Turtles

Back In Control Part 2

"President, please, I'm trying not to think about that."

"Might as well, it's happening either way." Kadotani crunched another chip.

Koume wasn't particularly in the mood for games right now. "What is the Anglerfish Dance, why do you say it's 'happening either way', and why are Kawashima and Koyama not looking happy about it?"

Kadotani glanced at her briefly before returning her attention to her bag of chips. "The Ankou Dance is a traditional part of the closing ceremony of the Ankou Festival. It is, as the name implies, a dance. Normally it is done by girls from the prefecture and our school who volunteered. This year, nobody volunteered. So yesterday at City Hall, among the other things we did, I signed us up." She didn't answer the last part of Koume's question.

"By us, you mean..."

"Turtle Team."

".... You signed me up for a dance of some kind in public without consulting me?"

"You were the one who wanted to be on our crew, as I recall."

Koume choked.

"Um... excuse me, please," Miho said (she'd been listening to the whole exchange over the radio), "I really wish you hadn't signed Koume up for that without asking her, but I don't see why that would put more pressure on me."

"Turtle Team is going to do the dance regardless, Nishizumi-chan. But the mayor made a bet with me; if we lose, you and your crew have to do it with us."

"What?" Koume found her voice again. "You can't do that! You can't do that to her!"

Kadotani ate two chips. "Watch me. You were planning on winning anyways, right?"

"Um... okay?" Miho just sounded confused.

With difficulty, Koume pushed her anger to the side and refocused. That just makes our task here even more important. I can't let Miho down.

"Miho, don't worry. We'll take out that Crusader. Saint Gloriana won't know where you are. Koume out."

They were in the middle of the hills, now, and Koyama had slowed down significantly on account of the much rougher terrain. In addition to the rises and valleys, this area of the battlefield was also lightly forested. About five hundred meters to the east, the trees stopped, as the land rose to form a cliff before dropping off to the plain that made up most of the area. It was a perfect place to scout from. We have to kill it before it gets there. Have to. Not for the first time in her life, Koume wished she had hearing like Miho's (or close to it at least), so she could find this thing and begin to work out exactly how to tackle it.

The area felt like it was in the middle of the wilderness. It wasn't, though. Ooarai Town was only a couple of kilometers away, and there were power lines visible in the area. There was also a small hut just up ahead, on top of one of the larger hills about two hundred meters away, with a gravel road leading back to the main highway and a sign on the door indicating it belonged to the local electric company.

Koume's eyes narrowed when she saw it. The building, and the hill it was on, were to the north—the direction the opposing tank would be coming from. It had to be close now, and if they could get to the top of that hill and around to the other side of that building, she should be able to spot it. Since she wasn't blessed with supernatural hearing, she'd have to make do with her eyes like she always had.

"Koyama, you see that little shack on top of that hill?"

"Yes."

"Take us up there and around to the other side, as quickly as you feel comfortable wit-,"