and got in line, which raised the noise level of the place several times just by their presence alone. Johanna scanned the dining hall and immediately spotted their Head Prefect sitting at a table with the other heads of house. "[ You girls go on ahead, I've got to talk to someone. Sit together.]" Johanna said to Lorette before walking off. Johanna made her way to the table and stood before the Head Prefects. It was very clear that the Nachfolgian girl was several inches taller than the people at the table. " Excuse me, Frau Somerton. I would like to apologize for my girls behavior last night. We Nachfolgians like to play just as hard as we fight and I know it kept you up. Also I apologize about the...table." Johanna said with a thick accent.

[The Lowlands and Saxony]

Laura woke up with her alarm clock, set at a decent time. She then stood up and woke one of the girls from Bravo Platoon.

"Hmm? What's up? " The girl asked in a daze.

"It's time for everybody to wake up. So do your thing."

It took a moment for the girl to realize what Laura meant but as soon as she understood, she hopped out of bed and grabbed her trumpet she brought with her. She then walked with Laura to the most central point of the lodge and sounded the Reveille.

Almost instinctively Sophie and the others shot out of bed. They hopped into their uniforms, that closely resembled a office uniform as used by the Saxonian armed forces. As agreed upon before arriving here, one by one a girl steps out of her room and shouts "Room xx up and ready!"

Once everyone was ready, they headed as a group towards the dining hall. Emma and Linda saw a group that wears SS uniforms. "They must be pretty militaristic like us." Emma noted. "Should we go and have a chat with them?" Linda asked. They both looked at Laura, who nodded as a permission to go. "You can mingle now. Just be aware that they might be our enemies on the field"

And so the girls split up. Some stayed together and others went in little groups to meet other schools. They all tried to keep it polite as they are brought up in military discipline.

"Should we meet up with the leaders of the schools?" Sophie asked towards Laura.

"Nah. If they feel like talking with us, they probably will approach us."

[Minroz]

Imperial Britannia College

During the evening's night in Austria, trailing on the road are the coaches of the Zhongyang Imperial Military Academy – one of the most prestigious Military schools in the Middle Kingdom. Dressed in their distinctive winter olive-green uniform with red rims, the Minrozian coaches is filled with noises of the younger student engaging themselves in campfire songs and idle chat. For the most part, they sung from traditional folk songs to hyped-up nationalistic ones. While the chatting topics is just like most of any teenage schoolgirls, whether it’s about their fashion back home, family and boys. Even the teachers joined in the merriment of it, clapping away or singing as the infectious cheer spread. They seemed too energetic for the time closer to sleeping hours.

Everyone is happy so far. However, one person is too happy. A short, twin-tailed girl is standing at the front row of the coach as if she’s making her announcement to every person riding inside the vehicle.

“Hear me! As a member of the great Khereit, there’s no doubt we will not fail. And without question, the glory of the Middle Kingdom will be ours for the taking. The foreign devils should be honoured and awed by our presence. I’d say this, with the blessings of the heavens, our hard-work, and as your commander, I’m going to win this for everyone here and there. If anything, as students of the Zhongyang Imperial Military Academy, we have our responsibilities to prove to the outsiders out here that we are the greatest civilization in the universe! Ten Thousand Years!” Su Xiaolian, the commander of the team boasted as she punched her fist up in the air for dramatic effect. Despite the fact that she looked like she’s making a political speech at the allies and not to mention, Xiaolian spoke in the pompous way which befitted the status of her aristocratic background.

While most Minrozians in the bus she rode in are mildly annoyed by her loud proclamation, or ignoring her. Nevertheless they still respected her as their team commander. If it wasn’t for her compassion for her subordinates, Xiaolian will not be accepted as their commander in the first place. To the point, for girls younger than her, she’s like a loving big sister. To the girls her age, she’s a great friend to count on. However, this doesn’t mean they’ll tolerate her dramatic flairs all the time.

Seeing this, Xiaolian made a disappointed sight and slumped down back into her seat.

“Cheer up, you did your best.” Sonya tried to assuring her best friend.

“Gods, I’m trying to motivate them so we can win. I can’t have them fooling around when there’s call to duty.”

“Well, they’re still girls. But more like bored since we’re riding inside the coach. People are not like robots and golems. They need some fun and rest before committing to their tasks. It’s no good when people are tense at work. Remember the psychology class?” The Ruuz girl said.

“You’re right.” Xiaolian sighed. “I just wished everyone listened to me.”

“You’ll do fine, Xiao.” Sonya assured as she gently pat her shoulder.

In a twist of irony, and on the hindsight, Xiaolian did find it little funny that she’s in command of a motley group, considering the diversity of her team. Ranging from foreign exchange students and girls from military families to whacky goofballs and weirdoes, she thought it’s a miracle they got along with each other when they’re first formed back at the academy. Though she’s afraid it will be far more likely to turn into a disaster. Somehow, everything had turned out alright for the Steel Wolves so far.

“Thanks. But still, I’m afraid of disappointing everyone when we lose.” Xiaolian

“Is everything alright?” says the voice of the grown man behind them. The girls jumped a bit and see him. The man in question is Zhen Yen, the teacher who is formerly a veteran tanker in the Celestial Army with the tank of captain. In other words, he’s practically in charge of the group. Most importantly, he’s like a father figure to them. He spent time helping his students as good tankers, preferring to personally teach them all the way.

“Ah, teacher.” The two girls said in unison. Xiaolian is the first to speak, “We…we were…”

“It’s okay.” Zhen Yen put his hand up on her should to comfort her. “I understand your nervousness. And it’s your first time outside of Iclamia. Whatever fears you have, don’t let it control your heart. You must focus and relax. You’re one of the best students in the Military Academy we ever have. No doubt you have a great future in His Majesty’s Armed Forces, but remember your training and your purpose. And don’t forget where you come from, what’s more important is you all gave your best. Do you understand me, dear?”

“Y-yes sir, thanks you.” The Menggu girl smiled, feeling grateful.

“Good girl.” The military instructor nodded with his smile.

Finally, the Minrozian coaches have finally arrived.

“Okay, we have arrived, girls! Everyone start getting down from the bus and form ranks. We’re going to do the headcount next. Do you all hear me?” Zhen Yen called out to the students.

“Yes sir, Teacher Zhen Yen!” They cheerfully replied.

[Wolfenium]

Imperial Britannia College
Vienna; the Kingdoms and Lands in Reichsrath Represented
Day One

It did not seem to take a lot of effort for the girls to come at attention at the sound of the anthems, breaking up the chatter as they stood in proper rank and file. Then again, this was hardly the first time they ever had an anthem ceremony of the kind. Having spent every school morning on a flag-raising ceremony, a simple but routine parade like this had pretty much turned into a force of habit. Of course, the lack of lyrics from most of the girls, while not required of them this time, indicated a sense of lethargy over having to sing their national anthem on virtually every childhood weekend they ever had. Needless to say, those that did sang had very low opinions of the peers that did not.

Crossing her arms as the girls were led into the hall, Vasilka and her student council stood right at the front with the Tankery Club's own leaders organizing the girls. A prominent, big sister personality, Vasilka and her secretary, Ludmilla had the ominous task of trying to break up one fight after another between the members, particularly Cecilla against the others. Rubbing her eyes a bit, she merely scoffed, "I guess. Can't say the same for all of us. I could use tea. If you excuse us..."

Hearing Newbury's request, Cecilla gave a long, piercing stare, as if suspicious of the girl's intentions, or simply being quite unfriendly. Peering over at her remaining crewmates from the other buses as they followed their friends with all smiles, Cecilla could tell neither would have wanted to as much as sit within ten feet of her. Shutting her eyes, she had half the mind to refuse. But courtesy dictated otherwise, as Gloria quietly tugged at her to give her response.

"Cecilla von Rhein, team commander 'Rosenkranz'. I suppose I would be honoured to join," she finally stated, forcing a small smile as she followed the Britannian's lead.

---

Bathroom, House 'Copenhagen', Imperial Britannia College
Day Three Morning

Morning in the Imperial Britannia College, and Cecille was busy brushing her teeth in her dorm restroom. Dressed in pajamas and fluffy slippers, she looked more like a lost child than a high school student on an exchange. Ignoring her various schoolmates as they cleaned up a small distance away, the sour commander spat into the sink as she stared hard in the mirror. Even now, she was thinking hard on her upcoming match tomorrow. Judging her teammates, however, she hated to admit that they were going to collapse very quickly if they went in.

'This is bad,' she thought with a grimace, 'third day in and they still look at me like a plague. I can't trust any of them, not even my own tank crew. Only people who might listen are those princesses under Nothnagel, and that's a big if. The Student Council pretty much threatened to replace me with Alya again, and the MBT tank crews are all in mutiny. Light tankers are dumb as bricks and usual, and tank destroyer teams are too crazy. How the hell am I supposed to lead a team like this."

"Anything the matter, Rhein," a voice suddenly questioned, "you look gaunt."

Glaring to her side, Rhein was met with the face of her utmost ire. A raven-haired girl with eyes of dazzling hazels, Alya Farasha was a clear head taller despite being her junior. A newcomer in the tankery club, Alya's sudden rise up was a true shock to the commander. Popular, intelligent and above all, nice, she won over a club that had pretty much became Cecilla's personal fief, upending her authority and plunging the club on a death spiral to the power politics that ensued after. Granted, Cecilla had as much to blame, if not more, but the stubborn midget simply refused to hand over command to what she described as a 'lovey-dovey sand girl'. Already, the effects was utterly repungent for the old club president to take. Jittered by the lax attitude the club had now taken since the coup, Cecilla was starting that her position of team commander was slipping. Again.

"I'm fine," Cecilla lied in frustration, marching past her almost instantly as she avoided the junior's gaze. Bowing her head a bit as she sensed the agitation, Alya could not help but mince her words, unsure at what to say. Watching her teammates glaring at her, as if willing her to speak out, the girl tried to force a word out. But Cecilla did not need to guess what she was about to say. The feeling was already there. There was no point pretending anything was fine.

"If you're going to ask me to step down before the match, keep dreaming," she barked angrily, gripping her arms as her back faced the girls, "I don't care how much you punks revile me. You can pry that title out of my cold dead hands! Don't worry though," she taunted, turning back against the team, "if we lose, I'll be the one to take the fall, wouldn't I? Then you can have your dear sand nigger as your commander again. Then everyone gets to be happy!"

"You take that back, Wennwir," one of the girls in kitten-printed pajamas hissed back, jabbing "what era are you living in!? You don't think we can't just beat the hell out of you!? You're just hanging on to spite the fact that someone is better than you!"

"Absolutely," another demanded, as the girls began to join in on the mudslinging "stop being so obstinate! Like you would ever lose on purpose! Give Alya back the commandery! Haven't you caused enough problems!"

Hearing the angry rebuttals, Cecilla could only bat her eyelids in anger. Part of her felt tempted simply to give them what they wanted and step down, but that would require the utmost confidence that Alya would lose in the end. Even with such competition, she had doubts that would be the case. In particular, Alya seemed to possess a keen understanding of each tank crew's strengths and weaknesses. Tightening her fists, Cecilla finally snapped, "shut up! Ingrates, the lot of you!"

Marching off the door in a huff, the girl accidentally brushed at Gloria's shoulders, moving off without as much as an apology. Feeling a bit bewildered, the nightgown-wearing noble flashed a couple of glances into the toilet and Cecilla. Guilt trickling on her expression, Alya merely asked the blonde, "see if she's alright, Gloria. I'd go, but you know how she'll react to me..."

"Ah..." she uttered, quite troubled by the altercation, "I'll check her out then."

As Gloria herself departed, the Topazcan peered back at the other girls as she sensed the bitterness glowing in their eyes. While she herself had few issues letting Cecilla take charge, the fact remained that most of the club was simply sick of the midget nasty, forceful attitude. Unwilling to see the club lose solely on leadership issues, she felt a lot like speaking up for Cecilla. But part of her could not help but think the club would not relent regardless. It was not as if she never tried.

"This is going to be a long day," Alya mused to herself, feeling a little remorseful. For now, there was breakfast to attend to.

---

Dining Hall, Imperial Britannia College
Day Three Morning

Seated along a large table, the girls of Ronanpfalz-Metz were already dressed in their uniforms for their breakfast. Wearing black blazers with red ribbon ties and black and red-patterned pleated skirts, the girls' uniforms seemed patterned towards the Wolfen army's own Wehrmacht and Bundeswehr-styled uniforms. The only ones wearing actual grey uniforms, though, were officer-ranked women. One, a lecturer, had blonde hair tied up while dressed in an office skirt. The other, a long-haired blonde making her way with a walking stick and her schoolmate, wore a far longer, plain grey skirt. The only people in civilian clothes, the other teachers, had far more varied outfit. While the other female teacher had a relatively normal cardigan and dress, the sole male was wrapped in a purple, monk like sash. Overall, the mood seemed to be pleasant as usual, but the altercation in the bathroom had not gone unheard, as the girls whispered and gossiped among themselves.

"Why does Alya take her shit anyway," whispered an annoyed girl.

"She's only going to make us lose," commented another.

"I think we're all doing that just fine," mused a third.

"Someone really needs to teach her some," growled a fourth.

Sitting with the staff as she overheard the commentary, Vasilka had a lot of reason to frown. The incident over Cecilla's commandery over the Tankery team for the tournament was fresh in her mind, not the least since she had the inglorious task of cleaning up the mess. She, Ludmilla and Isola had had to contend with the manic protests from both camps too, the most vocal being Cecilla's loader, Heike. Of the people who wanted Alya to take over, it was the Belkan girl who had to sit in the same tank as Cecilla herself. While Vasilka had her fair share of annoyances from the rest of the Tankery club, it was Heike who took harassment to another level. It did not help that she acted like a rabid online political activist. It was as if being a non-Edenite automatically means she had to be sympathetic to minorities. On her part, Vasilka had to agree, but she also had to be fair above all, and that required being unsympathetic to emotional appeal.

"Is this really the team we're going to send for the exhibition," she grumbled, staring at her cream of chicken soup as she stirred the mix slowly with a piece of naan bread, "we've already had to rope in other clubs to contribute. I can't see how we're going to do well."

"No need to worry about that," Ludmilla assured her, smiling at the chatter, "we're here to enjoy ourselves and learn, not stroke egos."

"Trust you to say such things," Isola griped, "coming from a pugilist that enjoys beating the shit out of opponents."

"Well, you can't blame me if I put all in to a fight," crooned the secretary, "tankery feels a bit stifling having to sit in a metal coffin all day. I'd rather fly a plane or fight on foot than in a crew, not that I'm complaining, since I'm with you two."

"Glad you're still being optimistic," Vasilka relented, "I've had enough headaches as it is. I wish Heike wouldn't annoy me, however. Why can't they all just suck it up."

"Oh well," mused her friend, "we all can't expect everyone to be so forgiving, especially for those who had had to face Cecilla on a daily basis."

The day, to the student president's dismay, was far from over.

[The Akasha Colony]

IMPERIAL BRITANNIA COLLEGE

Emily Johnson awoke to the sound of her phone beeping and buzzing to the tune of her pre-set alarm. Swiping the screen to silence the nuisance, she rubbed the last bits of sleep from her eyes before slowly climbing out of bed. Despite arriving two days ago, she still felt a bit of jet lag from the timezone change, which had her getting up at what would normally be considered an ungodly hour at home. The change seemed to be even harder on the coaches, who she had seen religiously downing coffee every morning since they had arrived.

Looking around the room, she noticed her roommate was already wide awake, playing a rhythm game on her tablet as usual. She wasn't sure how Grace managed to get by on so little sleep, but then again she had never been a particularly talkative type. Perhaps it was because she had mastered the art of conserving her energy?

"Morning," Grace began without so much as a glance away from her game.

"Morning," Emily muttered in response, still coming to her senses. "Anyone else awake?"

"Don't know. No one's knocked."

Emily knew that Grace wasn't the only one who kept odd hours on the team, but it seemed that the others like Grace had the sense of courtesy to not bother waking the others in pursuit of something to do. Most were likely spending the time as Grace was, catching up on whatever social media they followed on their phones and tablets.

She had set her alarm a good hour before the team was expected to be at breakfast, although all team members were supposed to be awake a half hour before breakfast anyway. Those who preferred morning showers had their own responsibility to leave enough time for their morning routine, but otherwise the team didn't need to meet for another 45 minutes to head to breakfast. Normally that would have meant Emily could enjoy another 30 minutes of sleep, as she preferred night showers and thus had little to do in the morning to get ready, but as team captain she had made it her goal to be a proper role model, and rose to get ready for the new day.

Trudging to the bathroom with her toothbrush while fighting off the last bit of grogginess that befuddled her thoughts, the captain ran into her vice-captain, Clara Hodges, who was similarly preparing herself for the day. The ever-organized tactician already seemed to be fully awake, busily brushing her teeth and taking care of basic morning hygiene tasks. Her somewhat blank gaze was not a sign of weariness, but instead a sign that she was once again deep in thought, her morning routine requiring little in the way of attention to occupy her.

"Morning," Emily began.

"Good morning," Clara responded, nodding her head in slight acknowledgement. "Adjusted yet?"

"Getting there. Not completely. When'd you get up?"

"About 20 minutes ago, but I was already sort-of awake before that. Someone was playing a damn bugle or something in the house next door earlier."

"Well, at least I managed to sleep through that one. Although I might need one to get Janice and Sarah out of bed. When'd you finally crash?"

"1:30ish. Reading up on the competition. These schools seem to be a good deal more militaristic than the ones at home."

"I gathered that from all the marching and the formations and the uniforms, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Fancy uniforms don't win battles, otherwise Carthage Imperial would've won the title."

"I know, but it gives me something to do. And it's my job. Captain."

Clara emphasized the last part of her response as a subtle jab at her commander, who had habitually left most tactical planning to her second-in-command. Not out of laziness, but due to a lack of interest and a recognition by both that Clara was both more interested and better versed in the subject than a gearhead like Emily, who was a more empathetic command figure.

By the time the two had finished getting ready, several more girls had trickled into the bathroom to begin their morning routines. Emily headed back to her bedroom to get dressed for the day. As with most publicly-funded institutions in Carthage, Wright Engineering High School had no uniforms save a basic dress code and their sport of choice didn't require jerseys per se, but as athletes representing their school the team had adopted a basic uniform composed of a white polo shirt with the Wright EHS logo paired with a blue skirt, shorts, or trousers. Many girls had further completed their ensemble in certain seasons with a letter jacket, also in blue and white.

Finished preparing for the day, Emily stepped out to begin her morning rounds. It was almost the scheduled wake up time, and the captain and vice-captain began their rounds, checking each room to see that their occupants were at least awake and stirring. Grace had finally getting ready herself, having completed her daily gaming ritual.

The halls filled up as the team roused themselves from slumber prepared themselves for the day. Fifteen minutes later, the girls met their coaches in the lobby of the house, to verify head counts and ensure no one had been missed in the rush to get ready. Having already been on several trips together, the coaches by now had adopted a fairly hands-off approach, appearing as needed to verify counts and to liaise with other administrators and guides, but otherwise leaving the girls to manage their own affairs, such as waking up in the morning and preparing their vehicles for the competition.

Now accounted for and with several girls already voicing their hunger, the team finally departed for the dining hall. In contrast to the marching formations of some of the other schools, there was no real semblance of order, with the team proceeding in a number of irregular clumps and groups that formed and dispersed as girls dropped into and out of conversations with each other. As was common in such large groups, the team quickly became strung out, as those with a faster pace pulled ahead of those in no particular rush.

A few minutes later, they had finally arrived at the dining hall, ready for breakfast. While they had received no directives in regards to seating, the vast majority of the team unsurprisingly gravitated toward a shared handful of tables, initially preferring the immediate familiarity of each others' company over strangers they had yet to be introduced to. Mindful of putting a damper on the students' socializing, the coaches took a table by themselves, leaving the girls to their own devices.

[Pan Asian Amercian Coalition]

Imperial Britannia College, Vienna
Lawn of House "Queen"
Day 3

Elsha quickly wiped several heavy beads of sweat from her brow as her team slowly filed back into formation. Their morning PT had just come to an end, and the dry wintry air was a welcome change of pace from the stifling humidity of Avalanche Mountain during this time of year, but the girls' heavy woodland-marpat fatigues made sure to keep them sweaty. As always, Elsha was totally winded, but standing facing the entirety of the Valkyrie Hunters she had to keep the airs of an soon to be officer about her no matter how tired she was. Everyone was tired, even if it didn't show, as they started the day at 5 o'clock this morning. Up in front, she was flanked by her loader and the drill instructor, Selissa, who was pacing about, barking orders to hurry up and fall in to some of the slower cadets.

Looking out over the 100 or so young women before her as the last of the girls fell into formation, seeing the clouds of vapor form and dissipate as the girls slowly regained their stamina, standing in perfect rows, Elsha took a quick breath to steady her voice as she addressed the team.

"You girls did good today! It's about time we had stretched our legs a little and got back into normal routine. Just because we're abroad doesn't mean we're on vacation, we will be practicing just as hard as before and will continue to do so. You all remember, failing to prepare is preparing to fail!" she bellowed

"You girls have all been here before and won before, and you'll do it again. Always progress! - "

"Always forward!" each of the girls in formation bellowed back, repeating the mantra of the Valkyrie Hunters.

"Now, lets' get some chow. Dismissed."


At a small metal table near the wall of House Queen table sat a two people, a serious looking young man with fluffy black hair and a piercing blue eyes and a young woman with long, fire red pony tail and gentle smile, both of whom watched Elsha bark around the Valkyrie hunters. They sat in full olive green and gold trim dress uniform, sky blue berets on, slowly sipping fresh espresso and listening to some soft swing music from a old-style phonograph on the table, observing the team as the bob-haired blonde gave a shot at a rousing morning speech and some first time high command.

"What do you think of our little commander?" asked the young man, dryly.

"You tell me Zakarius," Zoey replied with confidence "I think she's doing pretty well for a virgin commander. I don't think she's mastered the miserable hardass routine you've got, but she's got promise."

This was met with a barely audible hmmrph.

---

Dining Hall, Day 3
The Valkyrie Hunters arrived suddenly at the dining hall, the girls filing in rough lines. Unlike most of the other schools, the girls the same uniforms they had on during the mornings' exercises, a set of mar-pat BDUs and a pair black leather combat boots. It was difficult to tell the girls apart without knowing their faces, a matter not helped by the universally short or bun hair, along with rank only be shown by a small black insignia that was velcro'd on and a team patch on the shoulders and torso.

The team groggily passed through the offered foods, taking anything that fit their fancy and on their tray, with combination of eggs-hashbrowns-hot sauce seemingly dominating most plates. The girls chatted among themselves, the usual banal conversation that people hold over breakfast, telling jokes and stories as they slowly filled out the available floor space. The team seemed to gravitate towards the upper right side of the dining hall, near the windows. Elsha watched and let the girls be girls, her own tank crew huddled around a portable electric coffeepot. Alkita, a slight and unforunate looking girl, her one good eye barely shown behind her onyx black hair as she poured a cup of black gold. Selissa, an enormous blonde woman quietly towered over the rest of her team (and most other people in the room), quietly cooing about the drink prepared by the half-blind gunner. And last, her stocky driver Kokova, who was complaining to the other two and being totally ignored. Even from across the room, Elsha could tell what she was saying and knew it was just a coping mechanism for her current lack of caffenine. Blah blah blah they shouldn't move more than 3d6 because blah blah blah

Elsha herself needed a place to sit, and her team having completely filled out their little claimed section. She slowly and inconspicuously wandered towards another one of the teams, the Utrechtse Kraaien judging by the almost secretarial uniforms they wore.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked the girl that seemed to be their commander.

[Wolfenium]

Peering around at the sea of budding young girls, a single, lone blonde young man looked nervous, stifling under the atmosphere of femininity around him. Dressed in a purple monk sash with golden highlights, Fumihiro Haiyome felt unsettled by his situation, even if he admitted he asked for this assignment. While he clearly appreciated, and desired being in the company of the opposite sex, he apparently never anticipated being overwhelmed in their presence. Now, he found himself wishing he was not alone for once, not the least when his eagle-eyed colleague was keeping tabs on him in case he went astray.

"I can't believe the day would come when I wish there were men here," he griped, seated with his fellow lecturers in a separate table near their charges, "I can't breathe in here."

"Really," Sina questioned, her arms crossed as she glared suspiciously at him, "that's rich coming from you."

"Well, I wouldn't complain in a bed, perhaps, that's a different issue," he quipped, trying to loosen his collar, "but three days of pu-"

"Language," cautioned the stern lieutenant, jabbing her finger on the table while their diminutive colleague watched bashfully.

"Right..." grunted Fumihiro, "three days of princesses-only gives me the jitters. I just want a normal round of drinks with a pack of buddies for once."

"You volunteered for this, 'Princess'," Sina affirmed, trying to hide her glee watching the man complain, "I'm shocked to hear that from you, considering you termed this as a 'paradise'. Well, first time for everything I guess."

Looking up at the girls on the table, Sina could spot a hand waving from a blonde, twintail girl. A blissful, gullible look on the student, she quietly waved back with a smile as she looked over the rest of the cohort. Glancing at the cadre of highborn girls next to her, Sina felt a bit unnerved having the young girl in their crew. After all, the girl Serin, was her sister, and her kind of personality entails abuse from the other highborn nobles, particularly since they were of burgher lineage, rather than the Edenite-dominated peerage.

"Oh look," pointed out their softspoken colleague, as a mature-looking student was being led to the front of the table, "prayer's starting."

Following the lead of one of her schoolmates as she held her hand, the girl with the blonde ponytail seemed to be staring into nowhere, her pale blue eyes devoid of sight. Despite her disability, Mjallhvit Schwender, one of the seniors of the cohort, and a tank commander. But she was not part of the tankery club like most of the team. She was called in to join the competition, and had a very different role entirely.

Standing in front of the table of girls, she announced in a calm, delicate voice, "lecturers, sisters-in-arms, please observe a moment of prayer as we give thanks to the gods for this meal. For those who pray to others may do so on their own volition. I only ask you respect your fellow peers and teachers in silence."

Hearing the call to prayer, most of the Wolfen girls quietly clasped their hands, closing their eyes as they waited on the blind senior to speak. Others, like Vasilka and Alya, made their own prayers, crossing themselves, clapping their hands or opening their palms. Heike, in particular, appeared somewhat stressed, pressing her clasped hands on her forehead as if trying to concentrate on her own prayers. Seated beside her amidst the commotion, her black-haired friend could see her hands trembling in frustration as she tried to restrain herself.

"It's just a prayer," Adelheid whispered, "just relax."

"The hell am I supposed to relax," the Belkan hissed in a suppressed growl, "you know how these things get to me."

"Heike," mused the nervous girl, holding the girl's hands to try to calm her down. As her eyes shifted to the rest of the table, she could see the bowed heads of the blueblood cadre surrounding Käthe. If any of them noticed Heike's apprehension, there was hardly any reason to doubt they would poke at her with everything they got. Fortunately, the ringleader herself was not keen to interrupt, as the visually-impaired senior began her prayer.

Móðir ljós, móðir lundi,
Við þökkum þér fyrir uppskeru þína
þú, af níu útvöldu
leiðbeina okkur á vegi okkar

Mother of the Light, Mother of the Grove,
We thank you for your harvest,
You, of the chosen nine,
Guide us on our path

Spoken in an old tongue, the prayer was hardly understandable to anyone. But Mjallhvit was a priestess by training, as her Nordic name suggested. A practitioner of the Reformed Titanist Church, the seer, as she is known by her title, is part of the Empire's official state religion. Reformed from the old pagan cults in the first days of independence to challenge the existing Orthodox Crystallian Church, the Titanist Church had since become the largest in the nation, intrinsically tied to the founding of the empire. However, those who are not believers in its gods, Belkans like Heike, recalled a darker side to the church. While officially sanctioning secularism today, Reformed Titanism had long been stained with the acts of violent pogroms conducted against the Crystallian and Belkan population during the chaotic decades following the country's birth.

As the students finally settled for breakfast, Heike could not help but rush for the pastries. It was bad enough she had to sit through the prayer of a formerly violent religion, let alone one by a cripple she could not help but feel guilty despising.

[The Lowlands and Saxony]

Elsha herself needed a place to sit, and her team having completely filled out their little claimed section. She slowly and inconspicuously wandered towards another one of the teams, the Utrechtse Kraaien judging by the almost secretarial uniforms they wore.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked the girl that seemed to be their commander.

Laura looks up and sees the girl. A pattern normally only available for the USMC on a Battle Dress Uniform. Her nation must be militaristic like the Lowlands and Saxony. She approves this form of honouring her nation and smiles. She stands up and gives a hand to shake.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Laura van Gilze-Rijen and I am the team leader of The Utrechtse Kraaien. It is a pleasure to make acquaintance. Who is the person I have just introduced myself to?"

[Minroz]

Bathroom, House 'Copenhagen', Imperial Britannia College
Day Three Morning

It’s the time of the morning and everyone in the Steel Wolves Team had now finally got themselves acquainted in Austria the past three days. Somehow the Minrozians managed to get themselves settled down despite the radical cultural differences in their host country. Not forgetting the fact they’re sharing the building with the students from Wolfenium, a western nation with a much bizarrely different culture which ran contradictions to their perceived stereotypes of Germanic cultures. Much different from Sechsmany they knew.

In the end, the students from both teams seem to get along with each other generally. And that’s after they gotten used and tolerated each other’s presence despite language barriers and flares of cultural misunderstandings. Even if it’s not the case, the Minrozians are politely civil to the Wolfeners at the very least. Needless to say, not all of them are quite civil as some Steel Wolves members like Su Xiaolian. These girls are pretty much arrogant enough to mock the Wolfeners at every turns. Though they had to be restrained by their more sensible countrymen, not wanting to turn the situation which may escalated into an international incident at worst.

On the other hand, as if there aren’t any more surprises, there are some Minrozians who’re not of East Asian varieties like Sonya will probably comes off as a astonishing to the Astolis. Nevertheless, the Minrozians are pretty much looking forward to the senshadou matches.

At the dorm restroom, Su Xiaolian is busy brushing her teeth, while dressed in her pink pyjamas and fluffy, white slippers. She clearly looked like a kid in a comical way. And she knew some of her more mischievous schoolmates would definitely make jokes about her height. While staring at the mirror for a moment, she then noticed more members of the Steel Wolves entered the restroom with her.

“Good morning girls.” Xiaolian greeted her subordinates while brushing her teeth.

“Good morning commander!” The Minrozian girls replied, one by one, whilst doing their morning routines.

“Has everyone had a good sleep?” Xiaolian asked after spat in the sink. She received mostly positive replies from them, aside from the quiet ones who just gave an acknowledging nod. Regarding the aristocratic girl, it’s almost unbelievable that she can be friendly person to hang out with. Despite her misgivings about working with ‘white devils’, she’s tactful enough to not getting involved into petty squabbles or any unnecessary brawls. Rather, she’d rather do things in the honourable way just like her warrior ancestors of the cold steppes.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed the company of her schoolmates. Other than that, Xiaolian preferred to be a big sister figure to her girls. So far, they seemed to take on their lax attitude right now.

“A third day of beautiful sleep on the nice bed. Warm foods and gorgeous scenery. I love it.” Sonya said with the smile.

“Yeah, who doesn’t? Better than sleeping on the plane in the dark skies, that’s for sure. You know some of us are not comfortable sleeping inside the vehicle.” Lui Wenling, Xiaolian’s second-in-command and best friend, quipped.

In response, the diminutive girl chuckled. “Heh. You tell me, girls.”

The trio took a peek at the rest of the Team Steel Wolves. Judging their teammates, they looked bit too diverse for a mere group of Orientals in contrast to other teams participating in Senshadou tournament. Not mentioning there are lot of very colourful characters in the group.

“Everyone seems to take it very easily on the third day.” Sonya commented.

“Xiaolian, you know, it’s funny how we have gotten here so far. When we first formed in 2015, I didn’t really believe we’re going to work as a team with this lot. It feels like we’re managing a circus troupe. The Gods sure have their strange sense of humour.” Wenling remarked of her own.

“Eh, you don’t say?” Xiaolian shrugged. “Let’s see…we have foreign exchange students from Ishvar. We have tough girls from the countryside. We have some Muslims who’re your typical girls. We have some pampered princesses from their rich daddies who knew nothing of military life. We have silly southerners, most of them are in the light tankers team. We have Numidians. The tank destroyer teams and half of our MBT tank crews are probably crazy weirdoes and maniacs with obsession of their own. Don’t get me started with the martial arts club, I swear to the Ten they run on Kung Fu like fuel. We’d even have our own chefs too. The rest are…normal, at least normal by our standards, thank gods. Please tell me why our team is not weird and colourful?”

“Point taken.” Wenling nodded in understanding. “Well, you’re not the only one thinking our team are probably one of the weirdest in the universe. I find it hardly believable myself. Now, look at where we are.”

“We all did, we’ll see how things goes. Gods above knows. Luckily for us, we’re trained and ready for this tournament.”

“I’d say it’s going to be fun day.” Sonya piped in.

“Sonya, wouldn’t be that be bit of understatement?” The Menggu noble girl joked.

“Oh, says you and your ego?” The blonde made a mock pout.

“Come on, let’s change our clothes. We have breakfast soon.” Wenling advised her best friends.

---

Dining Hall, Imperial Britannia College
Day Three Morning

Seated along a large table with their meals and treats brought along from home, the girls of Zhongyang Imperial Military Academy were already dressed in their uniforms for their breakfast. Wearing olive-green blazers with black neckties and gold and red-patterned pleated skirt, while their Muslim schoolmates wore their headscarves and pantyhose, the girls’ uniform seemed patterned towards the Minrozian army’s own Soviet and PLA-styled uniforms. Overall, the mood was enjoyable for them. Because they’re able to chatted amongst themselves like any teenage schoolgirls, whether the topic is about fashion, food, boys and their favourite subjects. And of course, they’re speaking in their native tongue.

However, the Minrozian students are a bit raucous in their conversation, saying ‘bit’ is an understatement, they’re so noisy to the point other students and staff members in the dining hall can hear them. The Minrozians are perhaps loudest bunch out of all the girls presented in the room. It’s another good, pleasant day for them.

Standing in front of the table of girls, Wenling announced in her friendly voice, “Sisters-in-arms, everyone! May I have your attention please! We’re going to observe a moment of prayer as we give thanks to the Heavens for this meal. Commander Su Xiaolian will lead.”

She then sat down back in her seat.

Hearing the call to the prayer, most of the Minrozian girls quietly clasped their palms together like the way East Asian Buddhists did, closing their eyes as they wait for their commander to speak. Others, like Sonya and the Muslim members of the team, crossing themselves or opening their palms. Xiaolian cleared her throat before began her prayer.

Om ah hum, om ah hum, om ah hum.

Great compassionate Protector and Creator,
All-knowing Teacher,
Field of merit and good qualities vast as an ocean – To the Shang-Ti, I bow.

Through purity, freeing from attachment,
Through virtue, freeing from lower realms,
Unique, supreme ultimate reality- To the Dharma that is peace, I bow.

Having freed themselves, showing the path to freedom too,
Well-established in the trainings,
The holy field endowed with good qualities – To the Sangha, I bow.

To the supreme teacher, the precious Enlightened One,
To the supreme refuge, the precious Dharma,
To the supreme guides, the precious Sangha,
To all the objects of refuge we make this offering.

May we and all those around us never be separated from the Triple Gem in any of our lives. May we always have the opportunity to make offerings to them. And may we continually receive their blessings and inspiration to progress along the path.

By seeing this food as medicine, I will consume it without attachment or hatred, not to increase my arrogance, strength, or good looks, but solely to sustain my life.

Finally finishing the prayer, she then opened her eyes and grinned.

“Let’s dig in! Cheers for the third day, girls! Ganbei!” The small girl quipped, raising up her cup.

“Ganbei!” The girls cheered.

Hanging their drinks up into the air, they celebrate with sodas. All at the same time, they chugged down their drinks in spirit of their merry mood. At last, the Minrozian students finally settled for breakfast. As usual like the past two days, they began chatting and laughing at light-hearted jokes amongst themselves. However, not all of the girls felt joyous. While her subordinates are preoccupied with enjoying their breakfast, Su Xiaolian discreetly looked at the photo of her beloved boyfriend, Meng Wuji – a young soldier who is currently stationed in Khaydaristan for peacekeeping. Needless to say, she’s very anxious for good reason.

“…I hope you’re safe, my love. I want you home and hug me. I missed you so much.” She whispered with a mirth smile, her eyes had nearly gives in to tears. Regardless, Xiaolian has to focus on her duty and responsibilities as a leader of Team Steel Wolves. As well as representing her country. All the same, she’ll lead her girls to victory if she must.

[Pan Asian Amercian Coalition]

Laura looks up and sees the girl. A pattern normally only available for the USMC on a Battle Dress Uniform. Her nation must be militaristic like the Lowlands and Saxony. She approves this form of honouring her nation and smiles. She stands up and gives a hand to shake.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Laura van Gilze-Rijen and I am the team leader of The Utrechtse Kraaien. It is a pleasure to make acquaintance. Who is the person I have just introduced myself to?"

Elsha set her tray down and met Laura's hand with her own and a friendly smile. The formality wasn't unexpected, considering Laura's much fancier dress uniform in comparison to Elsha's simpler outfit, but it did catch her slightly off-guard. An hour and a half of morning PT did not do Ellie any good in preparing for a formal introductions.

"Captain Elsha Hsdarisk, team lead of the Valkyrie Hunters. A bit less formally." she half-joked.

She sat across from Laura and took a long drink from her almost comically large coffee mug. A gentle, cooing grumble emitted from the now noticeably happier Captain as she toyed with the breakfast before her. A pile of hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and crumbled bacon were covered in a dash of ketchup and hot sauce. She looked up back at Laura as she mixed the contents together into a big, gooey, delicious pile as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. This was easily the best part of the morning to her.

"So, Laura, ehh.. if you don't mind me being so blunt, " Elsha began, diligently ignoring the loud prayers of the Chinese team, wracking her brain for something to say " your uniform seems a bit, well, formal."

She really wasn't sure if that was the best way to start of the morning, but it was better than her crew's usual morning banter. The choice between an awkward conversation with a foreigner and being caught between the unstoppable madman, unmovable idiot, and shy cutie-pie that made up her crew was not exactly a difficult one.

[The Lowlands and Saxony]

Elsha set her tray down and met Laura's hand with her own and a friendly smile. The formality wasn't unexpected, considering Laura's much fancier dress uniform in comparison to Elsha's simpler outfit, but it did catch her slightly off-guard. An hour and a half of morning PT did not do Ellie any good in preparing for a formal introductions.

"Captain Elsha Hsdarisk, team lead of the Valkyrie Hunters. A bit less formally." she half-joked.

She sat across from Laura and took a long drink from her almost comically large coffee mug. A gentle, cooing grumble emitted from the now noticeably happier Captain as she toyed with the breakfast before her. A pile of hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and crumbled bacon were covered in a dash of ketchup and hot sauce. She looked up back at Laura as she mixed the contents together into a big, gooey, delicious pile as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. This was easily the best part of the morning to her.

"So, Laura, ehh.. if you don't mind me being so blunt, " Elsha began, diligently ignoring the loud prayers of the Chinese team, wracking her brain for something to say " your uniform seems a bit, well, formal."

She really wasn't sure if that was the best way to start of the morning, but it was better than her crew's usual morning banter. The choice between an awkward conversation with a foreigner and being caught between the unstoppable madman, unmovable idiot, and shy cutie-pie that made up her crew was not exactly a difficult one.

Laura looks down at her uniform and smiles. "Students in my nation are required to wear this. They say it's supposed to inspire them to sign up for officer training after college. I am quite used to it and I actually like hint of class that the uniform portray" She straightens her jacket as she compliments her uniform. She then searches for a new topic as she doesn't want to look like a stuck up girl. The mumbling of the Chinese doesn't help this but it gives her an idea. Something they both have common must be a good topic for conversation.

Laura does like that Elsha comes from a militaristic nation too but discussing politics isn't a suitable topic in the morning and doesn't interest her all that much. She does wonder however what kind of tanks they use. Then it struck her. The martial art is all about tanks and Elsha does it too. Duh, they are attending a whole tournament surrounding the martial art. She hopes her frankness doesn't show the weakness of her team too much but it still is a nice topic.

"I believe my nation is somewhat of a underdog here, considering the martial art is fairly new in the Lowlands and Saxony. We have done some training compensate that as much as possible though. We will be driving Leopard 1 A 5s supported by FV101 Scorpion light tanks. What about you?

[Pan Asian Amercian Coalition]

Laura looks down at her uniform and smiles. "Students in my nation are required to wear this. They say it's supposed to inspire them to sign up for officer training after college. I am quite used to it and I actually like hint of class that the uniform portray" She straightens her jacket as she compliments her uniform. She then searches for a new topic as she doesn't want to look like a stuck up girl. The mumbling of the Chinese doesn't help this but it gives her an idea. Something they both have common must be a good topic for conversation.

Laura does like that Elsha comes from a militaristic nation too but discussing politics isn't a suitable topic in the morning and doesn't interest her all that much. She does wonder however what kind of tanks they use. Then it struck her. The martial art is all about tanks and Elsha does it too. Duh, they are attending a whole tournament surrounding the martial art. She hopes her frankness doesn't show the weakness of her team too much but it still is a nice topic.

"I believe my nation is somewhat of a underdog here, considering the martial art is fairly new in the Lowlands and Saxony. We have done some training compensate that as much as possible though. We will be driving Leopard 1 A 5s supported by FV101 Scorpion light tanks. What about you?

The whole uniform debacle failed as soon as it set out and Laura's high class managed a smooth segue into a topic both were probably much more comfortable discussing. Elsha found it odd how Laura kept referring to her school as her nation, but decided to leave that point be and discuss tanks.

"I'm hesitant to agree, but it sounds like you're kinda outclassed" Elsha said as she shoveled a heaping spoonful of her scrambled breakfast into her mouth "I mean, there's alot of the big hitters out here. Most of the teams here have probably seen more than three or four classes of students graduated through 'em. And then there's Nacho-flags for team Edelwiess, the home team Wellesley here, and yours truly are some of the regular finalists. " She didn't mean to brag with this last statement, just merely bringing up the point. Elsha took another spoonful of breakfast.

"If Sensha-do wasn't so expensive to run, it'd be the national sport of the Coalition. The school I go to runs three teams!" she stated with genuine enthusiasm for the sport "But I can understand what it's like to be new. As for the roster, we mainly use NATO tanks, mostly American M-60 Pattons and Swedish 103 Stridsvagons, but we have a newly built Chieftain mark three!" her voice rising with joy as the tank was mentioned.

"It's heavy and slow but easily one of the best armored pre-composite MBTs on the market, and there's a huge backorder on them since they're really, really popular with smaller teams. I think the Chieftain is really a pretty tank, its chunky, gently sloping armor reminds me of a cute tortoise!"

Elsha paused for a breath and long drag of her creamy coffee as she prepared her next sentence.

"So, what about where you're from? You said you're fairly new, right, so what's the Sensha-do scene over there like?" she asked, accompanied with a warm grin.

[The Lowlands and Saxony]

The whole uniform debacle failed as soon as it set out and Laura's high class managed a smooth segue into a topic both were probably much more comfortable discussing. Elsha found it odd how Laura kept referring to her school as her nation, but decided to leave that point be and discuss tanks.

"I'm hesitant to agree, but it sounds like you're kinda outclassed" Elsha said as she shoveled a heaping spoonful of her scrambled breakfast into her mouth "I mean, there's alot of the big hitters out here. Most of the teams here have probably seen more than three or four classes of students graduated through 'em. And then there's Nacho-flags for team Edelwiess, the home team Wellesley here, and yours truly are some of the regular finalists. " She didn't mean to brag with this last statement, just merely bringing up the point. Elsha took another spoonful of breakfast.

"If Sensha-do wasn't so expensive to run, it'd be the national sport of the Coalition. The school I go to runs three teams!" she stated with genuine enthusiasm for the sport "But I can understand what it's like to be new. As for the roster, we mainly use NATO tanks, mostly American M-60 Pattons and Swedish 103 Stridsvagons, but we have a newly built Chieftain mark three!" her voice rising with joy as the tank was mentioned.

"It's heavy and slow but easily one of the best armored pre-composite MBTs on the market, and there's a huge backorder on them since they're really, really popular with smaller teams. I think the Chieftain is really a pretty tank, its chunky, gently sloping armor reminds me of a cute tortoise!"

Elsha paused for a breath and long drag of her creamy coffee as she prepared her next sentence.

"So, what about where you're from? You said you're fairly new, right, so what's the Sensha-do scene over there like?" she asked, accompanied with a warm grin.

Laura listened with full enthusiasm to what Elsha had to say. She likes hearing about the vehicles she will use and smiles as Elsha gets excited about them.

"Well as I've said earlier, the martial art is new for my nation. My school, the Utrecht Education Institution, is the first school to give it a try. The reception of the sport is very good by the way. I mean, a government that primarily thinks about the state of their armed forces hearing about a sport that teaches schoolgirls to efficiently use tanks...You can easily see why they support this." Laura slightly giggles over this.

"As for the people, the scene is new and thus somewhat unknown. You know, like Lacrosse: You have heard of it but you have no idea how it is played or anyone in your area plays it. Some see it as a new tactic to train new soldiers just like the government sees it. Others actually see it as a new sport that in our culture might well replace soccer or hockey one day as the most popular one.

This is why I said that my team might be the underdog; The equipment is familiar in the nation since we have used it in service in the past but the whole team lacks practical experience. I hope my knowledge gets my team in the right direction but for now, I have to wait and see."

Laura notices that Elsha might have had former experience here and if done right, she might give some pointers. Elsha at least sounds friendly enough to help a bit.

"So as this is the first time my team participates here, I have no clue who the powerplayers here are. Do you have any idea who they are? Who I should look out for?"

[Wolfenium]

The whole uniform debacle failed as soon as it set out and Laura's high class managed a smooth segue into a topic both were probably much more comfortable discussing. Elsha found it odd how Laura kept referring to her school as her nation, but decided to leave that point be and discuss tanks.

"I'm hesitant to agree, but it sounds like you're kinda outclassed" Elsha said as she shoveled a heaping spoonful of her scrambled breakfast into her mouth "I mean, there's alot of the big hitters out here. Most of the teams here have probably seen more than three or four classes of students graduated through 'em. And then there's Nacho-flags for team Edelwiess, the home team Wellesley here, and yours truly are some of the regular finalists. " She didn't mean to brag with this last statement, just merely bringing up the point. Elsha took another spoonful of breakfast.

"If Sensha-do wasn't so expensive to run, it'd be the national sport of the Coalition. The school I go to runs three teams!" she stated with genuine enthusiasm for the sport "But I can understand what it's like to be new. As for the roster, we mainly use NATO tanks, mostly American M-60 Pattons and Swedish 103 Stridsvagons, but we have a newly built Chieftain mark three!" her voice rising with joy as the tank was mentioned.

"It's heavy and slow but easily one of the best armored pre-composite MBTs on the market, and there's a huge backorder on them since they're really, really popular with smaller teams. I think the Chieftain is really a pretty tank, its chunky, gently sloping armor reminds me of a cute tortoise!"

Elsha paused for a breath and long drag of her creamy coffee as she prepared her next sentence.

"So, what about where you're from? You said you're fairly new, right, so what's the Sensha-do scene over there like?" she asked, accompanied with a warm grin.

Laura listened with full enthusiasm to what Elsha had to say. She likes hearing about the vehicles she will use and smiles as Elsha gets excited about them.

"Well as I've said earlier, the martial art is new for my nation. My school, the Utrecht Education Institution, is the first school to give it a try. The reception of the sport is very good by the way. I mean, a government that primarily thinks about the state of their armed forces hearing about a sport that teaches schoolgirls to efficiently use tanks...You can easily see why they support this." Laura slightly giggles over this.

"As for the people, the scene is new and thus somewhat unknown. You know, like Lacrosse: You have heard of it but you have no idea how it is played or anyone in your area plays it. Some see it as a new tactic to train new soldiers just like the government sees it. Others actually see it as a new sport that in our culture might well replace soccer or hockey one day as the most popular one.

This is why I said that my team might be the underdog; The equipment is familiar in the nation since we have used it in service in the past but the whole team lacks practical experience. I hope my knowledge gets my team in the right direction but for now, I have to wait and see."

Laura notices that Elsha might have had former experience here and if done right, she might give some pointers. Elsha at least sounds friendly enough to help a bit.

"So as this is the first time my team participates here, I have no clue who the powerplayers here are. Do you have any idea who they are? Who I should look out for?"

"I don't think you can realistically expect to have your opponents tell you how to win, do you," a soft, motherly voice interjected close by, "such is the pride of men."

Guided over by a shorter, raven haired girl with bangs covering part of her face, the elder girl leading the prayer earlier quietly settled at an empty seat beside the two commanders, her hands feeling for the edge of the table and seat base as she slowly rested on the chair. Armed with a long, white walking stick, she handed the device to her friend as she tried to face them. But her apparent gaze fell quite short, as if trying to listen to them than speak with them directly, though her lack of sight was more than enough to explain her behaviour.

"My schoolmates can be noisy at times," she remarked, "not that I don't mind a little liveliness, but there are times when that noise can contribute to destructive tendencies. Pardon the intrusion; Mjallhvit Schwender, Ronanpfalz-Metz Panzerjäger section commander. Pleased to meet you both."

[Nachfolgia]

Laura listened with full enthusiasm to what Elsha had to say. She likes hearing about the vehicles she will use and smiles as Elsha gets excited about them.

"Well as I've said earlier, the martial art is new for my nation. My school, the Utrecht Education Institution, is the first school to give it a try. The reception of the sport is very good by the way. I mean, a government that primarily thinks about the state of their armed forces hearing about a sport that teaches schoolgirls to efficiently use tanks...You can easily see why they support this." Laura slightly giggles over this.

"As for the people, the scene is new and thus somewhat unknown. You know, like Lacrosse: You have heard of it but you have no idea how it is played or anyone in your area plays it. Some see it as a new tactic to train new soldiers just like the government sees it. Others actually see it as a new sport that in our culture might well replace soccer or hockey one day as the most popular one.

This is why I said that my team might be the underdog; The equipment is familiar in the nation since we have used it in service in the past but the whole team lacks practical experience. I hope my knowledge gets my team in the right direction but for now, I have to wait and see."

Laura notices that Elsha might have had former experience here and if done right, she might give some pointers. Elsha at least sounds friendly enough to help a bit.

"So as this is the first time my team participates here, I have no clue who the powerplayers here are. Do you have any idea who they are? Who I should look out for?"

"I don't think you can realistically expect to have your opponents tell you how to win, do you," a soft, motherly voice interjected close by, "such is the pride of men."

Guided over by a shorter, raven haired girl with bangs covering part of her face, the elder girl leading the prayer earlier quietly settled at an empty seat beside the two commanders, her hands feeling for the edge of the table and seat base as she slowly rested on the chair. Armed with a long, white walking stick, she handed the device to her friend as she tried to face them. But her apparent gaze fell quite short, as if trying to listen to them than speak with them directly, though her lack of sight was more than enough to explain her behaviour.

"My schoolmates can be noisy at times," she remarked, "not that I don't mind a little liveliness, but there are times when that noise can contribute to destructive tendencies. Pardon the intrusion; Mjallhvit Schwender, Ronanpfalz-Metz Panzerjäger section commander. Pleased to meet you both."

As Johanna talked to the House Prefect, the rest of Team Edelweiss got their breakfast. Each Nachfolgian loaded their trays with what ever food that had plenty of protein; bacon, sausage, eggs, ect. Since Nachfolgians are naturally athletic and have a high metabolism, they require a lot of sustenance to sustain their body.

After getting breakfast, Team Edelwiess took their seats at several tables on the far side of mess hall, sitting together as per orders. The girls dressed in black began to eat their protein enriched meal. As they eat, the nachfolgians talked amongst each other, perhaps a little too loud. Even though all the teams talked loudly, the black-clad SS cadets were getting very rambunctious. The girls practically yelled at each other from across the table as they scarfed down the food. The Nachfolgian tables became a feeding frenzy for the hungry girls.

Amongst the chaos, two girls kept their composure and quietly ate their breakfast, Kerrolyn and Lorette. The gunner and driver of Team Edelwiess' command Panzer simply laughed and talked with the other girls, though at not such a high volume. Adelaide, on the other hand, was sitting with her sister at the far end of the table. Adelaide's sister, Anja, was with one of the tank destroyer teams as their loader. Adelaide and Anja tried to spend as much time together as possible when not in their separate vehicles.

Bored of the conversations going on at their table, Lorette looked around the mess hall, trying to find something more entertaining. Shortly, the black haired girl spotted a Wolfen talking to a couple of Saxons. Interested in what was going on, she nudged Kerroyln in the boob to get her attention.

"[ Oww, what was that for?]" Kerroyln said as she clutched her breast.

"[ Sorry, I was aiming for your arm, but your massive balloons got in the way.]" Lorette said with a smirk.

"[ They're not that big...are they?]" Kerroyln said uneasy as she looked down at her breasts that were bulging from her uniform.

"[ Yes, they're humongous, but more importantly lets go talk to those girls over there.]" Lorette said as she pointed across the mess hall.

"[ But Frau Cadet Hauptmann said to stay away from the other girls.]" Kerroyln replied.

"[ We're just going say hello. No harm in that.]" Lorette said as she picked up her tray and walked over to the table, follows by Kerroyln.

The two SS Cadets sat down at the table where the Saxons and Wolfen were sitting, Lorette sitting next to the Saxons and Kerroyln next to the Wolfen. " Guten Morgen, Frau. I'm Cadet Feldwebel Lorette von Werth and this is Cadet Gefreiter Kerroyln Rantzau. It is a pleasure to meet you." Lorette said with an odd smile.

[Minroz]

-snip-

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-snip-

While the Minrozians are busy eating their breakfast and chatting among themselves, there’re few girls who had finished their meals already. Some excused themselves to the bathroom while others opt to listen quietly to their teammate’s conversation. Although, there are few girls wished to explore the school if only to satisfy their inner curiosities in foreign lands. Naturally, the Minrozians (and their Ishvarian friends) find the cultural landscape of the Hapsburg realm to be bizarre to their own. Then again, not all members of the Steel Wolves are from aristocratic background or familiar with Western societies to comprehend. Nevertheless, the Steel Wolves are content with their stay in the dorms and they’ve proven themselves to be decent enough to be approachable. For them, the only complications they’ve encountered with the locals and foreign students are language barriers and cultural differences.

Out of seemingly nowhere, an tall,oriental girl appeared overhead at the table where Elsha, the Saxons, the blonde Wolfener and Nachfolgians sitting at. She happened to be passing by, carrying a tray with the plate full of beef meat and gravy, and no carbos like mash potato or bread. This girl is unmistakably to be wearing the same uniform as members of the Minrozian Steel Wolves team. However, she seems to be curious with the white girls’ conversation for odd reason.

“…” All she did is giving them a muted stare upon eye contact.