The series begins with Miho walking to school in Oarai, pondering how she transferred there against her parents' wishes. This is an interesting piece of information, since it indicates that 1)whatever Miho's parents had in mind after her saving the tank, it didn't involve her switching schools, and 2)Miho was able to do so over their objections, indicating an ability to defy her parents that not many people realize.
She thinks about how Oarai has no tankery program, which means she can be an ordinary girl, and that she doesn't want to feel "this way" anymore, as she's jealous of all the girls who walk to school with their friends.
Naturally, things change before long. But this goes back far before that.
Six years in the past, a 10-year-old Miho is sitting in class, listening to morning announcements. After the standard back to school message, the message transitions to an announcement about a student receiving a prestigious award. The teachers turn on the televisions, and it shows Maho being honored as the top competitor in a tankery tournament, having defeated a German school. Miho is quite pleased
The homeroom teacher announces to the class that Maho is Miho's sister, and tells about tankery, as well as Miho's family's role in it. The only thing we don't know already is that the teacher is a former tankery student, but that's a minor detail. First period is in the science room, but just as Miho gets to her seat, she's mobbed by fans, who are interested in tankery. Miho tries to answer their questions, even if she says she's a novice compared to Maho, and ponders how everyone's going up to talk with her, including those whom she hasn't seen much.
One such girl, trying especially hard to get Miho's attention, trips and falls on her face. Her name is Hitomi Yuzumoto, and she wants to be one of Maho's fans. Hitomi's friend, Chihiro Yusa, says that she's bothering Miho and that she should apologize to Miho, but Chihiro adds that she finds Miho's sister amazing, even if she doesn't get tankery. Miho thanks her, and after the two exchange Friendly Address Privileges, they are now on a First-Name Basis. Miho is pleased to make friends, doubly so because of her sister. It's nice seeing Miho look up to her sister here, considering how distant they were until the end of the anime.
One girl, however- Emi Nakasuga- is not happy at all, curtly asking for Miho to let her by. She suggests that Miho's sister has a strong tank, but "over there," it's average. Miho is confused, and Chihiro fills her in on Emi, saying that Emi is half foreign (in the official manga release, she's called a "Haafu"), with a German mother. Emi is said to speak fluent Japanese, but has a bad attitude, so she doesn't fit in. A flashback of her coldly rejecting Chihiro's invitation to play soccer is shown, and combined with her abrasive behavior earlier, it's not hard to see why.
In the afternoon, after school lets out early, Miho learns that Hitomi and Chihiro (who each call the other "Hi-chan" and "Chi-chan") have been friends since kindergarten. This is because they have often been seated together, because their last names- Yusa and Yuzumoto- are close together in the alphabet. Miho has never had any friends like that, and Chihiro points out that Miho has something they don't- a sister. Hitomi asks Miho for a favor.
Said favor takes them to the Nishizumi house, and up to a Panzer IV Ausf. D, one that's purely for decoration. Miho turns on the lights and shows her friends around the inside of the tank. Hitomi is drawn to the driver's seat, while Chihiro is drawn to the gunner's seat.
Miho is asked if she's used to driving in a tank, and she says that she has often done so with her mother and sister, as well as with her family's students, which means that she has to come home from school early. Chihiro and Hitomi are amazed, and Miho is pleased, saying that no one has ever told her that she's amazing before. All three girls are happy that Miho has made tankery friends for the first time.
Hitomi asks to drive a tank, and Miho agrees, saying it won't be a problem if it's only for a little bit. Much later, they're halfway down the road, and Hitomi and Chihiro, being amateur drivers, are having trouble getting used to the controls, particularly their inability to see much outside. Miho says that because her family's tanks are developed with real life combat in mind, the windows are blocked off. Hitomi is impressed with Chihiro, as she ended up getting stuck in an infinite loop. Miho apologizes for giving them such a difficult course right off the bat.
As Hitomi suggests that they rest for a little while longer, her shoe falls off, and she climbs down the tank to get it. Hitomi then slips, and Chihiro goes in to rescue her, accidentally spraining her ankle in the process. Hitomi cries, and Miho begins to despair. Since Chihiro is incapacitated, Hitomi is inept (Miho's nice enough not to say that, even in her thoughts), and Miho is presumably watching and serving as tank commander, they can't get home.
A flashback ensues, with a kimono-clad Maho telling a similarly garbed Miho that tankery is about more than competition, but a way of honing its practitioners as women. Maho tells her that the Nishizumi style is about "going forward no matter what", and Miho goes to call for help.
At that moment, Emi overhears her, while walking her bike, on her way back from her grandmother's house. She asks why they're out at this time, and realizes that with Chihiro injured, they're stuck (one has to wonder how she judged Hitomi's ineptitude so quickly). Emi casually remarks that the Panzer IV is a heavy load for a beginner, and says that it serves them right for taking such a difficult course.
Emi is about to leave to get help, but Miho calls out to her. Emi assumes she's upset, but Miho reveals that she suspects Emi has driven a tank before. Emi is confused, believing that her remark about "over there" earlier that day was self-explanatory, although Miho then realizes that she meant Germany, a country that is very good at tankery. Miho then asks Emi to drive, as does Hitomi, and Emi, blushing, reluctantly agrees.
Emi, pondering how things turned out, gets called over by Chihiro, who insists that she apologize to Miho for her hostility. Emi says she would have done so anyway, but is still upset about Miho being so happy about Maho defeating her sister
As they drive back, Miho notes that it's already dark out (which, given that it's summer, means that it's relatively late), and hopes her parents aren't too mad at her, while Hitomi is worried about her mother. Chihiro suggests that Hitomi claim to be at the Yusa house, while she claims to be at the Yuzumoto house. Emi says that her parents are expecting her to head back, so Miho will be the only one who gets in trouble.
Miho complains that her parents are strict about this, and begs the others for help. You may notice that this chapter contains the only canon references to Miho's father, who is often characterized very differently in GuP fan fiction, with some fanfics suggesting that he and Shiho are not currently married, or that he may be very different personality-wise from her.
As Emi suggests that Miho brought this on herself, Chihiro then suggests that Miho say that she was at her house, too, and Miho wonders if the tank excuse will fly. But Miho is happy to have made friends through tankery, as she narrates.
In an omake (which from what I can tell, seems designed to fill blank pages between chapters), Chihiro asks Emi if she apologized, and Emi, slightly flustered, insists that she did.
Next Installment: Miho has finally made some friends, but now she has to make sure they get along with each other.
