Dein Weg ist Mein Weg

Chapter 44: Crucible

"The judges are currently convening to discuss whether the match should be allowed to continue, on account of the unpredictable weather conditions inside the arena. On behalf of the organizers, we thank you for your patience."

Disappointed sighs and annoyed mumbles could be heard making their way through the stands as the loudspeakers informed the audience. It had already been almost two hours since anything of note had happened on the battlefield, and the professional commentators could only keep the crowd interested for so long. To now be informed that the match might simply be cut short on account of some wind, ending the semifinals between one of the top-seeded teams in the tournament and the fan-favorite underdog with not even a whimper, that was drawing vicariously close to the last straw.

"It just keeps looking worse and worse for Ooarai... Surrounded by the enemy on all sides, and now this weather... I'm sure their morale can't be very good..."

"Whoever's responsible for their merchandize must be beside themselves though," Haruka Endou said with a longing sigh as she looked out over the stands and the considerable amount of Ooarai flags, banners, T-shirts, and various signs of support, all spotting the audience in great big swathes. "Imagine if we could get even a fraction of these sales for Centipede, Rin. We'd be able to swim in cash..."

"Eh?" Rin Matsukaze said as she looked at her team manager and best friend with confusion. "But... don't we already do okay, money-wise? There's never seemed to be a problem so far..."

"Of course there's no problem. As long as I'm keeping track of it, we'll always be in the black," Haruka said with a smug, self-confident grin. "But there's a difference between 'doing fine' and that," she added with another sigh, continuing to gaze out over the crowd. "The only way you get this kind of support and money is by being top-of-the-game like Kuromorimine, or a lovable underdog like Ooarai... And Centipede is neither. We're just floating along cozily in the middle..."

"Don't worry, Endou. We'll... we'll get to the top someday," Rin said in an attempt to be comforting, even if she didn't particularly care about how they were looked upon in Japan's tankathlon-circuit. "Although I still think it's kinda strange to see Maho Nishizumi commanding a team like Ooarai. I wonder why she switched..." she wondered out loud. "What do you think, Shizuka?" she added, turning to Shizuka Tsuruki, her other friend and teammate, Shizuka commanding their small Te-Ke tankette and working the gun while Rin kept them moving. "Shizuka?" she asked again when the raven-haired girl gave no response, giving her a small nudge.

"It's so simple..." Shizuka said distantly under her breath, looking with a starry-eyed gaze at the aerial view of the siege that played on the huge monitors.

"What?" Rin asked, looking at Shizuka in a lack of understanding.

"It's so simple! Don't you see, Rin?!" Shizuka exclaimed in impassioned praise. "I've been blind for so long! I always thought Maho Nishizumi to simply be some results-driven perfectionist, someone's whose sole purpose in life was only to win, no matter how trivial a contest Sensha-Do would be for someone with her skill and resources. But now... now I understand..."

"Understand... what?" Rin asked, looking in confusion back and forth between Shizuka and the match coverage.

"She's seen the truth!" Shizuka continued. "She's seen how true glory can only be found in the most dire of victories, or the boldest defeats! Clearly she left Kuromorimine to be rid of such an accomplished and unbeatable team, craving the glory of struggling against all odds with a small and inexperienced team like Ooarai!"

"Are... are you really sure about that, Shizuka?" Rin said with an eyebrow rising anxiously.

"Of course! It's the only explanation; Last year she finally came to see the ways of a true warrior, and so instead of simply taking the menial victory that Kuromorimine was all but guaranteed, she instead chose to-"