The training started the following morning early. A heavy regimen of running, pushups, sit ups and stretching got their blood flowing in the morning. The squad of nine ran around the base perimeter and then into the jungle looking for targets that the instructors had placed the day before. Each day started off like this. The GAM instructors provided appropriate motivation and enjoyed yelling at and groping the Musumes that lagged. Aya Matsuura and Miki Fujimoto enjoyed whipping the Musumes into warriors.
The daily runs changed a little each day as GAM introduced new elements into the run. First they introduced bamboo spears and straw man targets. “When you see a straw man, be sure to stop to stab the target. Be vicious. Strike two or three times if you feel the first strike was weak. The groin has lots of nerves so try to hit that as well” Miki ordered the girls before their run.
Jun Jun carried a video camera instead of a spear. Her footage would be instrumental in making sellable DVD magazines highlighting the combat progression of the Japanese singers. I want to shoot and stab things too, I’m missing out on the fun here. She thought to herself.
Ai Takahashi did their best to lead by example. She always stayed late at combat practice to refine her striking technique, remembering to twist the spear after stabbing. Her first strike was always forceful. Sayumi was the only girl who smiled while stabbing targets though. This was probably an effort to look cute while executing violent attacks. It had the opposite effect though and several of her teammates were understandably creeped out by this.
Koharu made the fiercest yells as she engaged the targets in her path, shredding them in a flurry of attacks. Her berserker performance instilled a new respect and fear among her teammates. “Hyaaaa Hyaaaaa Hyaaaa” Koharu attacked the straw form. She targeted the chest, tearing gaping holes in the target. Then she struck again, in the neck and groin, then the kneecaps, then the thighs, then the arms, and then going for all the joints and then back to the groin…
“Koharu…. Koharu…. “ Takahashi intervened
“What, I’m killing the target, don’t disturb me”
“I think you got that one” Takahashi laughed
“Kill Kill Kill” Koharu chanted…
Takahashi slowly backed away and ran off looking for another target, putting some distance between herself and the skinny violent girl. Koharu made one more viscous plunge. Her chest heaved as she recovered from her exertions. The target lay in many pieces. In her repeated stabs, Koharu had successfully hacked off the head and arms and legs of the target and put multiple holes into the groin and chest areas. “Yatta Yatta Yatta” she yelled. Jun Jun made sure to capture some footage of Koharu Kusumi waving her spear and dancing in a circle around the fallen straw man she demolished. It was cute footage. Otaku would mention this event on forums for years.
A few days later the girls ran the trail with M1 rifles fixed with bayonets and equipped with live ammunition. They wore full battle dress uniforms and helmets. Along the route, squash and rotted pumpkins had been mounted on poles and at different elevations on stands nailed to the trees. The Musume squad had orders to splatter all the rotten vegetables set up along the patrol and bayonet all the straw men. Added to the course were rope bridges, tunnels, a climbing wall, and other obstacles to toughen them up.
Ai Takahashi proved to be the best in marksmanship. Her seriousness and concentration ensured that her shots hit home. She rarely had to fire twice. Aya marked her as a candidate for sniper training. Risa on the other hand, had to improve her technique. She missed five times on the first target.
“Risa, Risa, hold your breath when you aim and fire. Try it again” Ai advised.
Risa took aim and fired. 100 meters away rotten squash exploded.
“YesthesquashisdeadIkilleditIkilledit” Risa exclaimed, experiencing the joy of accuracy.
“Risa, ok breathe.. breathe calm down before you take another shot.” Risa set the rifle on safety and slung it across her back before gripping Ai in a bear hug. “Risa-chan.. whaaaa ummm not so tight.” Ai was now struggling for a breath, crushed by her friends arms. The affectionate gratitude was something that Ai treasured though in spite of getting squashed. This made being a leader worthwhile, feeling Risa’s head crooked in her shoulder and than being twirled around.
Unfortunately, Risa’s accuracy dropped if Ai was not there. One time, she fell too far behind and became separated from Ai. Risa Niigaki ran out of ammo attempting to destroy the targets that day.
Eri Kamei demonstrated high accuracy ratings with her rifle. “Hey Eri can you hit that over there, that bunch of bananas?” Jun Jun pleaded pointing to a banana tree. Eri had some spare rounds so she took steady aim. The shot clipped the stem holding up the bananas and they fell. “Eri you’re the best, let’s put these in our packs so we have something else to eat besides Sayu’s cooking” Eri agreed. She fired a few more rounds and the harvest began. Jun Jun set her camera on the ground to race after the fallen bananas freely. They filled their packs to capacity. Eri would later remark on how wise Jun Jun was. She also knew that the bananna loving Chinese girl would eventually find a way to return the favour. Eri had some ideas in mind.