Girls und Panzer-The Accident

Chapter 13: Breakfast

Maho was used to waking up early. She had after all gone to kuromoromine, where classes started at 7:30 am. But that night she was so tired she didn't wake up until 10:30 am. She looked over at miho, who was still asleep. The pain medicine she was taking really did make her sleepy. Maho got up, went to her suitcase, pulled out a t shirt and shorts and walked into the shower. She was in and out in 10 minutes. Miho was still asleep. She got her phone from the charger plugged into the wall and checked her messages, she had a message from Erika. "Hope miho is feeling better today, thinking about you, miss you." She smiled. Erika had been her friend since 2nd grade. She was about to close her phone, when it buzzed. Someone was calling her. It was Hana. She walked into the kitchen and answered.

"Hello." She said

"Maho, it's Hana." Hana said on the other end of the phone.

"Oh hey, how you doin." Maho said cheerfully.

"Uh okay." She responded. Maho could tell she hadn't slept. But she figured she would let Hana tell her what was wrong instead of pushing her.

"Good, what's up?" Maho asked

"Are you free?" Hana asked.

"Sure, what's going on?" Maho asked

"Can you meet me at the school?" Hana asked, hesitating

"I'll do ya one better, meet me at that tank resturant, ill get you breakfast."  Maho said

"You sure?" Hana asked

"I won't take no for an answer, you blew me off last night." Maho said. 

"Okay, in an hour then." Hana said.

"No problem. Talk to you then." Maho hung up and walked back into the living room, miho was still asleep. Maho wrote out a note and put it on miho's phone, telling her she would be back, and of she needed anything, to text her. Maho grabbed her kuromormine jacket, the only jacket she had, and walked out the door. She met Hana at the resturant, she had already got a seat and ordered some coffee when Hana showed up.

"Hey." She said cheerfully. She could see Hana was tired.

"Hi." Hana said quietly. Maho didn't know Hana as well as her sister did, but she did know that something was wrong, Hana was usually quiet, but she never remembered her being this quiet. Of corse, it could be she was just tired.

"What's going on?" Maho asked, trying not to pressure Hana.

"Oh, nothing." Hana said meekly. She was as quiet as mako today. "Are you hungry?" Maho asked.

"No, not really, my stomach was kind of bothering me this morning." She explained "Oh, been there." Maho replied.

"Hana, are you okay?" Maho asked after a few moments. "I guess." She said, she couldn't meet maho's eyes.

"Look, I know something is bothering you, if you want to talk about it I'm all ears, but if your not ready, I am patient. I didn't become ace tanker at kuromoromine by being reckless. I'm here when you want to talk, but whatever's bothering you, try to forget about it today so we can get to know each other better." Maho said after another wait. "Thanks maho, that means more than you realize." Hana said, giving maho the first real smile she had seen on Hana's face.

"Anytime." Maho responded.

Hana was amazed. She didn't really know maho all that well, and already she felt like she could trust her with anything. She wondered though if maho had any resentment towards her for the accident. Maho had one of those faces that you couldn't read easily. Probably came in handy when commanding tanks, cool headed and steely, no emotion getting through. However, this didn't necessarily help Hana. She wished she could get some conformation as to whether or not maho was angry. She wished maho would just show some emotion, even if it hurt Hana, she would feel better if maho just yelled at her, anything to let her know what she was feeling, but she had a poker face like fieldmarshall Rommel and a strategic mind to go with it. Hana didn't. Hana wanted to say something, but felt what little was left in her stomach start to turn. She looked up and saw maho looking her over. Her eyes were like the muzzle of the 88. Big and looming, cutting into you like a knife. Yet, unlike the 88 they had a warm nature that just made you want to trust her.

Maho looked over the young girl opposite her. The gunner of the "ooarai special" as their panzer iv ausf h was known. Battling her, you would think micheal witiman was on the other end of that gun, not the shyest and sweetest 17 year old girl you would ever meet. A girl who wouldn't hurt a fly, but as soon as she got behind the gun, her personality changed. She gained the skill of gunnery far faster than any of the girls at kuromoromine, even the ones who took the corse in Israel, a place where the tank gunners are known for superior gunnery. However today, she seemed, distant, distraught, and nervous. Maho could see her shrink from her eyes. Something is wrong with her. She thought. She looked like she wanted to talk about it, but she looked pale and nauseated, like if she tried she would throw up again.

"Are you gonna be ok, you look like your gonna hurl again." Maho said. Hana nodded and turned back towards the table. Meeting maho's eyes for the first time. She held maho's gaze for a few seconds and shrunk away again. Maho was used to this. After all, she made all the kuromoromine students shrink away, even the bigger and tougher ones, from her stare. She used it as an advantage in tankery, bu she wasn't used to talking to Hana, especially not like this. Hana seemed to take great weight in what others thought of her. Maho had only been away from kuromoromine for a few days and still, she guessed, had the panzerstare as Erika called it.

"Hana." Maho said "is it me?" She asked

Hana looked up. The look on her face didn't support maho's theory, but it ,didn't disprove it either.

"What, no." Hana said.

"Are you sure?" Maho asked

"Yes, absolutely. But I cant tell you yet." She said.

"Ok. Well in that case, i'll drop it, how about we go..." She was interrupted by her phone buzzing.

"Miho's up. I gotta run, but ill be in touch if you want to talk." She said leaving the tip on the table.

"Maho." Hana called out "Yeah."

"Don't tell miho anything's wrong, I. Don't want her to worry." Hana said

 "No problem" Maho responded 

"thanks." Hana said as Maho turned towards the door

"Take care." She called as she walked out.