Leopon Team is quite busy. In addition to their duties as members of the team, they also have to deal with the task of repairing vehicles that are knocked out in battle, and install upgrades. Since the match with Dalian was fairly close, that means all of the tanks. The StuG is getting Schurzen plates, the M3 Lee's getting a machine gun for the commander, and the Leopon's just getting a tune-up.
Several paragraphs of exposition and a dialogue scene between Leopon Team and Miho follow, but let me condense it into six words: Leopon Team's tank has engine trouble. Granted, that's something of an oversimplification, but it's easier for casual readers to process than multiple paragraphs of detailed technical discussion.
Meanwhile, Hippo Team practices together. It's indicated that they're working together seamlessly now, and they hope the same can be said for the others.
Amusingly enough, the scene shifts to Rabbit Team (the team with the Love Triangle), with Aya constantly missing, resulting in Ayumi grousing that "people with glasses shouldn't be gunners." In fairness, though, Ayumi does significantly better, even if she hesitates, seemingly out of her attraction to Yoshi.
Duck Team is next, with Noriko loudly and bitterly complaining about the Type 97, which is apparently only superior to the Type 89 with its gun, although Miho says it's also supposed to be faster (I can't fact-check any of this, though). They hope the new tank will be better, and I wonder if they'll be disappointed.
Alligator Team does some target practice. Daichi concludes the problem was with the sights, and Kenshin agrees; I had forgotten that they had names, much less what they are.
Shark Team practices stopping before shooting, and Akio reflects on how much their opponents' accuracy has suffered from not doing it. But while the shooting is going well, the driving isn't. As Gunjin curses his team's bad luck, Kenji (two more people who don't get any characterization and whose names I can't remember), as Akio ponders his transmission and how his competitors are doing.
At Black Forest, Maho watches as her Sentoki-do team returns from a match with Blue Division, that apparently didn't go well; we were told all this in the past tense. It's somewhat understandable that this would happen, since both teams are Oarai's rivals, but since it's the introductory match of Sentoki-do in this fic, one would think it could be shown in more detail. Apparently, Black Forest loses six out of 20 planes in the first pass, while Continuance only loses one out of 16. Maho doesn't know whether Black Forest really has better planes, but believes that crew skill is of the utmost importance, to an even greater extent than in tankery, and realizes that they'll have to work on the crews' disadvantage in experience before "combined arms" matches.
Meanwhile, Akio is listening to the radio, while Tsubasa and Hoshino work on the transmission. Akio is uncharacteristically quiet about the match, barely reacting to Tsubasa's comment that bomber hunters are useless in Sentoki-do.
Akio and Tsubasa have one of their first conversations since the transfer, apparently because Tsubasa is quite busy. Akio says Senmoka mentinoed something about a Hohei-do club, which Akio will consider joining if he sets it up. Tsubasa suggests that Miho is keeping Akio busy as well, but Akio merely says she's a neighbor. Hoshino and Tsubasa, after a moment of silence, drop the subject, but then Akio more directly brings up their relationship. After a moment of shock, they admit he's on the mark.
Miho arrives on crutches, with Akio noticing that she looks "pitiable," not as strong and calm as when he first met her (which seems to be a case of telling and not showing, as the narration played up her nervousness), or as happy as when she talked with his mother(as opposed to, you know, her actual best friends from canon). He, having stayed around for her sake, helps her go home, noticing a bit of determination in her and hoping it filters through to the rest of the team.
What I liked
- Introducing Sentoki-do to the story.
What I didn't like
- The Sentoki-do match was offscreen.
- Large amounts of technical information.
- Lack of attention to characters.
My Impression of Akio so Far: It didn't really change in this chapter, but I wish the story would let Miho's friends from Anglerfish Team pick up the slack as far as taking care of her goes.
