As the chapter begins, a fierce shootout is going on. Erwin says their goal is to disable the flag tank while keeping the P40 at bay. Yukari mentally notes that Miho now knows the P40's location, so it's just a matter of taking it out. She tells Aya not to pull back, since their tank is the only one with thick armor, and they need to hold on.
Anzio's assault continues, with one shot taking out the Char B1 Bis' turret ring. Another shot takes out Duck Team, which intercepted the shot.
The battle is now five Anzio tanks against two Oarai tanks (although with the other two tanks coming, it's technically five against four), and F Team grows desperate, wondering where the others are. A shot hits their tank, immobilizing but not disabling it. The Anzio tanks then aim at the StuG, intending to finish it off, as Caesar jokes about it.
But then a shot rings out, and misses, as Turtle Team comes to the rescue. Anglerfish Team, arrives, and makes a more successful shot at Anchovy's tank, as Anchovy screams Miho's name.
Saori celebrates, but Yukari reminds her that they need to take out the flag tank. Turtle Team misses again, so once again, it's up to Hana to take it down. But Hippo Team finishes off the flag tank, not wanting to only be protected throughout the match.
The battle wasn't quite as interesting as some of the others, and mainly seemed to be a way to show Yukari in command. Still, it did seem to work well for the manga's Yukari-centric purposes, perhaps better so than most of the others did.
As the announcer announces Oarai's victory, Anchovy grits her teeth in frustration, Erwin throws an arm around Yukari, and Aya grouses that Yukari is "a rough boss," prompting her to apologize.
At the staging area, Miho apologizes for her lateness, but Yukari says she believed in Miho. Rabbit Team confesses to getting hit first, while Duck Team is proud to have made it through, and Hippo Team gives a silent thumbs up. Miho thanks all her teammates.
An absolutely furious Anchovy arrives, with Carpaccio trying to restrain her, and reveals her true grievance against Miho- the incident in which Miho caused her team's defeat by saving the tank. Yukari is about to say something, but Miho steps in, saying that tankery isn't just about winning or losing. Anchovy insists otherwise, and says that there is no meaning to doing tankery if you don't strive for victory.
Miho, however, asks if Anchovy is saying that her and her friends' efforts are meaningless, which gives Anchovy pause. Miho says that she found friends at Oarai, and that friendship is more important than winning, nicely standing up for her ideals in the process. Yukari is impressed, but Anchovy is not, saying she understands Miho's feelings, but dismisses them as "an idealistic fantasy". She tells Miho that she should be guiding her friends to victory if she cares about them, and as she walks off, apologizes to Carpaccio for losing.
In some ways, this is an interesting departure from Oarai's other rivals, with Anchovy, unpleasant though she may be, giving Miho a valid reason to want to win for those comrades. Miho may not be the sort to sacrifice her friends to win a match, but she still strives for victory.
Yukari reflects on what Miho did to save her friend (It's hard to tell given the black and white coloring, but she looks a little like Erika- and she IS Erika in the light novel continuity), and goes over to support her. Miho is thinking about what Anchovy said, concluding that she has her own style of tankery, implying that Miho hasn't accepted Anchovy's style, but doesn't dismiss it as wrong, either. Miho acknowledges how difficult being a tank commander is, and thanks Yukari for her hard work.
Elsewhere, Anzu jokes about Anchovy, but Yuzu, who always struck me as the nicest and most sympathetic student council member points out that Miho is quite kind. Momo, however, reminds the others that they must win, and Anzu says, with unusual gravity, that they must win for everyone's sake.
Volume 2 ends here.
A brief omake follows, with Taeko and Akebi asking Noriko if, now that they're doing tankery more than volleyball, they will end up not playing anymore. Noriko reassures them that she also sees tankery as a team activity to do with them, and believes she's doing them in spirit, cheering them up. Elsewhere, Shinobu, with Ocular Gushers, laments missing out on the conversation. This was a nice look at Duck Team, a good mix of being touching and amusing.
The creators of the manga write a note about Anchovy and Carpaccio, noting that they were based on their original designs, which is why they have different hair than the anime, and that Anchovy's personality was that of "a bad guy—but very human". I agree, as I personally found Manga!Anchovy to be an interesting character, distinct from the rest of Oarai's rivals, but wanting to win for he own reasons.
Information on the tanks from this volume, including the Char B1 Bis, the upgraded Panzer IV, and Anzio's tanks, is shown.
Next Installment: The anime, having skipped all this, gets to the point at which things get much more difficult for Oarai.
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