War and Snowflakes
a Mecha Monogatari novella
— preview —
Tetsurô and Kodora
The young titan pilot’s real name was Seki Akira, but he was not known by it. The name he was known throughout the country by was Tetsurô, the Iron Wolf of Chiyoda. He was widely renowned as one of the best titan pilots of the modern era, and held by some to be one of the greatest ever. As he walked up, Tetsurô’s monocular gaze was focused on his technician Matsunaga. “Quit flirting with the civilians. We need to get this titan combat-ready posthaste,” Tetsurô said, his voice stern but no louder than necessary to be heard.
“Yes, boss,” Matsunaga replied, saluting him. With an apologetic half-wave to Iori and Aragaki, he trotted back over to the transport truck and returned to his duties.
Only then did Tetsurô actually look at Iori, just briefly, and then at Aragaki. Tetsurô’s good eye widened in recognition, and he smiled, just a little. He’s so handsome, Iori thought.
She was stunned by what Tetsurô said next. “Hey, Aragaki. Long time, no see.”
Iori snapped her head around to fix Aragaki with an incredulous stare. Aragaki glanced at Iori nervously for a second, swallowed hard, and rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “Hey, Seki. You’re a long way from home.”
You know him? was the question Iori wanted to ask Aragaki, but she couldn’t manage the words to ask it.
Tetsurô shrugged. “Yeah, we get around a lot.”
“I bet,” Aragaki said, and then pointed at Tetsurô’s left arm. It was common knowledge that Tetsurô had lost his left arm while fighting—and defeating—the elite Eschatos pilot known as the Wolf of Calabarzon, not a year prior. “Is that a prosthetic?”
“Yeah.” Tetsurô raised his left arm, and flexed the fingers. Its movements were stiff and mechanical, but still displayed a certain measure of dexterity. “I’m still getting used to it.”
“Cool,” Aragaki said. “Say, uh, how’s Torigoe doing these days?”
“I haven’t heard from him since bat pact,” Tetsurô said. “I went to the Chiyoda Academy; he went to Shijônawate.”
Iori did not understand what she heard. “Backpacked?” She turned to Aragaki. “What does that mean?”
Aragaki did not answer her. “It’s an acronym,” Tetsurô explained. “B-T-P-C-T. Basic Titan Pilot Candidate Training. It’s the first phase of titan pilot training, before being sent to the Academies.” Tetsurô turned back to Aragaki. “Torigoe was stationed in Okinawa, but it’s hard to keep in touch.”
Casting a wary glance at Iori, Aragaki laughed nervously. “Yeah, I know. Okinawa, huh? I bet he’s loving that.”
“So, who’s your friend?” Tetsurô asked, looking at Iori. “Are you—”
“I’m not his girlfriend!” Iori blurted out.
Tetsurô’s eyebrow raised a notch. “I didn’t say you were. I was going to ask if you were one of his classmates.”
“Oh, of course.” Stupid, stupid me! Iori forced herself to smile, but inwardly, she was cringing. I can’t believe I said that. I finally get to meet Tetsurô-dono and now he surely thinks I’m an idiot! What a first impression to make!
Aragaki stepped forward to handle the introductions. “Uh, yeah, she goes to my school, but we’re in different classes. This is Tsuruhara...uh, Tsuruhara...”
What? He doesn’t know my personal name? Well, it’s not like I didn’t get his name messed up... “Iori!” she said, a little bit too loudly, and then, self-conscious, continued in a more normal tone of voice, “My name is Iori. Tsuruhara Iori, that is.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tetsurô said, bowing slightly. “I’m Seki Akira.”
“I know—everyone knows who you are. You’re Tetsurô-dono. It is such an honor to get to meet you!” Iori exclaimed, a bright smile lighting up her face as she bowed deeply. “I’ve heard so much about you, but I never thought I’d actually get to meet you!”
Tetsurô smiled politely.
“So, Seki, what’s the 83rd doing this far north?” Aragaki asked, changing the subject. “Is this going to be a big battle? If it’s classified—”
Iori was alarmed at Aragaki’s question—the idea that the 83rd Battalion was in Aomori because they were needed had not occurred to her. However, Tetsurô shook his head. “No, it’s not classified, but honestly, I don’t know. We were doing a routine training deployment to Sapporo and then got re-routed here in mid-flight. We just arrived, and nobody has told us anything.”
Iori listened to the two converse with giddy fascination. Oh, my, this is so cool, she thought. Tetsurô-dono, here in Hachinohe! And I got to talk to him! He’s just like I imagined him—kind of scary, kind of cool. And his voice is just so dreamy! I bet he’d make a wonderful singer. I wonder what kind of music he likes? Aragaki-san knows him; maybe he knows. Maybe some day I can ask him more about Tetsurô-dono... Iori dismissed the thought. No, I don’t think I can do that. Just going up to a boy and talking to him is just so...awkward. Still...it’s Tetsurô-dono!
“Akira?” Another one of the titan pilots, a woman who did not look that much older than them, approached the trio. Her face was almost hidden by the hood of the parka she wore, and in hand she carried a katana with a striking silver-and-red scabbard that glinted in the harsh illumination of the spotlights. “This isn’t like you, striking up a conversation with civilians,” she said, smiling as she stepped beside him. “You know them?”
“Yeah. Aneki—” he began, calling the woman the slang term for ‘older sister’, “—this is Aragaki Kôji, one of my friends from BTPCT, and Tsuruhara Iori, one of his classmates. Aragaki, Tsuruhara-san, this is my company commander, Captain Enokido Harumi.”
He’s just so casual about introducing her, as if she was just another person... For the second time, Iori was stunned beyond words, and barely had the presence of mind to remember to bow respectfully. Captain Enokido Harumi—Kodora, the Little Tiger of Rikuzentakata! I can’t believe this! And the sword she’s carrying—that’s Kyûzô-no-Hitokage, Shirofune’s sword...I feel so inadequate, to be in such legendary company!
But you know... Iori realized that she, at 178 centimeters tall, towered over Kodora, who was only about 160 centimeters tall or so. I’m almost the same height as Tetsurô-dono, and a centimeter or two taller than Aragaki...but Kodora-dono is a lot shorter than I imagined. I thought she was tall, at least 170 centimeters or so... I can’t see her face. I wish she wasn’t wearing that parka—I so want to see what she looks like in real life. But it’s still snowing...I guess I can’t blame her for wanting to stay warm. Iori clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering as the wind blew, sucking what little warmth was left in her legs away. I want a parka like that...
At least I can see Tetsurô-dono’s face. Iori found his appearance completely fascinating, to the point where she was unaware that she was just staring at him. He really does look kind of like a wolf, especially his hair. Does he dye it that color? One way to find out— “Um, is that...your natural hair color?”
Iori was so fixated on Tetsurô’s hair that she did not see Kodora’s bemused grin, nor did she catch Aragaki groan in disbelief.
Tetsurô just took it all in stride, with a polite smile. “Yeah, it is.”
Oh, why did I have to ask that? This is just perfect. If he didn’t think I was an idiot before, he does now. I’ve got to start thinking before I open my mouth! “Sorry...”
“Don’t let it bother you,” Kodora said. “Everyone asks him that, the first time they meet him.”
“Except the colonel,” Tetsurô added.
“He didn’t?” Kodora thought for a second. “Hmm. Well, you know how he is.”
Tetsurô nodded.
What colonel? Iori wanted to ask. I better not, though. Just be cool...oh, I so am not cool enough to be talking to Tetsurô-dono and Kodora-dono!
On the south side of the road, the technicians were pulling the tarps off the 83rd Battalion’s titans, and starting up their reactors. The growling hum of their reactors powering up was too low for Iori to actually hear, but she could feel it in her chest, a vibration that made her think, for a second, that her heart was racing.
None of the others paid any attention to it. “So, Tsuruhara-san,” Kodora began, seeming a bit unaccustomed to such idle conversation. “You’re into the Nitô Mugen-hi school of kendô. What rank are you?”
Iori, not thinking, was amazed. “How did you know I was in the Nitô Mugen-hi school?”
By this point Aragaki was visibly embarrassed. “Come on, Tsuruhara-san,” he said softly. “Anybody can see you’re carrying a pair of practice swords in that bag, one long, one short. Even I know that the Nitô Mugen-hi is the only school that does the two-sword stuff these days.”
“Oh.” Well, there goes any hope of making a positive impression, Iori thought, wishing she could just go run away and hide. What is wrong with me today? “Uh, I’m a nikyû,” Iori said, naming the rank two grades below the first dan or ‘black belt’ level. “And I’m fifth seat on my school’s Kendô Team.”
Tetsurô nodded. “When are you up for the promotion to ikkyû?”
“I’m going to try this summer, right before all the big tournaments.”
“Cool,” Tetsurô said. “I kind of wish I could go to a tournament. Even if it was just as a spectator, it would be better than watching it on TV.”
“You got to go to the Interprefectural Ladies Tournament last year,” Iori said.
Tetsurô shook his head. “No, I didn’t.”
“We watched parts of it on television,” Kodora added. “But we don’t get to go to events in Tôkyô, what with work keeping us busy and all.”
“Never?” Iori asked.
“Haven’t yet been able to,” Tetsurô confirmed.
Iori was more than a little surprised by this. Haruwara-senpai lied. All her acting high and mighty because she got to meet Tetsurô-dono, and it never really happened.
Kodora was about to say something when a titan, one of the 64th Battalion’s, moved from its position south of the road, stepping backward to stand in the middle of the road, not thirty meters away. Iori, seeing it approach and feeling the ground shake with each of the titan’s footfalls, involuntarily stepped back from it. “What’s he doing?” Kodora asked, frowning. Taking her radio out, she walked up to the titan. “Hoken One Six, what are you doing? You can’t stand in the middle of the road...”
“What’s wrong?” Iori asked.
“Probably nothing. The local pilots are just jumpy,” Tetsurô said. “It’s because of the snowstorm.” Seeing that Iori was on the verge of asking, Tetsurô saved her the trouble and explained a little more. “Among titan pilots stationed up here in the north, if it snows during a battle, it is supposed to be bad luck. Just about every pilot up in Hokkaidô believes it, but it’s somewhat common among pilots here in the Tôhoku region, as well.”
“Did it snow during the Battle of Aomori?” Aragaki asked.
Tetsurô shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think this particular superstition goes back a lot further than that.”
“Do you believe it’s bad luck?” Iori asked, watching Kodora, who was standing right next to the foot of the titan in the road, talking to him in a subdued tone over the radio. The titan seemed to be twitching, its movements jittery and sharp, as it scanned southward, perpendicular to the road. Kodora-dono is just so cool! Isn’t she afraid that it might step on her? Of course not, she’s Kodora. She’s not afraid of anything. Unlike me.
“No,” Tetsurô said, glancing back at Kodora. “The only problem I have with the snow is that it reduces visibility. Thermal works great, but optical is dropped dramatically. Like right now, visibility is only at about a thousand five hundred meters—”
Movement caught Iori’s eyes and she looked up just in time to see the titan in the road raise its huge automatic cannon to its shoulder, and open fire.