Sky Striker Ace, But Symphogear

"Is that so?"

Raye put on a curious expression at the right moment, while continuing to secretly have the Drone Units investigate.

Under her control, small aircraft flew covertly high above the hot spring town in groups of two and three, constantly searching for valuable intelligence through long-range cameras.

To be honest, handling the conversation in front of her while operating the Drone Units was not easy, but if done properly, it could greatly improve efficiency.

Just under ten minutes later, Raye had already used machine analysis to map out Second Division's personnel deployment and condition in this hot spring town.

According to her devices' observations, Second Division's ordinary members were scattered throughout the town, with few carrying weapons. Their stronger combatants, meanwhile, were mostly gathered around the men's and women's baths nearby.

Good thing she had not rushed into action earlier. Otherwise, she would probably have been dragged into a quagmire of battle and found it difficult to escape.

[What should I do next?]

After confirming the intelligence in her mind, Raye could not help thinking.

If all she wanted was peace of mind, then stopping here would have been enough. The information she had gathered was already sufficient for her to withdraw without arousing suspicion.

But after analyzing the situation, Raye had a new idea.

[There are two options. One is to leave without doing anything while I still haven't been discovered, hiding myself like an ordinary passerby. The other is to immediately devise a plan to capture Hibiki Tachibana and seize this opportunity to carry it out.]

With that thought, Raye's gaze focused on the girl before her, wrapped in a thin bath towel.

The reason she had this idea was that, after analyzing the situation, she found that attacking now seemed far less risky than attacking later.

First, this was not a base that Second Division had operated for years and truly controlled. It was a bustling hot spring town filled with innocent civilians.

Without the base's defensive fortifications, and with the need to protect civilians and evacuate them during battle, Second Division's combat strength would inevitably be greatly reduced.

Second, compared with the last time she had infiltrated alone with the Sky Striker, this time, the Relics under her control included the powerful and complete Staff of Solomon.

Though she did not particularly like Noise, she had to admit that Noise posed an absolute threat to humans. Releasing enough Noise could easily restrain those people who had caused her so much trouble during the previous operation.

Finally, even if this operation failed, it could still put psychological pressure on Second Division's members.

After all, their team retreat had been kept fairly confidential to prevent enemy attacks. If even an operation with that level of secrecy could be attacked, they would inevitably become paranoid for a while.

P.S. Good night. I'm so cursed.

An Unexpected Development

While Raye was tensely considering whether to act, Chris, who had gone outside, was facing one of life's troubles.

Although she had acted somewhat aggressively in front of Raye earlier, that had only been a sign of her panic.

After calming down, Chris's mood worsened.

Because after this happened, no matter what Raye ultimately decided, she would no longer be able to enjoy her first-ever hot spring trip with the same peace of mind.

In other words, the relaxing hot spring trip she had been looking forward to had been completely ruined by this sudden incident.

It was like running into your partner's client during a vacation date, only for that client to suddenly send over a project and demand that you solve it immediately on your laptop. At such a young age, Chris was getting an early taste of an adult's helplessness.

But there was nothing she could do. Who would have thought that the place she picked at random would happen to be where the enemy was holding their team retreat?

[I'll do what Raye said for now.]

Chris thought silently. Surrounded by enemies and without any tools to fight back, all she could do was disguise herself properly, pretending to be an ordinary person like Raye had told her.

"Let's see what they sell around here first. Oh, that looks like a snack shop over there."

After relaxing, Chris took out the magical little card she carried with her and quickly found the sort of small convenience store that naturally sprouted wherever there was enough foot traffic.

When she entered the convenience store, it was much like most others. There was a counter by the entrance, with a female cashier inside, half-lowered over her phone. Several rows of shelves inside were neatly stocked with snacks, drinks, and hot spring supplies.

Perhaps because the rush hour had not yet arrived, there were no customers in the store. It felt somewhat deserted.

[I need to act more normal. Wait, how does a normal person shop again?]

After entering the rather quiet store, Chris thought this as she desperately searched her memories for how ordinary people bought things.

Over the past few years, Chris had barely lived a normal life. She had either drifted from place to place or been kept like a caged canary. Her life had been vastly different from that of ordinary people.

Though that lifestyle had not turned her into some sheltered young lady who knew nothing of the world—after all, she had lived normally when she was little—it had still left her somewhat out of touch with modern society.

"Mm, I remember now. I just need to do it like that."

It was not a difficult matter, and with the help of old memories, Chris quickly figured out roughly what she needed to do.

Then Chris took a basket from the entrance and headed farther into the store. The cashier beside her did not look up and continued playing on her phone with her head lowered.

"Potato chips, chocolate, cookies, and pastries... I'll pick the flavors... Then a few cartons of milk. Ah, and canned coffee too."

Looking at the dazzling array of products on the shelves, Chris began choosing snacks and drinks based on her interests.

Sometimes she would look at something and put it in her basket. Sometimes she would look at it, shake her head, and put it back. In between, she even took things she had already placed in the basket and returned them to the shelves.

Because Chris did not know how much time Raye needed, she deliberately chose things as slowly as possible. Besides, she was honestly quite interested in these little snacks that she had rarely seen before.

"Maybe I should get some for that girl too... Mm... But would she really eat food sold outside? Forget it."

While choosing, Chris considered buying some snacks that suited Raye's tastes. But remembering how the other girl would not even eat food Chris cooked herself, she ultimately gave up on the idea.

For some reason, Chris had never seen Raye eat normal food. Over the past two days, the other girl had always dealt with meals by taking out some milky-white viscous substance from somewhere Chris did not know.

"Forget it. What she wants to do has nothing to do with me."

Chris said that, then picked up the shopping basket, which had somehow already become full. She felt she had delayed long enough and planned to go back and check on Raye.

When she reached the entrance, she placed the basket on the cashier's counter. Perhaps because it contained too many things, it made a dull thud when it landed.

[Ah, I seem to have bought too much. Whatever. I can take home whatever I can't finish.]

Looking at the basket packed full of goods, Chris finally realized that she had unconsciously taken rather a lot.

"Hello, how much is all of this?"

Shaking her head and dismissing the sudden thoughts, Chris asked.

"Mm? Oh, wait a moment. Let me calculate it."

The cashier who had been scrolling through her phone looked up.

[Should I contact Raye first? I remember her saying that Telepathic Communication has quite a large range.]

After handing over the shopping basket, Chris considered this in her heart.

Raye had only told her to buy some things to kill time, but now that she had finished shopping, it seemed necessary to report in, whether to synchronize information or for some other reason.

[Mm, I've decided. I'll tell her, then ask whether I should head back directly.]

Chris did not take long to make her decision and began dialing through Telepathic Communication in her mind.

"Um... Excuse me, are you little Chris?"

Just as Chris was about to establish the connection, an unexpected yet utterly ordinary voice interrupted her.

Her heartbeat accelerated for an instant, and the sensation traveled through her auditory system straight to her brain.

Chris quickly realized what had happened. The cashier in front of her had called out her real name.

[What is going on? Wait, could it be...?]

As mentioned before, the place Chris had chosen was somewhere she knew very well, a place where she had once lived with Raye.

Naturally, there would be people here who had seen her when she was little and knew the younger her well.

[This is bad.]

Cold sweat formed on Chris's forehead. She could not imagine what would happen if her true identity was recognized here, surrounded by enemies.

[Should I deny it? Should I admit it?]

If she denied it and failed to completely deceive the other person, it might only deepen their suspicions.

If she admitted it, she would be exposing a flaw in her identity within this space.

Chris fell into brief confusion, but clearly, she had no time to remain confused.

P.S. Good night.

Thinking

[Deny it or admit it? Which should I choose? What should I do?]

Those thoughts echoed through Chris's mind, but she did not have much time left. If she did not make a choice soon, waiting too long might arouse even more suspicion.

[I only stopped paying attention for a moment, and you've already run into trouble again, Chris.]

Just as Chris tensed up, a familiar voice sounded in her mind.

[Raye, why are you... Ah, I just dialed you.]

Hearing the voice in her mind, Chris was briefly confused before immediately understanding what had happened.

[Forget it. I already understand the situation. Just chat with her casually. It's fine if you tell her your real identity. I'll help you clean up afterward.]

Inside the hot spring inn less than a hundred meters away, Raye saw Chris's nervous appearance through the optically invisible Wasp Unit. Dressed in black, she sighed softly in her heart and made the decision for Chris through Telepathic Communication.

[Is that really okay? Won't it expose my identity?]

Even though Raye said that, Chris was still worried.

[Stop overthinking it. The fake identity I created won't be exposed by something on this level.]

In response to Chris's concern, Raye directly told her she was worrying too much. Without evidence, this degree of exposure would at most allow them to uncover two or three layers of false identities.

[All right. I'll listen to you.]

After hearing Raye say that, Chris finally calmed her anxious heart.

[Mm. Chat with her for now. I still need some time to prepare. Once I'm ready, I'll tell you what to do next, Chris.]

Raye said.

[Prepare? What are you doing, Raye? Haven't you dealt with Hibiki Tachibana yet?]

Hearing that, Chris asked in confusion.

[I've already dealt with her. I'm just planning to try capturing Hibiki Tachibana here. If it goes smoothly, we won't need to waste any more effort.]

Raye said lightly.

After cautious thought and deliberation, Raye ultimately decided to make a small attempt at capturing Hibiki Tachibana. After all, if she missed this excellent opportunity while all of Second Division had let their guard down, there might not be another chance.

[Huh? Wait, didn't you say it was too dangerous to act now, Raye?]

Raye's words only left Chris with even greater doubts. When Chris had wanted to fight, Raye had stopped her. Now that Chris had calmed down and no longer wanted to fight, Raye wanted to fight instead. Chris felt that Raye was targeting her.

[Don't misunderstand. I still believe that capturing Hibiki Tachibana without proper preparation is dangerous. Second Division has come here for a team retreat for unknown reasons, so the danger level here is undoubtedly high.]

[If we act rashly, the chances of accomplishing our goal will be low, and we may encounter unknown risks.]

Raye explained in response to Chris's question.

[Ah, then why are you starting so quickly, Raye?]

Chris asked in confusion.

[The risk is great, but it can be reduced. The main risk comes from my identity, so I plan to capture Hibiki Tachibana without exposing who I am.]

[Anyway, Chris, just wait for my instructions. I'll handle everything.]

[That's all. I have things to do, so I'm hanging up. Good luck on your own, Chris.]

Raye gave a simple explanation, then ended the communication somewhat urgently.

[Wait, so what exactly are you planning to do, Raye...?]

Chris still wanted to ask, but all she received was prolonged silence. Clearly, unless something important happened, Raye did not intend to pay attention to her anymore for the time being.

[Forget it. It's not like I'm that curious anyway.]

Chris hated people who only said half of what they meant.

However, after hearing Raye say that, Chris also felt reassured. In other words, as long as she did not do anything too excessive, exposing a little of her identity was acceptable.

"Yes, that's right, my name is Chris. So who are you, and why do you know me?"

With that thought, Chris admitted her identity without hesitation, then asked in return.

"So it really is little Chris. I knew I hadn't mistaken you. As for me, have you forgotten? You and little Raye used to come to my shop all the time to buy things."

After Chris admitted it, the cashier behind the counter nodded with an expression of realization, then smiled and explained to Chris.