Girls und Panzer and the Wundermotor

Cooking for Erika:

The next day, Peter was blissfully asleep, rolling over in his bed so his face was right into his pillow. "[Hey Peter!]" a man joyfully shouted before he hit Peter hard on the back. Being flung violently out of a pleasant dream about a certain person, Peter slowly turned his head to his left to face his waker. Crouching in front of his bed was the annoying, grinning face of Konrad. Peter grumbled something absentmindedly as he reached under his pillow, withdrawing his Mauser C96. Konrad jeered as he jumped up, dodging Peter when he threw the pistol at his head.

"[ARRRRGH.]" Peter yelled into his pillow. "[What the fuck do you want? I'm trying to catch up on all the sleep I lost during the war.]"

Konrad's grin grew again. "[That girl, Erika? She wants you to cook her a Hamburg Steak.]" Konrad grabbed Peter around the shoulders, yanking him out of his comfortable bunk bed. "[Come on Peter, see if you can't snatch yourself a girl with your cooking skills!]"

"[I already like someone...]"

"[Oh ho! So you do, who is it? Is it Akaboshi-OOF!]" Konrad fell over when Peter stood up straight and drove his fist straight into Konrad's chin, sending him backwards and onto the steel floor.

Peter crankily yelled, "[Why the hell should I have to tell you that!? I don't even know if I like her myself!]" and with that, Peter had enough. He grabbed his jacket, which he pulled on in one smooth motion. He tugged his M43 cap tight onto his head, and picked up his Mauser, before he opened the ship-style door and left the room, leaving Konrad lying on the cold, steel floor.

"You really want this Hamburg Steak from me, don't you Erika?" Peter muttered in a tired voice as he was marched down the halls of Kuromorimine to a kitchen so he could make Erika her Hamburg Steak.

"Yes, yes I do." Erika replied as she opened the door to the kitchen. It was fairly nice kitchen for students to use in their cooking classes, and because of a combination of the ongoing Sensha-do Festival and the fact that it was a Saturday meant no one was around to witness Erika drag in a 16 year old boy in a complete Wehrmacht uniform followed by Koume, who was smiling nervously. "Alright, we've got ingredients here, we've got all the cooking tools." Erika heaved herself onto a stool next to Koume, an expectant look plastered on her face. "Let's see how you cook."

Peter sighed, dejected. Taking off his jacket and cap, he took the sharpest knife he could find, while also making sure it fit his hand properly. Erika and Koume watched as Peter took a pan from a rack along with some cooking oil, before taking ground beef out of the fridge. He oiled up the pan before turning on the stove, and while it heated up, Peter began to form a beef patty. "Erika? How do they make Hamburg Steaks here in Japan?"

Erika raised a slight eyebrow. "We make them with sauce and onions. Stuff like that."

"I see. Uh, hopefully you don't mind if mine comes out differently. I only know how to make the German Hamburg Steak [Mutter] taught me." Erika just shrugged as her answer.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sound of sizzling meat, soon followed by an appetizing aroma of butter and other spices like pepper. "Have you tried his cooking before?" Erika asked Koume.

"Nope. I've never seen him cook, actually."

"Really? I thought he would've cooked something up for you at some point." Koume raised her eyebrow, causing Erika to sigh. "Y'know...like a fancy dinner or something."

Koume's cheeks became tinted red. "W-why would Peter..."

"Because I'm not sure if you've noticed before but Peter seems to really like you, Koume." Erika dropped her voice so Peter wouldn't overhear while he cooked. "It's like everyone's been saying, you two might as well just become a couple already."

"W-why're all of you so interested in us anyways!?" Koume retorted.

Erika shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe it's because we've all spent our lives at all-girls schools, meaning we don't have a lot of chances to meet guys. Because if you ask me, I'm pretty sure that's why so many gay couples keep popping up." Koume could only nod. "Also, y'know how Peter sang that song to you? 'Es wollt ein Mädel?'"

"W-what about it?"

"Not sure if you know this, but that's a love song." Erika said this much louder, which was quickly followed by a quick cry of pain from Peter, who burned himself a little.

He spun around, red in the face. "I-I couldn't think of any other songs to sing, that's all!"

"Oh, sure buddy." Erika sneered. "How's that Hamburg Steak coming along?"

Peter could only grind his teeth at Erika. Sometimes he liked her, sometimes he hated her, but it's not like he could do anything about it. "It's coming along great. In fact, it's almost done." and Peter returned to his cooking. Several minutes later, he cut off the stovetop and slipped what he had cooked onto a plate. "Here you go. A Hamburg Steak in the way me and my mother make it." Peter's Hamburg Steak smelled delightful. On the plate was a fried beef patty with a little bit of gravy slathered over it, while on the side were slices of potatoes, fried until they were golden brown and very crispy. "In Germany we call it [Frikadelle.] Enjoy."

"Alright then...thanks for the meal!" Erika took a knife and fork and cut off a slice of the patty, before eating it. Several minutes passed by while Erika ate Peter's prepared dish, meanwhile, Peter and Koume watched Erika for any fancy reaction.

"H-how is it?" Peter finally asked.

Erika swallowed. "It's...really good. I'm impressed."

"R-really? Thanks~" Peter said, blushing from the compliment.

"Hey can I have a bite?" Koume asked, taking a fork of her own and taking a bite of the beef patty. It was delicious. It tasted like a steak, with a buttery combination of pepper and saltiness, with a hint of some herbs and other spices that were thrown in, the gravy complimenting the already well-seasoned beef patty. "Wow...this is," Koume paused to swallow. "This is really good!"

"Heh, [danke schoen...]" Peter repeated, again blushing at the nice compliment. "I haven't cooked in a while, so that's nice to hear..."

"Hm!" Koume nodded joyfully as she and Erika finished the rest of the Frikadelle. And without thinking at all, Koume said, "You'd make a good husband with cooking skills this good!"

"..."

"..."

"..." After several moments of silence, Koume realized what she just blurted out. "A-ah no wait I meant, uh..." Koume blabbered, trying to take back what she had just said. In the meantime, Erika burst out laughing, doubling over. Koume paused her blabbering, looking at Peter.

His face was very red, but she noticed that his mouth was moving ever so slightly, as if he was forming a reply. "Uhm..." Peter swallowed, wiping his mouth with one hand. "Th-thanks for the compliment..." He muttered, before being overcome with embarrassment and covering his face with both hands.