Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear Chapter 40

Raye's explanation tore open a new wound in Hibiki Tachibana's heart, dealing another blow to her already dejected state of mind.

If Raye herself was unwilling to speak up and reveal anything, then Hibiki Tachibana had no way of obtaining any useful information from her. Without that, her naive idea of understanding Raye and eliminating the conflict would become a rootless duckweed, with no possibility of ever being realized.

"Isn't there any other way, sob."

The plan she had finally thought of, something she could accomplish herself, had ultimately amounted to nothing. Hibiki Tachibana looked even more dejected and unconsciously sat down in the folding chair Raye had placed across the table.

"You look pretty depressed. Want some chocolate? Sweet food is a good medicine for a bad mood. Besides, you just went through a major battle, so you must be hungry now."

Noticing that Hibiki Tachibana was showing signs of shutting herself away, Raye thought for a moment, took a chocolate bar from the pile of snacks, stuffed it into the depressed Hibiki Tachibana's mouth, and said this.

If Hibiki Tachibana's mental state was poor, it might affect her Relic fusion, which could in turn cause something unexpected to happen with Raye's mission. So if necessary, Raye would try to resolve the other girl's psychological problems.

"Thanks, but I don't have an appetite right now."

Although the food had already been brought to her mouth, the sorrowful Hibiki Tachibana had none of her usual appetite at that moment.

Still, Raye's actions had an effect. At the very least, she had successfully left Hibiki Tachibana temporarily unsure how to deal with someone like her, causing her to retreat into herself.

"Is that so? It seems Tsubasa Kazanari's serious injury really hit you hard."

Seeing this, Raye gained a deeper understanding of just how poor Hibiki Tachibana's current mental state was.

However, even if she had known things would turn out this way, Raye would not have regretted doing it. After all, Swan Song posed a somewhat serious threat to her life. To make her battles more stable, she would never refuse a method capable of sealing a Singer's Swan Song.

"Then, would you like to leave Tsubasa Kazanari's treatment to me? I have some experience treating injuries caused by Swan Song. Judging from Tsubasa Kazanari's compatibility, keeping her alive shouldn't be a problem."

Then, faced with this situation, Raye naturally proposed such a solution.

By then, the recovery of the airspace was almost complete. The laptop she had just been using for work was closed, and the Sky Striker was no longer connected to it, instead hanging at her waist.

"Raye, what are you doing? What are you planning to do to Tachibana?"

The person who answered Raye was not Hibiki Tachibana, but Genjuro Kazanari, who had noticed the dangerous distance between Hibiki Tachibana and Raye.

It seemed he had already finished explaining what happened afterward to Ryouko Sakurai. After listening, Ryouko Sakurai hurried off to inspect the traces left by the battle.

"Nothing. I merely made a suggestion to Hibiki Tachibana, though I imagine she won't accept it."

Seeing Commander Kazanari notice them, Raye also moved away from Hibiki Tachibana, maintaining a distance that would not agitate Second Division's sensitive nerves.

"Phew. Tachibana, are you all right? She didn't do anything to you, did she?"

Ignoring Raye's words and stepping in front of Hibiki Tachibana again, Commander Kazanari asked the withdrawn girl this question.

"I told you, I really didn't do anything to her. Hmm, whatever. The work is finished, so I won't waste any more time here."

Watching Commander Kazanari protect Hibiki Tachibana, Raye said this helplessly. She then stopped paying attention to them, picked up the computer, desk, chairs, and other things she had brought there, and used the Multi-Task Warblade Mecha to return them to their original positions.

"Goodbye. The next time we meet, I'll be taking Hibiki Tachibana with me. You can prepare yourselves if you want."

After confirming that every component had been recovered, Raye pulled a red crystal from her clothing pocket and casually smashed it against the ground.

A moment later, red light flashed, and the girl's figure vanished from the battlefield, cutting off Second Division's attempt to track her.

"Did she really just leave like that?"

Watching the figure disappear into the red light, Genjuro Kazanari thought this.

"Phew. Yes... Hmm, what's that?"

After confirming that Raye had most likely really left, Genjuro Kazanari relaxed. Then he noticed that at the spot where Raye had just been working, a box filled with miscellaneous items remained—something that had not been there before.

"Did she forget to take it?"

Genjuro Kazanari thought this, then hurried over to inspect the objects inside.

Somewhere on the outskirts of the city, at Fine's private residence, a flash of red light appeared, and Raye's figure, which had just vanished from the battlefield, appeared inside the room.

"Chris, I'm back."

Having finally finished all her work, Raye returned to her own base and Chris's side.

"Mm? Oh, Raye, you're back. By the way, how did the work go?"

The white-haired girl in red, Chris Yukine, briefly spaced out when Raye entered, then naturally asked her this.

She only knew that Raye had gone out to do some work; she did not know the details.

After Raye had taken her away, she had merely said something like, "I have important work to do. Chris, go back first. I'll be there later," leaving Chris Yukine to be sent back to the base in a daze.

Now, after waiting around at the base with nothing to do for nearly two hours, she finally saw Raye appear.

"The main objective failed, but I used the remaining equipment to temporarily strip Tsubasa Kazanari of her combat ability. In the next battle, we probably won't need to consider Tsubasa Kazanari as a combatant. Yawn~"

As Raye explained things to Chris Yukine, she seemed somewhat drowsy.

The continuous work, combat, calculations, and analysis had placed a heavy burden on both her mind and body. Once she returned to a safe area, deep fatigue surged from every part of her body.

"Is that so? Well, in any case, things should still be under your control, Raye. Also, aren't you going to get some sleep? You look exhausted."

Chris Yukine said this.

Raye's explanation put Chris Yukine somewhat at ease, while Raye's exhausted appearance made her worry.

"I'm fine. I can hold out a little longer. I'll sleep after I organize the data I obtained today... Phew. Anyway, Chris, do as you see fit. See you tomorrow."

With that, the girl's body swayed unsteadily through a doorway and vanished from Chris Yukine's sight.

As expected, she's still the same Raye as before.

Seeing Raye stubbornly force herself onward in that worrying manner, Chris Yukine nodded, as though confirming something in her heart.

"Phew."

Chris Yukine rubbed her forehead and peeled off the Telepathic Communication device Raye had attached there earlier. Since they had returned to a safe point, there was naturally no longer any need to rely on it to communicate.

What exactly happened back then? At last, I can finally understand a little of it.

Chris Yukine thought.

Although she had never believed Raye would do something so terrible, the lack of evidence had left doubts in Chris Yukine's heart all this time.

But today, she had finally confirmed that the truth behind the explosion several years ago absolutely had not been as Raye had previously made it appear before her.

The reason Chris Yukine was so certain was the information she had obtained from the cashier at the hot spring district. After learning the cashier's identity, she had earnestly asked whether the person had heard anything about the explosion and Raye.

In the end, her expectations were not disappointed. She had received two pieces of information—not much, but enough to overturn the conclusion she had previously reached.

["I don't know much about that explosion. Any information will do, even rumors? All right, let me think..."]

["Hmm, rumors? Oh, right. Come to think of it, I heard one rumor. Someone saw strange Noise wandering around the orphanage before the explosion happened. But they disappeared almost immediately, so everyone suspected he had simply been mistaken."]

["Hmm, are there any other rumors related to it?"]

["Little Chris, there are some, but... all right. Still, I hope you won't get your hopes up after hearing this."]

["I heard that after that disaster, the resentment of the survivors in the orphanage could not disperse for a long time. It turned into a ghost that wandered around there. They say the ghost looked like a platinum-haired girl holding a red death scythe and wearing tattered white clothes..."]

P.S. I thought about it all night. Anyway, this is what I came up with for now.

Lydian Music Academy Senior High—

"Did you hear? It seems there was a gas explosion at the hot spring district yesterday."

"A gas explosion? No way."

"It's true. I saw the scene from far away last night. It was the first time I'd ever seen an explosion and mushroom cloud of that scale. It was really terrifying."

"If you ask me, they should properly investigate the gas company responsible for laying the pipes there. I heard a gas explosion also happened in that same place several years ago. The hot springs there were discovered because of that explosion."

"By the way, what exactly happened? Something that big must have been serious."

"Fortunately, I heard there happened to be a small-scale Noise disaster there, and some government officials were evacuating the people. So apparently there were no casualties."

"That's good. Still, it sounds scary. Noise and a gas explosion at the same time."

"Enough about that. Did you watch television yesterday...?"

A group of laughing, chattering high school girls enthusiastically discussed all sorts of things, using them as nourishment to maintain their social bonds.

However, to Hibiki Tachibana, who had personally experienced everything that happened the day before, that atmosphere was like a thin yet impassable barrier. She found it difficult to blend in.

This absolutely can't continue. I have to do something.

If I remain this weak, I'll only become a burden when everyone else is fighting. I can't do anything.

But what can I do? I can't even summon Armed Gear. What am I capable of?

Thoughts like these became intricately tangled in Hibiki Tachibana's mind.

She wanted to help others and protect this peaceful daily life. Yet for some reason, she still could not summon the Armed Gear belonging to Gungnir, leaving her thoughts at an impasse.

To become stronger, she had to be like Miss Tsubasa and Miss Kanade. But she could not even take the first step. She was like someone trapped in an inescapable whirlpool, with her own weakness at its center.

"Hibiki."

A gentle voice rang out, interrupting the chaotic thoughts in Hibiki Tachibana's heart.

"Miku?"

When she raised her head, Hibiki Tachibana saw her best friend, the girl with the white bow in her hair, Kohinata Miku, watching her from not far away.

"Has something happened recently? You haven't seemed very energetic, Hibiki. You didn't come home to sleep last night, either."

Miku tilted her head slightly and questioned Hibiki Tachibana, who was sitting alone on a bench during this rare lunch break.

"Ahaha, I just ran into a few things recently. I'm working part-time somewhere, so I'm a little tired. It's fine, Miku. Once I get used to it, I won't be like this anymore."

Faced with her best friend's question, Hibiki Tachibana's eyes wandered as she forced out a smile and laughed it off.

"Hibiki."

Miku merely sat down beside her and looked at the girl next to her with gentle eyes.

"Mm, sorry."

Noticing Miku's gaze, Hibiki Tachibana realized how poor her performance of pretending nothing had happened truly was.

"You don't need to apologize. And, Hibiki, you're forcing yourself to do something very difficult, aren't you?"

Miku shook her head, then said this with certainty, based on her understanding of Hibiki Tachibana.

"As expected, I can't hide anything from you, Miku. But let me think about it a little longer. It's something I have to figure out."

Having her disguise seen through by Miku, Hibiki Tachibana spoke with a troubled expression.

"Mm, I understand."

Miku responded.

Some time passed after that, but Hibiki Tachibana, who had been thinking alone with a deeply troubled expression, still could not come up with an answer.

"Um, Hibiki, no matter what kind of difficult problem you're facing, I think that as long as you can hold on to your own style, you'll definitely be able to overcome it in the best way."

Seeing this rare side of Hibiki Tachibana, Kohinata Miku thought for a moment before saying this.

"My own style? But can that really work?"

Hibiki Tachibana asked doubtfully, questioning both Miku and herself.

Could she really change her weakness by acting according to her own style, rather than learning from the style of someone as strong as Miss Tsubasa?

"Hibiki has to be Hibiki's own style. That's how it should be. If you act according to your own way, I believe you'll definitely succeed."

Kohinata Miku spoke gently.

"...But I've already failed before. Even though I gave it everything I had and exhausted every means, I still couldn't do it. Can following my own way really work?"

Hibiki Tachibana said this. She recalled how she had once tried her best to understand Raye in her own way, only to fail in the end.

At that thought, her expression grew uneasy again.

"Is that so? Hibiki failed."

Miku fell into thought, placing a hand over her abdomen.

"But if you become afraid to move forward just because you've failed, you can't make up for that failure. Hibiki, only by continuing forward can you avoid suffering the same failure again."

After thinking for a moment, the black-haired girl with the bow spoke to Hibiki Tachibana with gentle determination.

"...Keep moving forward."

Feeling the encouragement from her best friend, Hibiki Tachibana unconsciously recalled a certain moment when someone had said something similar to her.

"If it's you, Hibiki, I believe you can do it. Because that's the strength you possess."