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“What is it, Yanagi?” I ask her. It was one thing for us to expect possible reinforcements from the enemy after some time, but not Yanagi’s reply, even though this notion was probably just as dangerous.
“The Beiyang Fleet has returned to Kure.” She answers with a concerned look on her face.

“Why now?”
“I asked them the same thing,” Yanagi says, placing a hand on her chin. “Even Akasaka-san and Denisov-san could not find a logical answer.”

The headquarters of the Beiyang fleet was located on Uchina, the largest island on the Ryukyu archipelago, further south of Kyushu. Considering their favorable position there, there was no real reason why they would suddenly relocate themselves here.

“It’s the Yamato.” Satoru infers, “They most likely relocated here just so the high command can better oversee the project. But whatever the case might be, we now have yet another factor to worry about.”
“…Shore bombardment.” I could almost see Yanagi shiver mentioning those words.
“Which means if the enemy suddenly starts retreating, we do the same,” I order.
Easily said, but there’s no way to know how effective it could be done. All things considered, there is still the factor of the army and whether or not they are willing to work with us…

“You are worried about the army guys, aren’t you?” Satoru sighs, seeing right through my concerns. “If that’s the case, I would suggest contacting them now.”
“Wait,” Yanagi abruptly stops her thought process. “Wouldn’t that mean…”
“Our main objective is to cover the marines as they retreat towards delta northeast for them to rendezvous with Denisov and Akasaka, surely they would not mind us setting up a holdout further down near some potential battlegrounds.”

“Are there any places of interest?” I ask, intrigued by my friend’s proposal.
“Two, in fact.” He answers, “There is a steep road ahead leading to a high ground, where the infrastructure still remains largely intact. An ideal playground for the two of you should anyone come forth, but there’s also another post ahead where the old part of town and the Miyajima shrine is located. Certainly more volatile considering how old these structures are as well as the close proximity to the steppe barbarians, but it’s also where the army is stationed, so chances are we’ll meet some of them there.”

>The old town
>The steep pathway

>>2252452
>>The old town

>>2252452
>Steep pathway

>>2252452
>Steep pathway

>>2252452
>>The steep pathway

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>>2252490
>>2252524
>>2252565
“We’ll take the first location then.” I notify my friends. “Satoru, can you lead the way?”
As much as helping the army folks is part of the agenda, ensuring that Itaru and his crew having a clean way out was still the highest of priority of this operation. With that in mind, a high ground with enough cover is a far more ideal place to carry out our duties as opposed to going near the maws of the enemy. Plus, if the army were to fall back, they would cross this point anyway.

“Good, then let’s get there before the sun rises.” He answers. “I’ll inform Shirataki-san as well.”

Packing what little we needed, the three of us made our way over to the designated spot. Being a mere twenty-minute trek from the warehouse, it was not particularly tiring, even though we had to climb up a steep road on the way.

And even so, the advantages of this position were easily discernable the moment we reached the spot. Sat on a higher ground in a suburban area of the city, it provided an endless amount of vantage points for me to snipe from. Additionally, the packed houses also provided Yanagi with enough options to lay down whatever traps she brought along, and for Satoru, enough cover to move around freely.

Settling on the second floor of one of the residential buildings, I peeked into the horizon with my scope, watching as Yanagi rigs the main road with explosives. Satoru remained alerted to his surroundings, constantly scrying the horizon for any enemy activity with a pair of binoculars.

The time is 4:00am, the time where the retreat begins.

Hustling together on the rooftop of the same abandoned residential building, the three of us hung over the transmitter Margaret has given us.

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“Nothing from them yet…” Yanagi murmurs into the awkward, straining silence. It was responded in kind by Satoru and me gulping down a mouthful of saliva.
Just minutes earlier, we were contacted by Itaru informing us about his crew making a rush for the northeastern junction bridge. However, there was still nothing from Akane and Margaret, the two who were supposed to meet them there.

“Then try contacting them from here then,” I say as Yanagi handles the little black box. Some short configurations later, it did manage to connect. Yet what came out from the other side…
Well, even though it appears that the two haven’t been compromised, the content was certainly quite jarring, to say the least.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”
Whatever composed and professional demeanor that Akane once exhibited was replaced by pure bloodlust. This was followed up by a rumbling background noise, presumably coming off from Object-128 traversing the terrain, and later on, the sound of what appears to be two chunks of metal crashing into each other.

“Did she just ram that thing into the enemy!?” Satoru exclaims, lost in the apparent action from afar. While many speculations can be made as to what might have happened over at their side, ramming a tank into an enemy like the good old days of cavalry warfare just… felt like something Akane would do.

“This is no Schakal, no Schakal!”
Such insane proclamation was then followed by the sound of a tank round being fired at what I would assume, zero distance, confirming Satoru’s hypothesis. Let’s just hope the Empire’s engineering is capable of withstanding such abuse.
“Look!” Yanagi pulls us by the sleeve, catching our attention while pointing northeast.

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Is this a dream?
The silhouettes might not be the clearest things to discern in the night sky, but I am certain that I just saw a tank being tossed ten meters into the sky, along with other assorted personnel and equipment. This was accompanied by distinct flashes of blue light on the ground level, which in itself was effortlessly plowing through whatever was in its way, heading right for where the junction bridge like a destructive hurricane.

Just like one of those gloriously stupid trash action movies imported from the western world, except it’s real. Such was the power of the legends, I might not be there to witness Margaret in action, but I could feel her overwhelming presence even from here.

“Guys, we’ve got company.”
Snapped back into reality following Satoru’s alert, I immediately scoped into the distance with my rifle.
As expected, Margaret’s wonderful performance did not go by unnoticed, and she has attracted quite a big audience it seems.

Audiences who are very much willing to kill to take the front seats.

An echelon of Tengar soldiers, reinforcements from the south, was being ambushed by a small squad of soldiers from our army. Despite being outnumbered and underequipped compared to the enemy, they were doing a good job disorienting the steppe barbarians using the element of surprise.
However, it is obvious that they will not hold up for long, especially when the enemy has begun regrouping in response to their assault. Not that any of the army folk would care though. For them, it is death or worse: dishonor.

>Take out the tankette in the rear. It is a formidable anti-infantry weapon but its armor can be pierced easily
>Take out the flame troopers. There aren't that many of them but they are arguably the more dangerous ones of the bunch
>Try to locate the enemy commander and shoot him down
>The army folks would be forced to fall back in this direction the longer they wrestle with the enemy. Wait, then try luring them onto the main road where Yanagi's traps can take care of them.

>>2252935
>>Take out the flame troopers. There aren't that many of them but they are arguably the more dangerous ones of the bunch

>>2252935
>>Take out the flame troopers. There aren't that many of them but they are arguably the more dangerous ones of the bunch

>>2252935
>take out the flame grouper tanks, causing them to engulf MULITPLE forces

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Alright, I'm back up.
Roll me a 6d10

Rolled 8, 1, 9, 9, 4, 7 = 38 (6d10)

>>2254066

Rolled 2, 6, 2, 2, 7, 8 = 27 (6d10)

>>2254066

Rolled 3, 9, 6, 3, 5, 9 = 35 (6d10)

>>2254066

Rolled 1, 3, 7, 9, 5, 1 = 26 (6d10)

>>2254066
People who don't know how you're supposed to hold a rifle have no business drawing snipers.

>>2254069
One failed shot with two solid hits.
Will deliver later today when I come back from dinner

>>2254425
The real way to hold it is one hand on the trigger and the other holding the 'handle' near the stock.
Same with many genres and their "dual wielding longswords of the same length"

>>2254459
>The real way to hold it is one hand on the trigger and the other holding the 'handle' near the stock.
Uh...

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>>2254480
This is editor kun
Yes, I know what you're thinking, but the rifle in the pic is a NTW 20
Its larger caliber and design means it's not handled like any other sniper rifle (look it up, it's pretty interesting)

*edit: 'one hand on the grip and the other holding the 'handle' near the stock'

>>2254497
At least as far as this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXLRYf9EV2Y) shows, you still put the stock to your shoulder like any other rifle, not over the shoulder.

>>2254538
Oh I thought you were talking about how the gun is held.
Yeah, you were right, the rifle stock should be tucked in the shoulder as with any other rifle.
I just find the fact that almost every piece of art with the gun overlooking the stock handle quite curious.

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Standing out within the disarrayed group of steppe barbarians were three flame troopers, their bulky gear sticking out like a sore thumb in what appears to be a group of lightly armed soldiers. With the absence of specialized lancers or enemy snipers around, they took the spot as the most dangerous units around.

Taking them out now would definitely make the life of our allies easier. Even better, this echelon is clumped around on a rather narrow road, meaning there might even be the off chance where flames might engulf multiple forces.

With a deep breath, I trained my aim squarely on the chest of one of the few shocktroopers holding flamethrowers and pulled the trigger.
And in that instant, one of the flame troopers fall lifelessly onto the concrete floor, having a bullet ripped right through the center of his chest.

Not wasting any more time, I immediately loaded another bullet and pulled the trigger on my second target. He too, falls like his comrade, choking on his own blood as the bullet lodges itself into his lungs.
I quickly reload again to hit the last flame trooper, yet before I could pull my trigger, the last remaining flame trooper rolled into cover at the last second.

“Tch”
I cannot help but bite my lower lip in irritation at such a missed opportunity until I realized what exactly this ‘cover’ that the enemy soldier ducked into actually was.

Four Mongke-class combat vehicles, more aptly described as a hybrid between a tank and an APC. These were converted vehicles from the tanks of the late Yu Dynasty, whose medium and light tanks proved to be inferior compared to the Khaganate’s counterparts. But even then, these last-minute hybrids still functioned decently as anti-infantry and carrier units.

“Ugh, I can’t believe they brought four of those things.” Yanagi scorns in disgust as four of those armored vehicles appeared from the horizon.

The rest of the disoriented enemy, with their morale, restored at the arrival of the four Mongkes, rally beside them as the vehicles began spraying a tidal wave of machine gun fire at the Zipang soldiers. Four out of the twelve were shot down instantly, while the remaining eight scatter into the alleyways like crickets making a run for their burrows.

Seeing Yanagi’s rather distressed disposition really made me wish there was a lancer assigned to our squad, or at least having Akane by our side at a time like this. These Mongkes were pretty much scrap metal compared to the Object 128, but for now, they are a tremendous threat.

>Try aiming at the commander while waiting for the hatchets to open
>Move closer to the enemy’s position. While dangerous, at least then I can get a clear view of the radiators
>Bait and funnel them into one of the rigged areas Yanagi has set up.

>>2255336
>Bait and funnel them into one of the rigged areas Yanagi has set up.

>>2255336
>Bait and funnel them into one of the rigged areas Yanagi has set up.

>>2255336
>Bait and funnel them into one of the rigged areas Yanagi has set up.

>>2255336
>Bait and funnel them into one of the rigged areas Yanagi has set up.

>>2255336
>Bait and funnel them into one of the rigged areas Yanagi has set up.

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Give Yanagi your best 2d10

Rolled 4, 10 = 14 (2d10)

>>2256513

Rolled 1, 5 = 6 (2d10)

>>2256513

Rolled 8, 1 = 9 (2d10)

>>2256513

Rolled 4, 10 = 14 (2d10)

>>2256513

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>>2256515
>>2256701

“That’s too much for us to handle without a lancer or assistance from Denisov-san and Akasaka-san.” I say, picking up my rifle. “The only way would be to use Yanagi’s traps.”
“So we’re luring them onto the main road?” Yanagi stands up, a flash grenade gripped on her left hand. “I’ll flash them and get their attention.”
“No, that’s too risky.” I turn her down. “There are other ways to move get them into that position… like feinting a retreat.”
“Feint a retreat? But will they bite such an obvious bait?”
“Actually, they most likely will, Yanagi.” Satoru explains with a grin. “These guys are reinforcements sent from the south to aid the enemy forces of the Northeast junction. Getting there as fast as they can is their utmost priority. With us retreating and our friends in the army scattered, they will definitely make their push.”
“Sounds workable, if you put it that way.” Yanagi nods.
“Good, we’ll pull back in a bit. Leave some of our gear around just to make things look more convincing.”

After scattering some of our less needed gear, the three of us fell back to a lower elevation. What happened to the rest of the army soldiers in the previous assault was unknown, but I would presume that they were still regrouping somewhere.

We garrisoned in a torn down building slightly downhill, at a position overlooking the area we were in. Just as predicted, the Khaganate’s forces began advancing straight ahead, upwards on the broadest and most accessible road in this part of the town.
“What is it, Satoru?”
Placing an ear on the ground itself, my friend appears to be listening to the vibrations of the enemy’s vehicles.
“Anytime now…” came the reply.
Honestly, I never knew how he could discern these things.

Next thing we heard was an explosion that ended with what looks like a manhole being flung into the sky, something we did not need Satoru’s input to know what had happened.
The leading Mongke was wrecked through and through by an anti-tank mine Yanagi laid earlier, its parts thrown spectacularly high up to the air then scattered everywhere in a ten-meter radius.

The tracked vehicle, blown straight through the chassis, stopped dead in its tracks. From the sides, another set of explosives detonate, bringing a rather sizeable building down on their trails. While the collapsing house did not fall directly onto the tank, the debris was enough to cast a thick cloud of dust as well as block off the road temporarily.

Unexpectedly enough, two lance rockets shot out from the residential buildings that flanked the main road, striking two more of the still operational Mongkes right in their radiators. The distinctive rotating smoke trail of the warheads make it clear that this is no doubt the army’s doing.

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As the smoke clears from the debris, I picked up my Type-97 and peered through the scope, watching as the surviving steppe barbarians regrouping amongst the ruins. It appears that Yanagi’s initial landmine struck gold, as the surviving troops from before tows a heavily wounded officer out of the wreck.
With the chain of command disrupted, the enemy forces opted to fall back rather than continue the push, despite still being numerically superior.

“Well, that was easy” Yanagi stretches as she walks out from cover. “I thought they would’ve put up more of a fight.”
“They probably thought this entire area is filled to the brim with frenzied Zipangnese ready to jump them at any moment,” Satoru explains with a scowl. “Between what we did and all that harassment the army goons were doing, they probably thought this place is well guarded by snipers as well.”
“Hmm… but you don’t seem happy with that?” I comment on his rather disgruntled attitude
“Because we might have just earned ourselves the front row seats for airstrikes and shore bombardment” He answers. “And that’s not something that we could just sit out of; especially if it’s going to be Beiyang out of all people.”
“Enough with that,” Yanagi interrupts, pointing to something from the wreck. “What are we going to do about them?”

Looking uphill, a small squad of men appeared from the nearby houses, their uniforms confirming that they were indeed members of our army. The squad assembled around the wreckage of Mongkes, appearing to be celebrating the victory, then immediately proceed to scavenge for equipment. A man wearing a face mask from the crowd waved to us from above. Seeing his attire and the red armband on his left arm, it would be safe to assume that he is the leader of the squadron.

>We’re not in a hurry, let’s see if things are doing well for Denisov-san and Akasaka-san
>Wave back and join them
>Let’s rebuild the traps in case the barbarians decide to come at us again.

>>2259027
>let's rebuild the traps, they'll most likely be back.

>>2259027
>Wave back and join them
We need to establish communication

>>2259027
>>Wave back and join them

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>>2259043
>>2259059
It was only natural to return with a wave back at him, though he most likely has no zero ideas about our identity, nor about the party, we are working for.
Satoru, in contrast, did not appear too entertained about the army folk.
“Be careful, my friend. They may not be as friendly as you might perceive them to be.”
“Even so, this isn’t the time for petty conflicts.”
“Yes, but you never know if there are people like Koishimizu within their ranks, and that’s not even mentioning your identity.”
“He doesn’t appear to be that kind of person. For now, at least.” I say, watching the masked man coming down the hill.”

“For you saving our lives, this Ayafumi Haruta is eternally grateful.” His voice was rather deep for someone of his appearance. “And you are…?”

“Yanagi Morishima”
“Satoru Aono”
“Subaru Kurokawa. We’re from the 4th conscript battalion.”
We announce our names in order

“Survivors of the student conscripts!?”
He didn’t hide his surprise when learning of who we were.
I could not tell if he was surprised, or did he feel humiliated after being saved by people like us.

“You are but fledglings, yet you possess the wits of a crow and valor of a hawk...There’s still hope for our cause!” The officer beamed ecstatically like some sort of fanatic. “Pray tell, where is your commander, and the rest of your group?”
“Just the three of us” I answer. “We are here under the orders of Captain Nagamasa Suwabe of the Combined Fleet.”

As if on cue, his eyes immediately flare up with shock at this revelation, and the man instinctively takes two steps back.
“The… NAVY!?”
The initial shock fades, replaced by humiliation. A lesser man from the army might have cursed himself for being thrust into a situation like this, but to Ayafumi’s credit, he is the type who would rather swallow his pride in front of the people who just saved his squad.

“What business has the navy here? To humiliate us by selling a favor!?” He inquires, much less pleasant than before.
“It’s not that! We’re here to assist the marines out of the city,” I explain, trying to reason with him. "the army could use this chance to…”

“ARE YOU TELLING US TO TURN OUR BACKS ON THE ENEMY!?” He shouts, the blood vessels on his forehead clearing emerging from anger.

“SHAMEFUL DISPLAY!” The scream was loud enough I’m pretty sure even his men up there must have heard it. Glancing back, Satoru gave a resigned shrug while Yanagi clasped both ears with her hands in an attempt to block out the noise.
“…My apologies.” Ayafumi turns away, gripping the tip of his cap. “But that is something none of us can comply.”

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It was a bit different experiencing the insane stalwartness of the Zipangnese army, but all in all this kind of attitude was expected. After all, Hibari would have probably held the same reaction if roles were reversed. Arguably it might even turn out worse for the one convincing her, considering that woman’s temper.
“What good is honor for someone who dies for nothing, achieving only the opposite of what he intends to do?” An irritated Satoru steps up to the officer, who for the longest time has always hated this kind of ideology his countrymen has subscribed to.
“Cowards running from the battlefield has no right to lecture me on honor!” Ayafumi shoots back. Already ‘humiliated’ by having some students belonging to the navy aid his squad; he cannot allow this insult to slip past him.”
“So you die, and our country is still vanquished by the enemy. Isn’t it you, the army, who are the cowards, escaping into the afterlife for those who survive to bear your burden?”
“And this war isn't even over yet, the Miko-hime has not surrendered, nor the rest of the populace! THE SPIRIT OF OUR PEOPLE SHALL NEVER BREA-”

“That’s enough!”
Unlike last time, I joined in with Yanagi at putting an end to a boiling situation. Hearing our words, the two eventually backed off calmly with no farther signs of aggression.

“Haruta-dono, if you are not coming, where are you going from here?” I ask, careful not to re-ignite the hostilities.
“My men and I are going to rejoin the Marshal at the old town, the heart of this city. We shall defend it to the last man.”
“Even in this state?”
“Duty above all.”

>We’ll go there with you.
>And what happens if the barbarians decide to strike us by air?
>write in

>>2264786
>And what happens if the barbarians decide to strike us by air?

>>2264786
>And what happens if the barbarians decide to strike us by air?

>>2264786
And what happens if the barbarians decide to strike us by air?

>>2264786
>And what happens if the barbarians decide to strike us by air?

>>2264786
>And what happens if the barbarians decide to strike us by air?

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>>2264798
>>2264815
>>2264870
>>2265032
>>2265249
“And what happens if the barbarians strike us by air?”

“Then we shall clip their wings and tear them from the sky!”
“You morons don’t even have any anti-air weapons!”
Oh dear, those two are having a go at it again.

“Don’t underestimate us, coward! Our men can handle anything!”
“Yeah and look how well you fuckers handled this war!”

“Satoru, you’re sounding like Koishimizu-senpai.” Yanagi gives her bluntest comment on the situation, while I walked over to pat my friend on the shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

“Look, I know how much you can’t take these guys, but the whole reason we’re here is to try to do something. Maybe if we can convince the Marshal-”
“Are you fucking insane? We can’t even converse with one damn mook, and you think it’s possible to talk sense to the goddamn head of these tinheads?”
“We came this far for this goal. It’d be a waste if we don’t even give it a try.”
He looks at me in disbelief, and I look back right into his eyes.
…
…
“Fine, but we bail the moment Denisov radios us.” He concedes with a sigh. “And I suppose I might also sympathize with Koishimizu somewhat.”
“At least your friends harbor a bit more of honor within them.” Ayafumi crows from behind, which earned him a death glare from Yanagi. Too bad he’s a bit too dense to get that.

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Ayafumi and what remained of his group lead the way down the hill and deeper south into the old city. Walking all the way there was not the most pleasant of experiences. In fact, the state of Aki reminded me a whole lot of Osaka, back when I was still trapped there.

Buildings bombed into millions of debris, streets littered with corpses, one every five steps, the atmosphere choked with the sheer amount of dust particles from the result of artillery strikes. On the bright side, such thick dust clouds, along with the thick morning mist provided ample cover for our tracks. Though, there was quite a worrying lack of enemies, concerning those people we met earlier.

And we are here, standing in front of the ever characteristic gates of the Miyajima shrine, a landmark that practically defined Aki since the city’s foundation. Its monolithic presence was only amplified farther by the deep morning mist that coated the air in a bluish hue. Quite exactly how one could describe as a “Gate to the Afterlife.” The only thing that could make this even more of a set piece would be if a river ran across it.

Aki’s old town, or what was left of it, was no different from the rest of the city. Most of the wooden structures in the area were either set ablaze or reduced to ashes, and those not were reduced to little more than rubble. However, one thing stood out amongst the destruction - the arch of the Miyajima shrine. While everything around it is but a wasteland, including the shrine itself, the Torii alone appear unscathed from all the fighting.

And that was not the only surprise it held for us.

“The sun has risen.”
Noticing our presence, the old man lifts his head and mutters in a deep, calm voice, stood up, sheathed katana in hand.
“Endo-sama!” Ayafumi sputters as he races towards the silhouette sitting under the arch; this was followed by the last half a dozen of his men, who mimicked the exact same words as he did.

“That’s Koki Endo, Marshal of the Army…” Yanagi comments, slightly overwhelmed by Ayafumi and his crew’s reaction.
“And the last one still alive,” Satoru comments, looking at the corpses that littered the area. There were a significantly greater number of fallen soldiers on our side compared to the roads that we walked before. And if the remains of the dead and busted tanks were of any indication, some particularly fierce fighting that took place here not long ago.

>Maybe we should ask the marshal what happened here.
>Contact Margaret and Akane, they’re taking a bit too long
>Tell Ayafumi to grab the guy and get out of here, the day is breaking and the mist is clearing.
>Other

And before that, apologies for the four-day absence as things were a bit busy from my side. Now that's gone I can return to the normal schedule

>>2275074

>Tell Ayafumi to grab the guy and get out of here, the day is breaking and the mist is clearing.

>>2275074
>Tell Ayafumi to grab the guy and get out of here, the day is breaking and the mist is clearing.

>>2275074
>Contact Margaret and Akane, they’re taking a bit too long

>>2275074
>Tell Ayafumi to grab the guy and get out of here, the day is breaking and the mist is clearing.

I smell air raid

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Alright, my next update is clocking at 1500 words and still increasing as of the moment, meaning I might not be able to make another post before this thread gets washed down the board.

As such, I'll be archiving this now and making a new thread within two days.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Pacific%20Theatre

>>2282367
Thanks for running!

>>2282367

You kick ass. Please keep doing so