Girl Rides the Wind Read Online Free PDF

merely standing in formation while a party of dignitaries made speeches could be torture. Emily managed to peek over at Oleschenko and Durant, both of whom had begun to sweat through their fatigues. A bit further along the line, she caught a glimpse of Ishikawa in similar straits, but Tsukino and Kano managed to put a brave face on the whole situation, even as the beads formed on their faces. She felt one hanging from her own nose.
    “Man, this is interminable,” she whispered. “Why can’t a breeze find us on this infernal base? Is that too much to ask?”
    Durant couldn’t suppress a snort at her words, and Oleschenko glowered at the two of them. “Shut it, you two,” he hissed.
    Eventually, the proceedings on the shaded podium drew to a close, and several well-dressed people made their way across the front of the formation, accompanied by Colonel Kamakura, commander of the first Airborne Brigade, and Admiral Crichton, Commander of Fleet Activities at the naval base in Sasebo, and the officer in charge of the US contingent of the operation. The command to stand “at ease” made its way around and Emily’s platoon assumed a slightly more comfortable posture, feet apart and hands behind their backs.
    “The tall one is Mr. Saito,” Oleschenko whispered. “He’s the Deputy Minister of Defense.”
    “Who are the other two?” Durant asked.
    “I imagine we’ll find out in a moment,” Emily said. She could just make out what they said to Kano’s unit. Praise for their service in the recent evacuations after the typhoon up north, and encouragement for the tournament to be held later that day.
    “Thank you, Heiji-san,” Kano said to the smaller of two women flanking Mr. Saito, before making a deep bow.
    “Your family must be proud of your achievements, Tsukino-san,” said the other woman, and he bowed deeply in return. “Your predecessors at the Atsuta-jingu will be honored to receive you into their order, once your tour in the Jietai is complete.”
    “You are too generous, Soga-san,” he replied.
    “They’re so polite,” Durant whispered, and Oleschenko shushed him.
    Mr. Saito said something in a few, clipped Japanese phrases to Capt Oleschenko, and he immediately glanced at Emily, who supplied a translation.
    “Thank you, sir,” Oleschenko replied, with a little bow. “We are honored to have the opportunity to serve side by side with the Ground Self Defense Force.”
    “We have heard a great deal about you, too, Tenno-san,” one of the women said.
    “This is Heiji Gyoshin, my Industry Liaison,” Mr. Saito said. “And allow me to introduce Soga Jin,” he continued, gesturing to the taller woman. “She is the Vice President of the Takenouchi Corporation.”
    “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Heiji-san,” Emily said. “And I am honored to meet you as well, Soga-san.”
    “Your reputation as a martial artist precedes you,” Soga Jin said. “Will you participate in the tournament?”
    “Fighting is a man’s game,” Emily said. “We have several very capable fighters, including Durant-san.” She pointed to Durant with a flourish that left him tongue-tied, and he bowed nervously.
    “What was that all about?” he asked, once the dignitaries had retreated to the artificial shade of the stands, and the troops had been dismissed, and various units had begun to disperse across the parade ground.
    “You mean the big muckety-mucks coming to our little shindig?” Oleschenko asked.
    “Yeah, sure,” Durant said. “But, really, why were they making such a big deal out of Tsukino over there? I thought I heard one of them say something about him serving at a shrine, like he’s some sort of priest?”
    “You’ve picked up a bit of Japanese,” Emily said. “Impressive, Sarge.”
    “Did I get that right, then?”
    “The Atsuta-jingu is a shrine, outside of Nagoya, and the priests in charge of it come from a few families. That’s the way it tends to be at the major Shinto