Many of the soldiers who survived the battles at Arnus Hill against the JSDF have turned to banditry, and Pina finds herself in command of the defenders as Italica is besieged by these bandits. The city, after the sudden death of its lord recently is nominally ruled by the late lord`s daughter Myui, who being only eleven obviously cannot lead the defence, and so Pina and her Rose Knights offered to do so.
During a lull in the fighting, Itami`s platoon, with Leilei, Rory, and Tuka arrive, and convince Pina that they are friendly and are willing to help defend the city. This is Pina`s first true battle: her Knights were relegated solely to a ceremonial role before, and she is not doing well. She had Itami`s platoon guard the south gates, as they are the most difficult to defend, but that night the bandits unexpectedly attack the east gate and overwhelm their defences. She thinks of calling Itami to help but fears he will not come after having put him in what looked like a suicidal position. It seems though that Itami will help of his own initiative.