As the chapter begins, Chihiro and Hitomi are surprised by Miho's newfound resolve, while Emi is pleased to hear it, and the Panzer IV heads out.
As the crew of the StuG bickers, Maho is impressed with Miho's tenacity, but then turns to her subordinates and tells them that a disciple of the Nishizumi school could be expelled for losing one battle out of 10,000. It's hard to tell what's hyperbole and what's serious when the Nishizumi school is concerned, but the girls immediately come to their senses, which clearly seems to be what Maho wanted. In any case, this is an interesting display of Maho's two personas; privately being pleased with how her sister is doing, before getting back to her usual demeanor.
As Maho orders them to load the next shell, the Panzer IV narrowly misses again. She orders her troops not to panic, since it's unlikely that their opponents have found their position, but realizes that it's to raise a smoke screen, and they're coming.
Miho orders her tank to approach Maho's for a hit at point-blank range. Both tanks approach each other and trade fire. The Panzer IV's white flag raises, but the StuG's does not, so Kikuyo declares the latter the victor. The gunner and loader exchange a high-five, the driver is glad to have avoided expulsion, and Maho ponders how it would have been a simultaneous hit if not for Miho hitting the tree.
Miho, with Hitomi and Chihiro in a daze, says they lost, as Kikuyo calls them back. Miho apologizes to Emi for breaking her promise, while Chihiro and Hitomi chime in to take some of the blame. Emi, however, takes it in stride, saying she feels refreshed.
The two teams exchange bows, and Miho thanks Maho for helping. Maho says it was a nice match, but notices Emi is injured. Emi tries to downplay it, but Maho offers her ointment to prevent swelling. Yet again, Maho demonstrates that she doesn't have anything against those from other teams, especially not when they're her sister's friends.
Emi says that Maho's way of fighting is "nice", and that she had thought her to be much more cruel. Maho, seemingly taken aback, starts to say something, ("You are..."), possibly indicating that she knows of Emi's relation to her defeated opponent, but we never find out what it is.
Miho points out that her sister is kind, but Emi demands to know why Maho did what she did. Emi then reveals the true cause of her grievance with Maho. During the finals, Maho made good use of the terrain to gain a tactical advantage against Emi's sister's team, but one of her tanks fell over the cliff as a result of the ground having been weakened. The German flag tank, commanded by Emi's sister, went after them, but Maho shot them so that she could win. Emi then asks if Maho was in command of the tank that fired, and demands to know why Maho would do such a thing when victory was certain and her teammates were in danger.
Maho's expressiom is one of utter surprise, indicating that this is the first she's heard of this, and it's clear that she honestly had no idea what the tank was doing. Miho, for her part, is understandably having trouble accepting this, even if she realizes that she can't just dismiss it.
Maho is about to say something when Shiho arrives on scene. Oddly enough, her info box calls her an "Assistant Instructor" of the Nishizumi school, which makes me wonder whether her mother's still alive and in charge of the school. Kikuyo, who seems somewhat surprised by her mistress' return, asks why she's there, and Shiho says she left a day early.
Shiho, giving only a brief acknowledgment of Miho's presence, asks Kikuyo what's going on, and Kikuyo says that it was a training match. Shiho congratulates Maho, who emotionlessly accepts it, and calls her home. Maho walks off without saying a word to Miho.
As Miho's friends walk home, they wonder if Miho is alright, but Chihiro seems doubtful, and Emi concurs.
Miho, waiting outside the room where her sister is speaking with her mother, sees the two come out for dinner. She asks to talk with her sister, and her mother reluctantly accepts. Miho asks her sister to continue where they left off, but Maho says that she followed the Nishizumi style and that "(she) gave the order to shoot." Maho then walks off, as Miho reminisces on how she wanted to be like her sister, and breaks down in tears, unsure of what to believe in from now on.
The next day, at school, Hitomi and Chihiro's minds are on Miho, wondering if she spoke with her sister. Miho insists that she's fine, but she's thinking about quitting tankery. The others are shocked, and Miho apologizes for making them worry, but says she doesn't know what to do. Emi then grabs Miho's wrist and drags her out of the classroom, determined to find out.
Next Installment: With the support of her friends, Miho searches for the truth about her sister.
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