Girls und Panzer AU : Sensha no Kami

• Chapter 3

School ships have been around since the times as early as the era of the Roman Empire. It is modeled with the intent of fostering the independence of students to bear the responsibility of the naval operations of such gigantic, self-sufficient ships.

Though being self-sufficient should be the primary job of a ship as large as an entire city ward, resupply missions and port of calls are still existent for school ships that are on a tighter budget.

And Sado High's school ship is no exception to this and we made our port of call at Yokohama at the end of the week, which is also the home port of St. Gloriana Girls College, and also one of the largest ports in Japan where they can accommodate up to 3 school ships at the same time.

“No matter how many times I’ve seen it in the past, seeing these enormous ships up close still amazes me…” Itsuka said as us 5 saw St. Gloriana’s school ship, the HMS Ark Royal, docked on the berth farthest from our moorings.

The five of us then looked at Kuromorimine’s school ship, the KMS Graf Zeppelin,  that is currently in the process of maneuvering within the middle berthing of the port to make sure that they've successfully docked the ship, all from the outside of our dorm.

“Haruna-san, you mentioned that you'll be taking your practical exams here today, right?” Runa asked.

“Yeah, that's the agreement I made with the representatives of the Japanese Senshado Federation and the school board.” I answered.

Kaguya then asked with a worried tone “Haruna-chan, are you sure about doing this? You could've transferred to other schools to enjoy Senshado, you know?”

Hearing this, everyone else looked worried at me and I couldn't help but have to reassure them of this.

“I chose to study here because I've been in Niigata for the entirety of my childhood. I could have chosen Viggen, but where's the fun in studying and following my dad's footsteps while also doing Senshado that my mom really loved doing?” I explained.

I then added with a smile “And besides, I've already made a lot of friends like Kaguya-chan and others as I have grown attached here, so why should I transfer out after the classes have already started?”

Hearing this, everyone else smiled and their moods lightened up a little bit. It was then that Isshiki approached the five of us.

“Haruna-sama, the chopper’s at the parking lot right now. Miss Yurisiel said that now’s the time for our departure.” Isshiki said in a formal manner.

I then smiled at everyone upon hearing this news as I then asked Isshiki “Can the chopper fit Kaguya-chan and others?”

Isshiki just smiled at me and responded “I knew you would say this, Haruna-sama, so I've requested the twin-rotor chopper for these circumstances.”

When they heard about this, the four of them were quite surprised by this development. Although it's not really necessary to bring more people into this, I want the four of them to witness what Senshado looks like in-person.

“Along with Sayuri-san, Miss Yurisiel and the two of us, there's still 4 empty seats for Kobayashi-san and others to occupy.” She added.

“H-Hey, Haruna-chan? Can we really come with you?” Ayaka is the first to ask in a nervous manner.

“This is not a joke, right? We could watch a Senshado match on the spot, right??” Kaguya asked me excitedly.

“That's right.” I answered as I added “You guys might change your mind once you've witnessed the match with your own eyes, you know?” I said with a smug tone.