The girls in the Gun Girls Auxiliary did not sleep on the tour bus for the hour-and-a-half drive to Hiroshima. Everyone had been up at six AM on a Saturday morning to meet at the school for the club’s field trip to the Shoot House. They all looked forward to this trip and the party afterwards. Some of the girls ate a light breakfast onboard and any conversation dwelled on two main topics.

  The first topic addressed today’s training. The small range at the school allowed them to do target practice and tactical drills but not close-quarters battles. Today, they could do actual red and blue team exercises to give them a taste of actual CQB. GGAs across Japan all held bi-annual field trips to their nearest National Police or Japanese army base to do this additional training each year. Since Odewara was within the American Zone, they had an arrangement with the American army base in Hiroshima.

  The second topic concerned the serial killer loose in Odewara, which had everyone hiding in their homes at night. Ayako, Chiyo, Karen, and Sarah huddled together at the back of the half-empty bus, eating chocolate chip cookies that Sarah had baked the night before. Sitting at the back allowed for whispered conversations away from the other girls, too.

  Sarah spoke in a low tone. “So, two people died last week, and the news said another victim is in intensive care. I heard that the killer slices her victims’ faces apart.” Her habit of looking down at the floor when nervous was in full force. Her long brunette hair would have draped forward if it hadn’t been tied back in a ponytail for their shooting practice. Ayako and Chiyo also tied their long hair back, but Karen’s short blonde hair didn’t need any work.

  ”The guy in hospital survived only because two factory workers on their way home heard him scream and came running to help him,” Karen eagerly added. “It was on the TV news last night. They swore they had seen a tall, pale woman wearing a white robe holding the victim by his head. When they yelled, she flung the man away and leapt over a wall to escape.”

  Ayako nodded in agreement. “The press is calling her the Kuchisake-onna Killer too.” She frowned a bit. “That’s just an urban myth. Nobody should believe there is a slit-faced, evil spirit that kills by carving off her victims’ faces.”

  “Karen and I saw that movie last year.” Sarah shuddered a little. “She had a smile full of sharp little teeth and had long scalpel-like fingers. It was just gruesome when she sliced her victims.”

  “You let horror movies get to you too much,” Karen teased, “but I don’t think the killer is a woman. She would have to be really strong. I’ll bet something else must have come through the Confluence, right?”

  “You’re probably right.” Sarah nibbled on a cookie from her tub and passed another to Chiyo. “I’m just glad my dad picked up Karen and drove us over to the school this morning. He said it was safest this way since we weren’t allowed to bring any ammunition for this trip. You wouldn’t know any more about this, Ayako?”

  Both Karen and Sarah pointedly looked at her.

  Ayako waved her hands in front of her in a gesture of denial. “I don’t know any more than you do. Honest!”

  “But you work at the SuperQuickly with Yuriko,” Karen added. “They must have told you something.”

  “Listen,” Ayako said a little louder for emphasis. “They trust me to work there as a part-timer because I already know about the Confluence. It’s not like I work for the IMA. I can only say that I think you girls are right. I asked Yuriko about the killer yesterday, and she just said to let the police do their job and to avoid going out at night.”

  Karen then looked at Chiyo. “What about you, Chiyo?”

  Chiyo had been intently listening to everyone talk. “I don’t know much more either. I just know the guards at the shrine are more alert. My mother also said that it wasn’t my problem and to let the police take care of it. But…”

  “But, what?” Ayako knew her friend was worried.

  “I had another of my dreams on the night of the last Confluence. There was a pale figure shrouded in really thick fog. It was really hard to see anything, but I could feel a sense of dread just looking at it. The figure seemed to sense me looking at it and stared right at me. I woke up in a cold sweat, and it took me a long time to get back to sleep. I didn’t know what to make of it until I heard that pale woman's description.”

  “Wow,” Ayako said, “so you think something did come through the Confluence.”

  Chiyo just nodded.

  “They should call in the army or something.” Karen shook her head in frustration. “People are dying, and the police don’t seem to be able to catch the killer. Maybe we should be out patrolling. We could take it down.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Ayako said. “I get the feeling that it is quite dangerous—worse than anything we’ve faced. Yuriko even gave me her drill sergeant stare to let me know the conversation was over when I asked her about it.”

  “That’s intense.” Karen pretended to shudder. I haven’t had one of those for a while. Yuriko is so understanding most of the time, but Airi sure got it when she goofed the other day.”

  “I’m sure they’re doing more behind the scenes,” Chiyo said, “the police have doubled their patrols.“ She tried to lighten the tone of the conversation. “We should try to enjoy our day at the Shoot House. It’s always been fun.”

  “You’re right,” Ayako said. “We’re lucky to have Yuriko training us. Let’s show her what we can do.”

  “She’s the best,” Sarah said.

  Airi, whom everyone in the club recognized as overly peppy, then popped into their conversation. “Did I hear you girls talking about Yuriko?”

  “We were just commenting that we’re glad we weren’t in your shoes when you forgot to properly safe your rifle,” Karen pointedly remarked.

  “Ouch!” Airi showed an injured expression. “I’ll never do that again.”

  “Be nice, Karen.” Ayako gave her a warning glance. “I think she’s learned her lesson.”

  “Sorry.” Karen realized she overreacted.

  “Have a cookie.” Sarah offered her the plastic tub of her cookies. “There’s enough for everyone. Can you pass them around, too?”

  Airi happily squealed, her hurt forgotten. “Your cookies are so good!” She took a cookie to nibble on and turned around to pass the tub to the next girl.

  The four friends ended their little conversation, and Ayako went forward to talk to Yuriko about the day's activities.

  *****

  The blue and white tour bus arrived at the front gate of Fort Patton, the main United States Army base in Japan. The base established a strong American presence in the Hiroshima American Zone. Hiroshima and a large area around it had been ceded to the United States as part of the surrender agreement that had also spared the city from an atomic attack at the end of World War Two. The Kure Naval District here was one of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s biggest facilities and became a US Navy base, too. The Japanese people who lived in the zone had adapted to a mix of American and Japanese customs and laws that operated within the zone. The zone was still technically part of Japan but governed like an American territory with mixed laws.

  Yuriko wore a dark blue ball cap and combat fatigues but without the insignia of her retired rank. She disembarked from the bus with the papers that authorized the GGA's visit to the training grounds at the base. A crisply dressed military policeman in olive fatigues and a white helmet met her, both stood crisply at attention. The girls on the bus watched this out of interest.

  “Wow,” Chiyo said. “You can really tell she was a soldier from the way she carries herself.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “I think you’re reading too much into that,” Ayako replied, “but we all know how good she is.”

  The MP inspected her retired service ID and the papers she handed over, then passed them back. They had a brief verbal exchange, and he then boarded the bus. All fifteen of the girls onboard had their GGA licenses out to prove their identities. He compared each license and face, and names were crossed off a master checklist on the MP’s clipboard.

  “Thank you, Master Sergeant,” the MP replied, “all of your papers are in order. You may proceed to the training grounds. Do you need directions?”

  “No, thank you. I’m quite familiar with the base, so that won’t be necessary.” Yuriko boarded the bus and directed the driver towards their destination.

  The first-year girls in the GGA avidly looked out the bus windows as they drove through the sprawling base. They saw a platoon of soldiers marching outside their barracks and mechanics working on tanks in the maintenance sheds. The second and third-year girls still paid attention, even though they had seen this from previous visits.

  The bus arrived at a one-story cinderblock building. The girls disembarked and picked up their rifle-carrying cases from the bus's cargo compartment. Yuriko went into the administration building and came back out a few minutes later with an African-American female soldier with tightly cropped, curly hair.

  “This is Sergeant Adelle Wilson; she is our liaison and range safety officer today. She is in charge here, so pay attention and follow all of her instructions. Now, please give her a big hello.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sergeant Wilson,” the girls spoke in unison and English. Everyone growing up in the American Zone received bilingual instruction from the first grade onwards. “We look forward to working with you.”

  “I look forward to working with you all, too,” Wilson replied with a big smile. ”Please follow me into the building. You can change into fatigues inside. Afterwards, I’ll brief you on the exercises we will be conducting, range safety protocols, issue practice ammunition, and we will do a weapons safety check.”

  The girls went inside and followed the sergeant to the women’s locker room, where they found stacks of equipment. Protective fatigues were laid out by size, along with helmets, shooting glasses, elbow and knee pads, and ear protection. They all put their clothes into the provided lockers. Changing into the fatigues, putting on web gear, and adjusting all of the other equipment took time. The last step had them unpack their rifles and give them a quick check. After changing, they gathered in a large briefing room where Sergeant Wilson stood in front of a large whiteboard.

  Yuriko made sure they were all geared up properly, and when they were all assembled, she called out. “Attention, girls! Eyes forward, please.”

  They all stopped talking and faced their instructors.

  “Thank you. Let’s get started.” Sergeant Wilson began. “Some of you have been here before, so this will be a refresher for you. I know former Master Sergeant Morimoto has trained you well, so we have set up a nice shoot package for you today. We will begin the morning with a drill for you to warm up with a couple of shoot/no-shoot courses in Shoot House One. You will run through them individually, and then we will reset the courses so you can run them again in pairs to practice your CQB tactics. That should take up the morning. We will then break for lunch. In the afternoon, you will divide into two teams, and we will conduct a few blue-on-red exercises in Shoot House Two. I hear this is what you are really excited about, so let's get going to the armoury, where we will issue you your training ammunition. Do not load your weapons until after the safety check.”

  The girls followed the sergeant down a hall, where an armourer issued them red-coloured magazines loaded with paint rounds. The magazines were standard magazines for the assault rifles that the army and GGAs used. The girls stowed the magazines in their web gear and headed outside to the range master’s control room, a concrete bunker with large windows facing the two shoot houses. A couple of army specialists manned the consoles that managed the functions of the shoot houses, including the video cameras within.

  Yuriko gathered the girls in a large semi-circle around her and had Sergeant Wilson do her safety inspection. Every girl held their rifle bolt back to ensure no bullets were chambered, and Wilson checked every magazine for red-tipped paint bullets. Everyone passed inspection. She then explained the range rules, such as loading their guns only before entering the buildings.

  “Okay, girls!” Yuriko said. “I’m glad everyone is so eager to start today. It should be fun to practice what you have learned in a more realistic setting. I do want you to take it seriously, though. Don’t just rush through to take full advantage of this opportunity. One of the best things about this range is that the scoring is automated and that we will be able to review videos about how we did, so do your best.”

  Yuriko looked over all the students to make sure she still had their attention. “I’ve told you this enough times, but I’m going to repeat myself again. We’ve come a long way in the last year, and many of you have better shooting skills than soldiers out of boot camp.” Her voice went stern. “But, don’t let that go to your head. You girls are upholding the ancient traditions that led to the GGAs of today. Women organized to defend their families and homes when the men were away, and they would have even fought during World War II against American invaders if the emperor had not surrendered. Thankfully, I don’t think you girls will ever have to fire your weapons in self-defence, but take this seriously, as it isn’t a game. One day, you might need to use these skills.”

  Ayako saw Yuriko shoot her a look to affirm that she should stay quiet. Her close friends and she had already used their weapons for real, but none of the other girls knew that.

  “One last thing, stay focused, enjoy yourselves, and remember the next regional tournament is in two weeks. All right then. Ayako, you’re the club captain. Organize the girls into two groups. Group A will take the left path through the Shoot House One, and Group B will go through the right path. Let’s get the day started! We have a lot to do!”

  *****

  The shoot/no shoot exercise was timed. It had each of the girls pass through a series of rooms and corridors that had a series of different human dummies that would appear from behind cover or turn around to reveal whether or not they had a gun. If they had a weapon, the girls would shoot; if not, they would hold their fire. They only had a split second to decide, however. Otherwise, the dummy would flip back to indicate a miss. Even if they accidentally shot a civilian or missed, they would continue to complete the course. The two paths through the shoot house were different, and after completing one side, the groups swapped to do the other side.

  Yuriko observed their progress through the monitors in the range control room, taking notes as needed. Ayako shined as the star of the group, evident from her flawless performance. Even the specialists manning the consoles commented on her skills. She displayed both speed and precision in her moves and shooting.

  The girls had a great time. Sergeant Wilson kept the girls in order while they waited for their turns. The girls who had finished waited nearby and compared notes on how well they did. Karen had to facepalm as she had shot a woman who was holding a flashlight and not a gun when the dummy had turned around. Sarah had been slower, advancing and shooting methodically, resulting in a low time score. Chiyo performed almost as well as Ayako but hesitated a fraction of a second too long on one target and was killed by the delay. The other girls did well, too, with only a few friendly dummies shot or killed amongst them. Airi had discharged her rifle accidentally the first time she went through but had done better the second time. Ayako consoled her as a friend and as team captain, letting her know that she had still done well for a nervous first-timer.

  After each full run through the exercise, Yuriko reviewed how they did with the girls. She gave them advice on their form and warned them about mistakes they made. They then repeated the exercises in pairs, practicing their move and cover tactics as they went through the courses again. The girls fumbled more with this drill as they practiced less with these moves, but it did show them that they could improve. Having the video to take away with them for review later would be a big help for them.

  Lunchtime came before they knew it. They all gathered back in the briefing room to look at the individual scores from the morning. Ayako getting the top score did not surprise anyone. Karen came in second, with both Chiyo and Sarah tying in fifth place. Yuriko congratulated Ayako but kept it low-key, as she emphasized improving everyone's skills. After general pointers were given to improve their teamwork, they ate box lunches prepared by the base kitchen. The lunches were simple, with rice, stir-fried beef and onions, Japanese pickles, and some other vegetables. The girls pushed tables together to form one big table and sat down to have their lunch.

  Yuriko sat with Sergeant Wilson to eat and review the morning’s activities.

  “You seem to have two stars in your club.” Sergeant Wilson pointed with her chopsticks at Ayako and Karen, who sat across from each other. She then picked up a piece of carrot from her lunchbox with her chopsticks, a skill developed since being stationed in Japan. “Those two compared their scores after every run.”

  Yuriko smiled. “Those two have a pretty intense but friendly rivalry going on. Ayako’s the best shooter in the club, but Karen isn’t far behind. Ayako is the better leader because she deals with the girls better, but that is something that Karen can learn. She’ll probably be club captain after next year.”

  “That kind of rivalry is good to have in a group. It makes everyone try to do better.”

  “I agree, and I’m glad they’re good friends.”

  “Your entire GGA is doing quite well so far. It's better than the other clubs that I’ve seen here, aside from Hiroshima High, which I guess is the top dog for GGAs in this area. You’ve done a good job coaching them. I still have to wrap my head around these clubs as they would never fly back in the States.” Wilson shook her head a little as if she couldn’t believe her own words. “High school girls with assault rifles as a normal thing in Japan.”

  “I know what you mean, but it is an ancient tradition for women to defend the community here, especially in the countryside. Every girl and their family in the club takes it seriously, or they don’t stay.”

  “I can tell from how they behave. They’re acting like teenagers, but they’re following the safety rules to a T.”

  “Glad to hear that. We take safety very seriously.”

  “I know I couldn’t teach high school kids this well. You’ll have to let me in on the secret.” Adelle joked.

  “You have to earn their respect, but it works both ways.”

  “Ri… right.” Adelle drew out the word while rolling her eyes in fake disbelief. “It’s that easy.”

  Yuriko laughed. “It’s true. And patience with fair discipline, too.”

  The two then proceeded to discuss the afternoon’s training.

  *****