Sky Striker Ace, but Symphogear

Miku said.

"As long as I keep moving forward, trying again and again, building up experience and technique, and staying true to my style."

Hibiki Tachibana clenched her fists. As she spoke to herself, she looked toward the hospital where Tsubasa Kazanari was recovering. At that moment, her thoughts became clear. She understood what she needed to do.

"Thank you, Miku. I think I can pull myself together now."

A determined smile returned to Hibiki Tachibana's face.

"Is that so? That's good. Come to think of it, Hibiki, why does your lunch have chocolate and such strange snacks in it today?"

Seeing her best friend smile again, Miku breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned her gaze toward Hibiki Tachibana's lunch and asked.

She did not remember Hibiki Tachibana usually eating such things for lunch.

"Ah, well, um... I suddenly felt like having some chocolate lately."

Hibiki Tachibana answered somewhat awkwardly.

After confirming through sampling that the large box of snacks Raye had left behind yesterday was not poisonous, Commander Kazanari had distributed it among the members of Second Division. What Miku saw was Hibiki Tachibana's share.

"I see. Well, it's nothing. Let's have lunch together, Hibiki."

Miku thought for a moment, carefully examined the shape of the chocolate, and finally spoke as though reassured. She sat down and opened her lunchbox.

"Yeah, let's."

Hibiki Tachibana replied and began putting food from her lunchbox into her mouth.

P.S. Still writing.

A Mission That Left Them Drenched in Sweat

"Um, excuse me, where is Mr. Genjuro? I see. Thank you!"

As soon as the dismissal bell rang at Lydian Music Academy, Hibiki Tachibana dashed into Second Division Headquarters under Miku's doubtful gaze and her teacher's pressured stare. She asked around for Genjuro Kazanari's usual whereabouts.

Since she had decided to move forward in her own style, the first problem she needed to solve was how to strengthen herself without an Armed Gear.

Generally speaking, Symphogear users possessed an Armed Gear corresponding to their Relic as a weapon. For example, Tsubasa Kazanari's Ame-no-Habakiri was a sword, while Kanade Amou's Gungnir was a spear.

But for some reason, Hibiki Tachibana, who wielded Gungnir's armor, had never been able to summon Gungnir's spear. As a result, she could not use certain powerful attacks released through a weapon and could only fight with her fists and feet.

Hibiki Tachibana's solution was this: since she could not manifest a weapon, she would train combat techniques that did not require one.

That was why she wanted to find Genjuro Kazanari. In Hibiki Tachibana's eyes, he was the strongest unarmed fighter she knew. If she became his student, she would surely learn powerful combat techniques and improve her strength.

"Mr. Genjuro is in this room."

Before long, Hibiki Tachibana, who had become basically familiar with the layout of Second Division Headquarters, found the door to Genjuro Kazanari's room.

"Mr. Genjuro, excuse me, I..."

"And that concludes the entirety of this encounter."

Hibiki Tachibana pushed open the door to the Second Division room and was about to speak when she noticed Commander Kazanari apparently talking to a large screen displaying an old man's face. Realizing he might be working, she quickly stopped herself.

"Is this some kind of meeting? Is that old man someone really important?"

Watching the many Second Division members in the room and Commander Kazanari's somewhat respectful attitude, Hibiki Tachibana quietly guessed.

"I see. You were ambushed while resting, fell into the enemy's scheme, used a power that carried a cost, and yet accomplished nothing in the end. There is no question about it. This was a complete and utter failure."

As Hibiki Tachibana wondered, the elderly man on the screen spoke. His face revealed no expression, and he seemed deeply unfathomable.

"Yes. I will bear all responsibility as commander. I failed to coordinate things properly and allowed the enemy to discover an opening in our actions, which led to this failure."

Facing the man's accusation, Genjuro Kazanari, commander of Second Division, stepped forward and spoke while bowing.

"..."

After Genjuro Kazanari finished speaking, the old man on the screen did not answer immediately, as though considering what punishment to impose.

This is suffocating.

Hibiki Tachibana felt as if the air throughout the conference room had grown heavy.

"You need not blame yourself. The enemy you faced was not one you could have opposed."

Just as Hibiki Tachibana felt as though she were about to suffocate, the old man closed his eyes and spoke slowly. The previously oppressive atmosphere in the conference room vanished in an instant.

"What do you mean?"

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Commander Kazanari looked somewhat surprised. He had originally believed he would receive an extremely severe punishment because of their repeated failures.

"Though you have failed in your task, you have also rendered merit. Your merit lies in confirming what that elusive major criminal seeks."

The old man on the screen said this.

"Therefore, I shall entrust you with an important duty. If you can capture that major criminal, your merit will be enough to offset your faults. Furthermore, in order to capture the criminal, I shall grant you the corresponding authority."

The old man continued. Then the large screen in the Second Division room went dark, as though the communication had been disconnected.

"So that's how it is. I didn't expect things to end like this."

After the screen shut off, Genjuro Kazanari rubbed his forehead and spoke.

"Um, Mr. Genjuro."

Seeing that the meeting seemed to have ended, Hibiki Tachibana stepped forward to Commander Kazanari's side and asked in confusion.

"Tachibana, why are you here? School should have only just let out not long ago."

Only after hearing Hibiki Tachibana's voice did Commander Kazanari notice that she had arrived at some point.

"I came over as soon as school ended because I wanted to ask Mr. Genjuro for something. But when I got here, I saw Mr. Genjuro listening to that old man, so I waited until now."

Hibiki Tachibana answered.

"Is that so? It seems I've been under too much pressure lately."

Only after hearing Hibiki Tachibana's words did Commander Kazanari recall when she had entered.

"By the way, Mr. Genjuro, who was that scary-looking old man? What just happened?"

Hibiki Tachibana asked in confusion.

"That old man? Oh, you mean Mr. Fudou Kazanari. You probably wouldn't understand the details, so just think of him as an important person with a higher position than mine."

"As for what just happened, to sum it up, the higher-ups are dissatisfied with us because of our repeated failures. But because this operation revealed Raye's goal—namely you, Tachibana—they want us to use that as a basis to organize an operation to capture Raye and make up for our mistakes. At the same time, in order to improve our chances of success, they have granted Second Division the authority to allocate certain resources."

Genjuro Kazanari answered Hibiki Tachibana's question.

He was both answering Hibiki Tachibana's doubts and summarizing the meeting he had just attended.

"Oh, I see. Wait—ah, what? Capture Miss Raye?"

At first, Hibiki Tachibana did not think much of it. But halfway through, she realized something was wrong. Had Mr. Genjuro just casually said something utterly terrifying?

"Yes, that's right. That is the mission the higher-ups have assigned us. It is also why Second Division did not receive any punitive treatment this time. On the contrary, we were granted priority rights to allocate certain resources."

Genjuro Kazanari covered his forehead and spoke in a tone devoid of any joy.

".."

Hibiki Tachibana felt sweat running down her back. She clearly understood Mr. Genjuro's predicament. Even meeting Miss Raye required her to undergo an assessment, so she had no idea how they could possibly capture Miss Raye.

"Forget it. We still have time to prepare for that. Tachibana, you said you wanted to ask me for something. What is it?"

Equally drenched in sweat, Genjuro Kazanari temporarily pushed aside this mission that could only be called a fantasy and instead asked why Hibiki Tachibana had come.

"Ah, it's like this. Actually, I wanted to ask Mr. Genjuro to..."

Hearing Genjuro Kazanari's question, Hibiki Tachibana temporarily put the terrifying matter out of her mind as well and began explaining why she had come.

P.S. Good morning (?)

A Peaceful Day

She heard the sound of something exploding.

She heard someone speaking in a language she could not understand.

[Don't worry... I'm fine. Cough. Also, sorry, but this might hurt a little.]

She heard someone weakly whispering those words into her ear, but the name was too garbled to make out.

She felt something burning hot strike her abdomen.

"!!!"

Waking from a chaotic dream, the girl named Miku suddenly opened her eyes.

"Was that a dream...? Why am I dreaming about what happened back then now?"

The sensible girl slowly sat up. As she muttered to herself, she reached toward her abdomen and touched the scar left there by a burn.

"..."

After touching the scar, Miku fell silent for a while. A layer of melancholy came over her expression as the dream brought back that unpleasant incident.

"No, that's not right. I'm the one who should apologize. Even though you helped me so much, even though I was the one who wanted to help you, in the end..."

Placing a hand over her chest, the girl spoke words filled with intense apology and guilt. They seemed directed at someone, yet also seemed meant only for herself.

"Phew..."

After some time, Miku gradually calmed down from the nightmare. She let out a long sigh and stopped speaking in such an urgent manner.

"No, this won't do. At the very least, I can't cause her any more trouble."

With those words, Miku closed her eyes. When she opened them again, nothing seemed wrong with her gaze.

"Is it already this late?"

Having returned to her usual self, Miku took her phone from beside the bed and opened it. After seeing the time, she looked to her side, intending to wake her best friend.

"Hibiki?"

Then Miku's pupils trembled slightly. She discovered that her best friend had left her side at some unknown time.

"...I see. She went off for some kind of training again?"

Miku thought uneasily.

Ever since that day, after she had comforted her best friend, who had been inexplicably depressed, Hibiki had spent the past week doing exactly this: leaving the dorm early and not returning until late at night.

The note Hibiki left said she seemed to be doing some kind of training, but whenever Miku asked why, she received no answer.

I should get up.

No matter how much she thought about it, she could not change the fact that Hibiki was not here.

Afterward, she tidied herself up alone, left the dormitory, went downstairs, and walked by herself toward the school building.

"Good morning."

"Good morning. Huh, Tachibana isn't here again today?"

"That's right. Her cold doesn't seem to have gotten better yet."

"I see..."

That day, she chatted with her classmates as usual.

"Tachibana! Tachibana isn't coming to class again today?"

"Um, she took sick leave today because of her cold."

"Honestly... Fine, Kohinata, take this homework to her. And don't forget to remind her to hand in her report."

"Okay, I understand."

During class, she helped Hibiki Tachibana request leave as usual.

"Ah, school's finally over. Tachibana didn't come again today. What on earth is she doing? Kohinata, do you know anything?"

"I'm not really sure either."

"Is that so? Well then, Kohinata, see you tomorrow."

Finally, when school ended, she said goodbye to her friends as usual.

The sun rose and set again. Miku soon spent another day without her best friend by her side. After eating dinner alone, she returned to the dormitory.

"It hurts a little."