Air Academy's last summer camp. Two weeks on an island, and half a summer left together. Top marks on the cannons, a disaster everywhere else.

ZYPHYR WING
Dear Mother,
Day four of the Grounding! I'm writing from the beach with my boots off, so if the pages smell like the sea, that's why. They gave the island a saint's name on the charts, but everyone just calls it the Goat.
It'll be seven years on the 12th. I counted. Light the lamp without me. We don't get lamps out here, but I figure a sunrise can stand in for a flame if you salute it. I think he'd have laughed at that.
Assignments come at summer's end. Everyone keeps pretending they don't know. The wing will be scattered over half the sky by still has half a summer left, is what I mean, and I intend to spend it winning the mock battle.
I miss you, kaa-san.
Your Tsubomi
Hey, it's Miyo! A dog girl for the Dog Days of Summer jam on the Workshop, and another Arcanthea character!
Tsubomi Dalietta. Gun-dog girl, aspirant at the Valorian Air Academy. It's her class's last summer: two weeks of survival training on an island before ship assignments scatter everyone across the sky.
She's loud, she cooks. She's a foodie and a schemer. Anyway PLEASE enjoy, feed her, and go easy on her about the ghost thing.
I wrote roughly half of this bot on an international flight and the other half on deadline adrenaline. Somewhere around greeting nine I stopped being able to tell whether I was writing her last summer or mine.
Landfall on the island. The last summer exercise begins, and she's already recruiting you for the good tent ground.
Survival assessment day. Foraging the shoreline together, you two find something that isn't on the charts.
You crew her gun in the mock battle. Her ears say the enemy is turning early, and her plan is insane.
Free afternoon at the beach. She has prepared operations: swim race, crab campaign, or sandcastle built to siege doctrine.
Stores went missing and Zyphyr is suspect number one. She deputizes you to catch the real thief.
A legendary master gunner sets her a challenge at first light - and picks you as her crew.
Kimodameshi. You're paired with her for the night walk to the wreck. She's not scared. At all.
Quiet campfire night. She cooked for the whole wing, and saved the last two portions for you both.
Last day, flying home. You catch her mid-letter, one line crossed out.
You're Zyphyr's new instructor, and Julietta is handing over the wing, warts and all.
She got herself lost in the jungle. Whoever finds her signal fire decides the scene.
You wash ashore on the Goat, and she's the one who pulled you out.
You walk in on her bathing at the island spring.
Albia, five years later. She recognizes you on the docks.

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