The chapter begins with a flashback, with Shizuka in the archery club and Rin in the "going home" club (being clubless in high school is apparently more frowned upon in Japan). However, Miho's rise to fame in tankery inspires Rin, and she wants to do tankery.
There's one problem, though; Tatenashi no longer has a tankery club, as it has been disbanded due to lack of popularity. Shizuka arrives and greets Rin somewhat formally, with Rin calling her "Shizuka-Hime" in response. Rin is in awe of Shizuka's grades, beauty, grace, skill with archery knack for finding things like her bags, and her legs.
Shizuka, out of the blue, asks if Rin is interested in tanks, and Shizuka, after being caught off guard for a moment, says yes. Unfortunately, Shizuka isn't interested in tankery, not liking the "-do" part of the name. Rin is about to ask if this applies to archery, only to find that Shizuka has suddenly quit the archery club.
Shizuka meets with Rin in the locker room, and asks if she was serious. Shizuka explains that for her, tanks are a matter of life and death, and if she will treat it with the appropriate seriousness, she has a tank. At Shizuka's Big Fancy House, an inherited sake brewery, she finds a tank that belonged to her family, a Type 97 Te-Ke armored car. Rin is amazed by how it's easy to handle, even for two people, but realizes that it will do little good in tankery.
Shizuka, however, says that it's for tankathlon, where such tanks are better suited to it, and takes Rin to a tankathlon match. She mentions that the crowds are "coarse," and, true to her Samurai theme, brings a wakizashi for self-defense, but Rin pulls her away before violence breaks out. Shizuka says that the school wouldn't grant its blessing to a club with only two members, so tankathlon is the only place where they could participate. Rin also points out that money is an issue, and tells Shizuka that even selling her prime won't be enough.
Rin finds the match quite entertaining, but wonders if she can shine, but Shizuka reassures her, and they join together.
They finish restoring the tank, with Shizuka as the commander and gunner, and Rin as the driver. Based on the centipede emblem for the liaison officers of the Takeda Corps, Rin decides that the tank will be known as Centipede Team, but Shizuka is less than enthusiastic.
They take it out for a test drive, and run into some onlookers who dismiss Oarai's win as a fluke and say that it has encouraged the wrong sort of people. Shizuka, however, suggests that tankery "is dying out," enraging the girls, and Alisa arrives, chidingly telling them not to bully "weaklings," saying that tankery represents the schools that chose it. Shizuka laughs and says that they're not doing tnakery, but war (with Rin correcting her by saying that it's tankathlon), and promises to take on Alisa. Alisa says that the M4 Sherman wouldn't be fair for tankathlon (not to mention illegal under the one rule it has), so they'll choose a more appropriate tank. Shizuka insults them, saying that Saunders no longer has any tanks, with Rin wondering why Shizuka is baiting Saunders. Alisa points out that they have the M22 locust, which her gunner points out is lend-leased, causing Alisa to ask for it back.
Shizuka introduces herself to Alisa, saying that the two are Not So Different, but Alisa says otherwise, saying she has a boyfriend (I wonder if it's Takashi or a new one). Rin asks Shizuka if she's sure about this, and Shizuka says yes, expressing her interest in doing something like the sport in which dogs are used as target practice.
Next Installment: In the Maginot manga, Oarai and Maginot face each other.
