Near the Tokyo Tower, Minato, Tokyo, Empire of Japan

Time: The next day, 1030 hours

Earlier that morning, around eight or so, it was announced that all the military units requested by General Najenda would be given a few days' worth of leave. During this time period, the Imperial General Headquarters would implement the reorganization of selected army corps as part of the joint anti-resistance operations with General Esdeath's Heersgruppe-Jager (Army Group Jager). In the meantime, the soldiers who participated in the reception of Esdeath's arrival and the who were part of the selected army corps were given the privilege to enjoy themselves until they were to be recalled for their new deployments.

There was a condition: as Najenda's units were in Tokyo and Yokohama (Although they are permitted to go vice-versa to Tokyo and Yokohama since they're adjacent to each other), they are only allowed to roam around those cities. Anyone caught leaving would be detained by the Kempeitai for attempted desertion. The other selected corps were also given the same condition, which was to only linger in the city or town they were currently at as well.

For most of the Imperial Japanese Army's troops, this was a usual thing. It was not the first time that they had to be transferred to different commands, formations and units. However, for Tatsumi, Ieyasu and Sayo, this meant that there was a huge possibility that each of them would be reassigned, separating them from each other. Ever since childhood, the three friends were always together. It was very lucky for them that they were all assigned to the same brigade, and in the same squad no less! Alas, this might be the time that they three must go down separate paths.

But that would not stop them from maintaining their friendship! Of course not!

Shortly after the announcement by their commanding officers, the three of them decided to go sightseeing, something that they were unable to do up north at their hometown of Rishiri Island. Their plan for this day was to check out some of the famous landmarks in Tokyo. At the same time, they would also send pictures and souvenirs back alongside the portion of their salaries which they were saving for each of their families and their hometown. First stop: the Tokyo Tower.

The Tokyo Tower is a lattice tower inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Vichy France, designed by architect Tachu Naito. Built with the purpose of showcasing the might of Japan and to serve as a radio and television broadcasting tower as well as an observation tower, construction of the tower was started in 1957 by the Takenaka Corporation. A majority of the steel used was taken from captured US, British and Soviet military vehicles. The tower itself stands at an impressive height of approximately 650 meters, 330 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower itself.

Oh how jealous the Germans must be! Their oversized drinking hall is only 290 meters tall!

The tower itself was only opened earlier this year. Tatsumi and Sayo were thrilled to go see the view at the Main Observatory. Ieyasu, however, was less than enthusiastic.

"You're coming with us, Ieyasu!" Sayo insisted loudly as they all stood at the entrance of the FootTown building. "Don't tell me that the 'Karate Kid of Rishiri' is afraid of heights!"

"I'm not afraid, dammit! I'm just...ehhhh..." Ieyasu said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Ohhhh man...I can't just admit that! I'm gonna be fucking screwed if the others find out!"

Tatsumi facepalmed as he stifled a laugh. Everyone back at the island knew Ieyasu was afraid of heights. It was obvious especially since he was the only boy who didn't come along during their field trip to Mt. Rishiri, and refused to take the planes at the local airport when they were going to the Rikugun Yonen Gakkō (Military Preparatory School) at Sendai.

"C'mon, Ieyasu. Your namesake would be disappointed to find out that a scaredy-cat was named after him," Tatsumi said as he covered his mouth to hide his grin.

"Mehhhh...okaaaayyyy..." the hachimaki-wearing boy said as he looked aside with an uncomfortable face.

"But if I start barfing then that's not my fault..." he mumbled.

"What was that?" Sayo asked as she put a hand on her hip and leaned towards him.

"Nothing!"

"Do you want me to pinch your ear again?"

"Ugh! I said that it's not my fault if either of you start throwing up up there!" Ieyasu retorted.

Tatsumi and Sayo looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What's so funny?!"

"Oh, nothing in particular that concerns you, buddy. Hey Sayo. Why don't we buy some barf bags at that supermarket before heading up the elevator to make sure we're 'ready'?" Tatsumi said as he "air quoted" the word "ready". Sayo put a hand over her mouth to muffle her snickering.

"I hate you guys."

Half an hour later...

The line to the elevator was thankfully not very long. The three of them chose to wait in line instead of using their "special military privileges" to skip ahead.

In Japan, Germany and Italy, all who were members of the military or government, no matter how low the rank, were granted "special privileges" when availing the use of establishments like restaurants and others which required waiting until the service they provide would be given. All they had to do was show a member of the staff their I.D. or military papers that confirm their status so that they would be prioritized first. You would think that because of this, a lot of people would counterfeit military and government IDs to take advantage of this, but no. This was only allowed in major cities, where the employees of the establishments who didn't believe the authenticity of documents could contact the Kempeitai to verify them.

They didn't stay long. Sayo and Tatsumi thoroughly enjoyed the view. Of course, Ieyasu spent the entire time away from the viewing windows, holding on to the wall and trying to keep his breakfast in his stomach.

"Looks like you two wasted some money on those barf bags, eh? Hahahahahahahaha!" he said as they left the FootTown building. Tatsumi and Sayo just rolled their eyes, knowing full well that the joke was still on him.

Their next stop would be the Tsukiji Market. The three planned to have their lunch at the Yoshinoya restaurant, and to also buy some things to send back to their parents at Rishiri.

As they walked the streets towards the Hamarikyu Gardens, they could hear the sounds of helicopters heading south-east towards the Haneda Airport and Military Aviation Center. The helicopters were the light gray, dual-rotored Focke-Achgelis Fa 545 "Himmelshammer" omnipurpose choppers of the Luftwaffe. They and the civilians correctly assumed that these choppers were part of the arriving forces of General Esdeath.

One of the helicopters in particular was carrying a large metal box with the Iron Cross on it. Tatsumi wondered what was inside.

Eventually, after walking awhile, they passed by a remittance center. Tatsumi proposed that they send the money now so that they would not forget to do so later on. Sayo, however, wanted to eat already, and so did Ieyasu. So, he decided to do all the remitting himself.

"Are you sure about that, dude? What if someone tries to rob the center?" Ieyasu asked in a genuinely concerned tone.

"Pshaw! Why would anyone try to rob a remittance center in the middle of Tokyo?" Tatsumi replied amusingly. Sayo slapped Ieyasu on the back lightly.

"Hey! You never know, man!"

"I'll be fine by myself, Ieyasu. You guys go on ahead."

After exchanging a few waves, Tatsumi went in the center. Fortunately, only a sparse amount of people were there to the same thing, so the affair did not take long.

Upon leaving the center, Tatsumi consulted the nearest tourist station. He was unfamiliar with Tokyo, of course as he was an outsider to the city. He checked out the map of the vicinity. Tsukiji Market was only a long walk away.

"Hmmm. I can make good time if cut through the Gardens..." he thought as he glanced towards the Hamarikyu Gardens, only to notice a large swathe of people were loitering in it.

"Ugh. No good. Looks like I have to stick to the streets..."

And so, Tatsumi Tojo had to weave his way through the dense Tokyo crowd. While doing so, he heard what was apparently a cacophony of panicked screams. It was coming around the corner of the street behind him. He saw a large crowd and several cars fleeing from something. All the while, the crowd was screaming "KAIBUTSU!"*.

Of course, the crowd Tatsumi was part of was also influenced by the panic, so they all ran for their lives. People were shouting, pushing, shoving, and trampling each other all in the rush to escape whatever the other crowd was running from. Stalls were toppled, cars were abandoned due to the heavy traffic and those who were caught under the stampede attempted to crawl into the nearby establishments for their own safety. Tatsumi, not wanting to end up battered and trampled, dashed quickly into an alleyway to escape the chaos, only to discover it a dead end.

"Awwww no...well, at least I can wait it out..." he said to himself under his breath. "What's going on?! There's no way there's a monster here in Tokyo! Well...if there was one our army would've killed it before it even got here!"

His thoughts were interrupted by a small cat jumping into the alley from the fleeing crowd. It quickly climbed up the wall by using the pile of crates stacked beside it before jumping down on the other side.

"IT'S HERE! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" a civilian shouted. Tatsumi turned to the entrance. Only a few people remained, tripping among themselves as they pointed in terror at something to the right before running away.

He heard a loud, metallic thud. It was so close to the entrance of the alley, as if something landed near it. Then, a large metal...monstrosity poked its head in.

Tatsumi froze in shock and terror.

The thing hopped into the alley like a dog, showing the terrified soldier its full form. It resembled some kind of mockery of a dog combined with a tank that towered over him. It bared its razor-sharp teeth as it hung its mouth open, mimicking a dog doing so as it let its nonexistent tongue out. It seemed to be..."sniffing" for something.

"OhshitohshitohshitOHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT!" Tatsumi thought as he frantically looked around for some way to get out of the alley. The dog-thing didn't seem like it had eyes, but it also seemed to have some kind of sense of smell. Obviously, climbing up the crates wouldn't work as it was too noisy and too fragile (As they were made of old wood). There was an escape ladder near a dumpster, but the thing was sniffing it, shooting down any hope of him attempting to climb it.

A noise which sounded like a dog's whimper being played through a speaker was heard. It came from the beast! It lowered its head in what looked like disappointment.

Then it looked at HIM.

Tatsumi's eyes widened in fear. As far as he knew, he didn't do anything bad. All he was supposed to do was eat ramen at a restaurant! Instead, he was going to die in an alleyway thanks to some metal beast from Hell!

He contemplated pulling out his service pistol which was holstered on his belt, hidden under his jacket. But from the looks of it, the beast looked heavily armored, and he would have to fumble with his jacket to pull it out. The Nambu would barely put a dent. It would most likely just piss it off.

And that was the last thing he wanted to happen.

The beast "barked" and crawled towards him. Well, this was it, he thought. He wouldn't be dying in battle at least, but a gunshot to the head would be a much painless way compared to getting mauled to death by sharp metal jaws.

"Sorry, Ieyasu. Sayo. I'm...I'm afraid I can't join you guys..." he thought as he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.

But the pain and death never came.

Tatsumi opened his eyes. The beast was just...looking at him. It barked twice, as if it acknowledged his presence. The way it was standing looked like it was leaning its metal head forward expecting someone to pat it.

"Huh? Wha-?" Tatsumi was bewildered. He looked at the alley to see a small amount of bystanders peering in.

"Hey look! It's cornered someone!"

"What?! Oh no, it has! Somebody call the police!"

"We don't need the police! We need the army! Get the army!"

They all ran away afterwards, leaving him alone with the metal dog-beast.

Tatsumi decided to do what seemed to be the most batshit insane thing he could think of, which at the same time appeared to be his only option.

He patted the thing on the head, the same way one would pet a dog. It whimpered in delight as a response.

"Hey...you don't...seem so bad," he said as he removed his hand. The dog immediately got on its "stomach" and barked gleefully. He looked at the large dog. He saw, printed on the side of its head in black, the name "Hektor". On its front legs were the Schutzstaffel runes and on the body was an Iron Cross and Nazi Eagle embossed into the armor.

"So your name's 'Hektor', huh?" he asked.

The dog barked twice, in a manner that seemed to say "YES!".

"Wow! You understand Japanese?"

It whimpered a little. Tatsumi interpreted it as if it was saying "A little". The realization hit him like a rock. He was chasing the cat!

"Well, what are you doing here away from your comrades?"

Tatsumi was interrupted by the sound of an incoming helicopter. A female voice that sounded like it was from a loudspeaker shouted in German: "Hektor! Hektor! Folge meiner stimme Hektor! Wo bist du?"*

Hektor immediately stood up and barked loudly as the helicopter, a Focke-Achgelis Fa 545, flew towards the Hamarikyu Gardens, which was right in front of them. The metal dog ran out to the street and jumped around as one would while barking, happy to hear its master. The road was getting small craters from each jump and each step of its feet. Tatsumi walked out of the alley to see the helicopter hovering a few meters above the road. A large amount of onlookers were present, keeping their distance from the helicopter and the dog.

The door of the 545 slid open as a German officer jumped down. Tatsumi correctly assumed that they were Hektor's master. Upon coming closer as they were "cuddling" with Hektor, he discovered that the officer was female. She had light brown hair, tied in a high ponytail, a set of headphones with a small antenna and a microphone on the right and was wearing a green officer's field uniform. After what looked like reprimanding her "dog", she looked around and saw Tatsumi. She quickly told Hektor to stay, with the dog barking once in response and sitting on its hind legs.

"Oh, hello there, freund!" she said in a very upbeat, girly tone. She quickly facepalmed.

"Ah, su-su-ahhhh...how do you say that again? Su-mi ma-sen, kamerad! If my Panzerhund caused you and your people any trouble..." she said in passable Japanese as she closed her eyes and did the wrong Japanese bow (She bowed with her hands on her sides. For women, you bow with your hands on top and in front of your thighs).

"...I assure you that I will pay for all the damages and medical bills, as all of them are my responsibility since I am the owner, but as my dear Hektor must have dealt you and the people a great deal of fright judging from seeing you cornered by him in that alley, I wish to make it up to you in any way I can," she said, shortly before standing up straight. Tatsumi got a good look at her face as he scratched his head. She was...cute, for an officer in the Wehrmacht. Her wide, amber eyes were locked with his. She was awaiting his response with a nervous, sorry face. Her hands were crossed in front of her as she leaned forward, giving her the look of a young girl curiously expecting him to say something to her.

Except that she was in a military uniform. And a Nazi.

Tatsumi was flustered.

"This girl is an officer?! She looks so young!" he thought. Looks like the Germans have a lot of cute, female officers in their ranks. If Esdeath didn't convince him already, then this girl did!

"Ermm...I uh...i-it's okay. Your uhhh...Panzer-Hund didn't hurt me or anything of th-the sort."

"Are you sure? What's that on your face then? It looks like a bruise..." she said as she took a step closer and looked closely at his face. Tatsumi blushed even harder out of embarrassment. There were so many people looking at them! Here he is standing in the middle of the road with a cute, female German officer looking at his face with concern. Who wouldn't get flustered in this situation?

"O-Oh! This-uhhhh-this isn't a bruise," he said as he as he wiped the spot of dirt off. "See? Ahahaha..."

The officer sighed in relief.

"Thank the Fuhrer you aren't hurt...I knew Hektor was a good boy! *sigh* He loves chasing stuff though. I knew I should have been around when they released him from his box..."

"WAIT. So Hektor was in that box?!" Tatsumi thought as he remembered the large box carried by the Nazi helicopters earlier.

"Were you guys the ones in that helicopter that passed here earlier?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes! This is the same helicopter in fact, kamerad!" she said as she pointed to the chopper.

"Ach! Why am I forgetting my manners? We've been talking for so long and I still haven't introduced myself...they're going to be so disappointed with me..."

The officer covered her face with her hands in disappointment and self-pity for herself.

"It's okay, ma'am. I should be the one angry at myself for not acknowledging your superior rank instead," Tatsumi said to her.

"What? What do you mean?"

Tatsumi stood at attention and saluted.

"Private Tatsumi Tojo of the 2nd Rifle Infantry Brigade of the Imperial Japanese Army, ma'am!" he said putting his hand down.

"I'm currently on leave because of the reorganization of units for the big plan we're going to participate in with you guys."

"Oh, so you're a soldier? Then I should be more disappointed! I technically threatened a member of an ally of the Reich with a dangerous weapon..." she replied, looking sad once again.

"Please don't be, ma'am! Your dog actually wanted a pat from me when he couldn't find that cat he was chasing."

"Hmmm? He did?"

"Well...yeah."

She turned to Hektor.

"Is that true?" she asked the Panzerhund. Hektor quickly responded with two cheerful barks.

"If you don't mind me asking, what does that mean?"

"That means he likes you!"

Tatsumi's eyes widened as he covered his mouth in disbelief. "Really?!"

"Uh huh! If Hektor trusts you then that means I can too," she said as she smiled.

"Oh. Before I forget. I'm Haupsturmfurher Sehryu Algegenwartig. Nice to meet you, Private Tojo!"

Translations of Foreign Words:

Kaibutsu - Hiragana for "Monster" (There is no Katakana in this universe).

Folge meiner stimme - Follow my voice.

Wo bist du? - Where are you?